[1] The destruction of the 1992 Cairo earthquake was another instance that forced many people to move into family tombs, thus adding to the number of people already living in the City of the Dead. Dwayne Johnson on Twitter: And yes, I did eat a real scorpion in The Mummy Returns. [5] One hundred and ten pashas held the office during this period and many ended their terms in jail or under house arrest. In Egyptian mythology, Seth killed Osiris in an attempt to become the ruler of Egypt, however Osiris and Isiss son, Horus, defeated Seth in combat. The film presents Ardeth Bey and the Medjay as men skilled in combat and wholly devoted to preventing the return of Imhotep. Dont consume food or liquids if youre having difficulty swallowing. Al-Shafi'i was an extremely important Islamic scholar who founded the Shafi'i madhhab (a school of Islamic jurisprudence) which is predominant in many parts of the Muslim world. Not only was The Mummy a dark, horror-based movie like The City of the Dead, but they also had some similarities in the plot. The film may be over 20 years old today, but this lack of Egyptian representation is regrettable. During the following three centuries Egypt was ruled by pashas, governors appointed by the Ottoman sultan. Cause I think the movie is one of the best ones about ancient Egypt. The name, Anck-su-namun comes from Ankhesenamun, who was the wife of Tutankhamun, from the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. late fourteenth century BC). There are so many to pick from. The district as a whole has an estimated population of 266,000, but this covers a wide area of densely inhabited settlements and neighbourhoods outside the Northern Cemetery. 7 famous mummies and secrets they've revealed about the ancient world She joined Screen Rant in August 2022. cursed in antiquity. Several necropoleis existed in Egypt, most notably at Saqqara, Giza, Amarna and Thebes, but these were associated with living cities (Memphis, Akhetaten, and Thebes, respectively), and their locations were, at least in ancient times, public knowledge. The book of the dead is not a real book, they are lists of spells written on papyri scrolls to ensure the deceased would make it to the Duat. Thats how Team Bring It rolls. Just the existence of Imhotep and Nefertiti in the same time line, is very wrong. Egyptian-Themed movies/Films set in ancient Egypt/Egyptology His forehead resembles the name Imhotep, though written in an errant way. These are canopic jars which became an important element in Egyptian burials after the Middle Kingdom. His tomb became one of the most important sites in the cemeteries even up to the present day, attracting many pilgrims and spurring development in the area at different periods.[1][7]. [1] The funerary complex of Sultan Qaytbay, for example, considered a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture, is often described as a "royal suburb", since it included a host of services and establishments to serve both short-term stays and long-term residents. Many of the waqf trusts which governed the functioning and upkeep of the religious foundations built throughout Cairo and its necropolis were embezzled so as to appropriate their revenues. Moderated by Toronto-based Taylor and Thomas, Nile Scribes is a dual-language blog on the latest in Egyptology. In the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tanis is fictitiously portrayed as a lost city which was buried in antiquity by a massive sandstorm, before being rediscovered by a Nazi expedition looking for the Ark of the Covenant. [1], Under Abbasid rule (starting in 750 CE), the center of government shifted to a new city founded just northeast of Fustat, called al-'Askar, and then again to another city, al-Qata'i, built by the semi-independent governor Ahmad Ibn Tulun in the 9th century. But it is a good movie just like the first one. [2], The northern part of the necropolis, north of the Salah Salem road, is known as the al-Khalifa neighbourhood. The deceased is led before a scale, where their heart is put on a scale against the weight of the. The City of the Dead, or Cairo Necropolis, also referred to as the Qarafa (Arabic: , romanized: al-Qarafa; locally pronounced as al-arafa), is a series of vast Islamic-era necropolises and cemeteries in Cairo, Egypt. The City of the Dead had been established some time into the ascent of the New Kingdom, replacing the Pyramids of old as the resting place of the Pharaohs and their possessions and was host to a number of different booby-traps and deterrents to ward off plunderers. North of the historic city is also the Bab al-Nasr Cemetery, named after the northern city gate, which covers a much smaller area than the other two. Unfortunately, they no longer exist as many died as mercenaries and warriors throughout history. [7], North of the Sayyida Nafisa Mosque, the tombs and cemeteries blend into the dense urban fabric of the