Cousin marriage in the Middle East

Cousin marriage is when two people who are related - like, they have a grandparent in common - get married. In some Middle Eastern countries, it's quite common for people to marry their cousins. This means that their families are linked in two ways - they are related to each other through their marriage, and also related to each other before their marriage because of their family connection. This means that their shared family ties are stronger and their relationship is more solid.