Amidst a burgeoning entrepreneurial scene and countless initiatives, there is always something that truly stands out.
Egypt has witnessed a large number of platforms that take real life transactions and puts them online for ease of use; Bey2ollak creates a platform to gather traffic information, Mashaweer does your errands for you and ArtsMart makes browsing for art possible through your laptop.
El7asheshbkam.com, which translates to “how much is the hashish”, goes the extra mile to create a platform for something that is illegal, offering detailed information on hashish prices throughout Cairo.
Although possessing hashish is illegal, many Egyptians, young and old alike, smoke and purchase the substance from dealers around the city.
Despite its prevalence, this network is still informal and underground which means even general information can be scarce and there is no way to connect to others within it. Though this may be the norm for all illegal commodities, for some, it may be nothing more than a gap in the market.
El7asheshbkam.com presents users with a remarkably easy interface; you put in a name, a price and a location. The site responds with an anonymous response, the current prices of hashish in different neighbourhoods around Cairo.
The website makes sure to include social media in its services and has links to a Twitter account and a Facebook page with live updates from users who send in information as well as a hashtag that can redirect you to the relevant conversations.
Though some have pointed out the website could be a convenient method for Egyptian police to paint a map of the location of hashish dealers in Egypt, the website has been around for a long time and its design and user-friendliness have others doubting the idea.
There is a possibility that the website is a parody and is not intended to be a platform of any kind but the lack of information makes it difficult to determine.
The Daily News Egypt has contacted the website for comment but so far, there has been no reply.