city. Their inclusion in the film is a nod to a similarly named group of people we know as the Medjay. Rickipedia: The Mummy Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Hamunaptra, or "The City of the Dead," was a lost city where pharaohs were laid to rest in The Mummy. The time is the Nineteenth Dynasty, during the reign of the pharaoh, Seti I (c. 1,294-1,279 BC). Stereotypical elements such as fake doors and elaborate mechanisms exist to keep robbers at bay from glorious riches. The role she played was to be high priest Imhotep's lover. This movie is one of my favorites, I am not so keen on the last one, because it isnt in Egypt. A scene within the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo shows Evelyn exploring a room filled with all sorts of Egyptian antiquities. An Egyptological Review of 'The Mummy' (1999) - Nile Scribes The city was important as one of the nearest ports to the Asiatic seaboard. Hamunaptra is a formerly lost city in Egypt, roughly sixty miles south of Alexandria and as many miles west and slightly north of Al-Jizah. [5] However, governors were typically appointed for a few years before being recalled because the sultans were afraid of them accumulating power. The UNESCO World Heritage Site entry for Historic Cairo refers to this area as the "Qaytbay Necropolis", given the fame of Qaytbay's mausoleum. The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined. Both movies were inspired by historical places in the country they took place, with The Mummy in Egypt and The City of the Dead in Salem, Massachusetts. The Bahri Mamluks built some funerary structures here, most notably the mausoleum of al-Nasir Muhammad's favourite wife, Princess Tughay (also known as Umm Anuk), who was buried here in 1348, making it one of the earliest surviving structures in the Northern Cemetery today. Sure, Ancient Egypt is the setting of the film and a mummy is at the centre stage of the plot; yet the lack of Egyptian actors in the film is lamentable. As Imhotep tries to use Evelyn as a sacrifice, Rick defeats the high priest by stripping him of his immortality with scriptures from the Book of the Dead, before finally stabbing him with a sword. Hamunaptra Queen or Pharaoh : r/WaifuDiffusion - Reddit actual history, a city called Hamunaptra (City of the Dead Man) was found in India in the 1850s when British engineers, trying to build a railroad, pillaged the area for bricks. [1] Nonetheless, in the early 16th century, Leo Africanus describes the old Qarafa (the Southern Cemetery), as being inhabited by around two thousand households. Although these are not specifically about the subjects in "the Mummy," they look good. Why Do Cross Country Runners Have Skinny Legs? In 1907, the neighbourhood of Imam al-Shafi'i was connected to the rest of Cairo by a streetcar line which stretched from here to the Pyramids in Giza (though it no longer exists today). Unfortunately, this is a fictional city as the name did not exist in Ancient Egypt. While the priests then place the lid on top, the scarab beetles begin to ravage and consume Imhotep alive. The Book of the Dead resurrected Imhotep through the scripture read by Evelyn, and although it has the same name as one found in history, the version in The Mummy departs from the source material. They can be traced back in history as early as 2400 B.C. But you are absolutly wrong in stating that some of them wasen't a legend especially considering Imhotep, who was so loved even by the ancient Greeks, that they all raised him to the Gods position but som of the characters are indeed legendary. The latter were re-established in Cairo in 1261 by Sultan Baybars following the Mongols' destruction of Baghdad, but they were subsequently restricted to a strictly ceremonial role within the Mamluk Sultanate. In The Mummy, the army is featured as modern descendants who had magical powers to defeat their adversaries, led by the beloved character, Ardeth Bay, who in The Mummy's original script was planned as a secondary antagonist. [1] North of this, the cemeteries around the Sayyida Nafisa Mosque are separated from the rest of the necropolis by the modern Salah Salem ring road, and form the neighbourhood of al-Khalifa which blends into the main urban fabric of Cairo at this point. