A khamsin is a dry extremely hot wind storm, the dread of all who enter the desert it can suck the life out of any living thing. The word "khamsin" is derived from khamsa, meaning five fold. Thus fifty days of this wind can be expected during the year. There is an Arabic saying, "If the khamsin blows for three days in succession a man has the right to kill his wife; five days, his best friend; seven days, himself."