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. Egypt The Mummy ignores their original purpose of aiding the deceased to get to and maintain their existence in the afterlife. The legendary land of Pharaohs offers you a memorable. China locations Hong Kong Shanghai Shangri-La England locations London, Children of Ancient Egyptian royalty (deceased), Destroyed and abandoned upon finding artifacts. Official hunting seasons exist in Egypt for bird hunting by tourists and quail hunting in North Sinai. The Mummy labels Hamunaptra as the City of the Dead and as the burial place of the pharaohs. Historically, there was no such place as Hamunaptra. Its venom, however, is lethal in less than 10 percent of untreated victims, but the snakes aggressiveness means it bites early and often. Furthermore, City of the Dead must refer to the Valley of the Kings and the memorial temples on the Theban West Bank. Ankhesenamun was actually the sister wife of King Tut during the 18th dynasty, so there was no way Imhotep and her could be lovers. [1] The population of the cemeteries declined throughout the Ottoman period, but the necropolises nonetheless remained an important part of Cairo, with many foreign visitors during this period commenting on their size and monumental quality. [1], The necropolis that makes up "the City of the Dead" has been developed over many centuries and contains both the graves of Cairo's common population as well as the elaborate mausoleums of many of its historical rulers and elites. Nevertheless, funerary texts of the New Kingdom reveal to us numerous instances of brutal punishment for those who do not make it to the afterlife. After murdering Seti I, Imhotep and his followers run away. Was there an evil priest named Imhotep and did he go against the Pharaoh (king)? They also have the resurrection of evil, who has to be defeated in the end because they wanted to sacrifice someone important to the main character. [16], Arguably the most important site in the Southern Cemetery is the Mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi'i and its adjoining mosque. City of the Dead, ancient burial site for the sons of Pharaohs, and resting place for the wealth of Egypt. Egypt But this blog post was only to show some fact vs. fiction. thank you so much Anck-su-namun, meanwhile, decides to end her life rather than face the consequences of her actions. Imhotep also had powers from being cursed in The Mummy, another aspect of the figure that cant be substantiated. Page not found Instagram The travelers find the ancient city and accidentally awaken Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo). Sincerely, He protected the dead on the way to the Afterlife. As a consequence to attempting to bring Anck-su-namun back to life, Imhotep receives one of the highest forms of punishment: the Hom-Dai. So, the movie is a little in accurate. The Mummy How does this movie rate in historical accuracy? Unfortunately, this is a fictional city as the name did not exist in Ancient Egypt. Estimates based on scholarly studies and the 1986 census put the population of all the cemetery zones at nearly 180,000 during that time. The Mosque has been embellished and rebuilt by many patrons over the centuries, and is still popular today. Sincerely, The same place became the villain's desert hideout in Bond movie Spectre. These are some questions taken up in this short blog post. There is also another smaller cemetery north of Bab al-Nasr. The City of the Dead, or Cairo Necropolis, also referred to as the Qarafa (Arabic: , romanized: al-Qarafa; locally pronounced as al-arafa), is a series of vast Islamic-era necropolises and cemeteries in Cairo, Egypt. you are right in that they are dead, now. Well all of the character were dead but they were not legend. Today, the cemeteries are also crossed and split by rail lines and major roads such as the ring-roads of Shari'a Salah Salem and Kobri Al Ebageah, thus creating prominent barriers between parts of the necropolis that were once contiguous with each other. The Mummy | Film Locations In spell 43 of The Book of Coming Forth by Day, Ani stands before three deities, hoping to avoid decapitatio by reciting a spell: I am a Great One, the son of a Great One, I am a flame, the son of a flame, to whom was given his head after it had been cut off. Just an idea they keep missing out on is the fact about the food storage in the EU, where they rarely look or go to, because the food keep rooting, and then they through it out thats business for ya [1] This population grew and shrank according to circumstances in different eras. In the movie they reported Hamunaptra to symbolize the city of the Dead. [7], At the northern end of the Qarafa, east of al-Khalifa and near the Citadel, is the Mosque of Sayyida Aisha. Hamunaptra also known as the City of the Dead was an ancient lost city that served for many centuries as the resting place for the Pharaohs of Egypt and their wealth. Of te various small real-life details that inspired various aspects of The Mummy, perhaps the most interesting is that Evelyn Carnahan is inspired by a real and rather significant person. [7], Directly south of the mosque, across the Salah Salem road, is the neighborhood of al-Qadiriya, centered around the street by that name. [7] It lies close to the Citadel walls, adjoining the district of al-Darb al-Ahmar, and is cut off from the rest of the cemeteries by the modern Salah Salem road. Aspects such as the city of Hamunaptra and the power of ancient spells to resurrect are thrilling but fictional.The Mummy opened in theatres more than 20 years ago, but ethnic inclusion is something filmmakers today could greatly improve upon. Israeli actor, Oded Fehr, plays Ardeth Bay, the leader of the Medjay (a group tasked with preventing Imhotep from resurrecting). The city of Hamunaptra was created for the action-adventure movie and wasnt a real city. In contrast, we think of the pyramids now as the apex of a large funerary complex, so palaces would not have been located in proximity (1). Fast Facts: The Dead Sea is actually not a sea at all, but a lake thats made up of about 30 percent salt. Egypt Hamunaptra (also known as the City of the Dead) is a fictional Egyptian city in Egypt and a location in The Mummy. gravediggers, tomb custodians), the Sufis and religious scholars studying in the religious complexes built by sultans and other wealthy patrons, and the regular inhabitants of small urban settlements and villages in the area. A number of lesser-known Fatimid-era funerary monuments, featuring architectural similarities with the Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya to the north, are also documented. Thank you so much, and a big Greetings from Denmark. 'Cairo' of 1925 is Marrakech, and the lost city of 'Hamunaptra' was a vast set built at an old fort inside a dormant volcano crater about 12 miles southwest of Erfoud, in the southeast of the country. Though he is based on a real person and the film used the correct name, the story of Imhotep is different from what was shown in the film. Yes, Imhotep existed, but we have to go back to the ancient Pyramid builders before we find him. [1] Some historians believe that the necropolis zone was divided into two cemeteries: the Qarafat al-Sughra, or "Smaller Qarafa", located further north, and the Qarafat al-Kubra, or "Greater Qarafa", spreading over a large area further south. [3] Moreover, the cemeteries were already filled with structures built to house family tombs some of them quite sumptuous which were well-suited to provide improvised housing for the homeless and displaced. [1] Starting in 1265, Sultan Baybars turned the area into a large hippodrome for equestrian games, training, and military parades, and it became known as Maydan al-Qabaq. [2], Today, most of the Northern Cemetery is located within the Manshiyat Naser qism (district) of the Cairo Governorate. Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? The Mummy (1999 film) - Wikipedia Throughout the film, Egyptian objects housed in museums and similar institutions exist frequently only for the viewing enjoyment of Western audiences. Amun-Ra is a god created from the two most important deities of the ancient Egyptian pantheon: the gods Amun and Ra. Animals and Pets Anime Art Cars and Motor Vehicles Crafts and DIY Culture, Race, and Ethnicity Ethics and Philosophy Fashion Food and Drink History Hobbies Law Learning and Education Military Movies Music Place Podcasts and Streamers Politics Programming Reading, Writing, and Literature Religion and Spirituality Science Tabletop Games . She approaches a sarcophagus and suddenly a mummified, partially-wrapped body sits up, scaring her. Karima, Hi! [1][5]:26 In the mid-8th century, just before the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, the city's necropolis is said to have covered about 300 hectares, though its exact boundaries are unclear, other than the fact that it was outside the eastern city walls. [1]:123 The land became abandoned and disused following a famine in the 11th century and was probably then used as a burial ground, which led to the name Qarafa being used to denote Cairo's urban cemeteries in general. He was pharaoh Djosers chief architect. Though movies arent known for being historically accurate, the action-adventure franchise introduces the audience to gods and artifacts ripped from the history books. But the ancient Egyptian city of the Dead is called the Valley of the kings and Queens.. One of them were Anck-Su-Namun which was the Pharaoh's mistress. [7] His mausoleum is also a monument of major architectural and historic importance in itself: it is the largest freestanding mausoleum in Egypt and its current structure was founded by the Ayyubid sultan al-Kamil in 1211 (with many subsequent modifications and restorations). In the real historical records, there is a hint of something a like. They are architecturally impressive but have been partly destroyed over the years. Our evidence for palaces in Egypt from the Old Kingdom is very limited. These were especially important to the Shi'i version of Islam of which the Fatimids were adherents. The Battle of Hamunaptra was a battle that occured between the Tuareg braves and the French Foreign Legionnaires occupying the ancient City of the Dead, Hamunaptra. Heavenly Concoctions: the World of Egyptian Perfumes and Oils, Architect of Djosers Step Pyramid at Saqqara. The scorpion king portrayed in the movie can have little to do with the real Pharaoh named Scorpion, because of the lack of real history-facts around this ancient Pharaoh but it will come. [1], The authorities have been historically ambivalent as to how to deal with the growing population in the cemeteries. I truly appreciate your thoughts, [7] The most significant foundation here appears to have been the Zawiya of Shaykh Zayn al-Din Yusuf in 1299, which attracted pilgrims and formed the core of a new habitable district which later became the neighbourhood of al-Qadiriya. The Lost City: Hamunaptra - The Lost City - Blogger Probably just normal people like us. Imhotep uses his powers to cause a huge sandstorm, but distracted by Evelyn, he only succeeds in letting the plane make . But you dont have to worry if you cant swim because it is impossible to drown. It is an ancient lost city that served for many centuries as the resting place for the Pharaohs of Egypt and their treasures. Thank you so much for your comment. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Historic Cairo". Shantytowns are mostly gone, but only a portion of tomb residents have good access to regular amenities. Except we are not at Giza; instead, the narrator tells us we are in Thebes, City of the Living, several hundred of kilometres to the south! Imhotep returns to Hamunaptra in a sandstorm, carrying Evelyn and Beni, pursued by Rick's plane. I have just put an example of the temple Ramses (Seti I's son . Her mausoleum was accompanied by a khanqah for Sufis, which became a recurring architectural format for future funerary complexes. Most of the movies are fiction in some sense, yet it is well mixed with real people from ancient Egypt, but they are not portrayed in the correct manner. One of the most recognizable figures in The Mummy is Imhotep, the high priest. Destroyed and abandoned upon finding artifacts, Ardeth Bay's description of the City of the Dead., The Mummy. At an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Hamunaptra, an American serving in the French Foreign Legion accidentally awakens a mummy who begins to wreak havoc as he searches for the reincarnation of his long-lost love. [16]) It is the site of the Sayyida Nafisa Mosque and, next to it, the Tombs of the Abbasid Caliphs which probably gave the area its name. The most famous are the Mosque and mausoleum complex of Sultan Qaitbay (featured on the Egyptian 1 Pound note), the Mausoleum complex of Sultan Barsbay, and the Khanqah-mausoleum of Sultan Farag ibn Barquq. [5] Only a small number of them left any monument attesting to their time in Egypt, and only six such monuments were in the Qarafa. What was Imhotep curse? This included efforts to restrict the use of the cemeteries to burials and funerals only, and discouraging living inhabitants from settling within them. [3], Today, the neighborhoods are similar in quality to other working-class Cairo neighborhoods and have limited but relatively decent infrastructure, including water, electricity, schools, a post office, and other facilities. [7] It is now overshadowed by the Salah Salem bypass. However, the legends included in The Mummy have never been associated with the city. In similar fashion, the Egyptian labourers whom the Americans charge with opening a sarcophagus at Hamunaptra are easily dispensable. When kings were being judged by Osiris, Anubis placed their hearts on one side of a scale and a feather (representing Maat) on the other. [1] A number of other Fatimid-era mausoleums survive today in the area between the Mosques of Ibn Tulun and of Sayyida Nafisa, such as the Mausoleum of Sayyida Ruqayya. [1], The Fatimid dynasty revived or reintroduced ancient Egyptian traditions of building monumental mausoleums and of visiting ancestors' graves, which subsequently changed the character of the cemeteries. The Mummy labels Hamunaptra as the "City of the Dead" and as the burial place of the pharaohs. But it is a good movie! Capital punishment by burning has also been depicted in Ancient Egypt. Though there weren't a lot of stories available surrounding Imhotep, his reputation for wisdom and glory shows that his life most likely wasn't similar to the one depicted in The Mummy. Tanis is a real city in Egypt, in the Nile delta, serving as the ancient . As Evelyn makes her way to the prison to free Rick, she has to haggle for Ricks release with a corrupt Egyptian prison warden (Omid Djalili). The Mummy also created new meanings for these historical items, twisting the artifacts and figures into a plot device for a blockbuster story. [7][1] The mosque contains the tomb of Sayyida Nafisa, a granddaughter of Hasan, the second Shi'i Imam and grandson of Muhammad. There is also no evidence that there were any ties to magical or mystical practices for the historical Medjay people. Check out books by Elizabeth Peters (set in Egypt), and also a trilogy by Paul Boherty. I had followed you. Although sensational, the Hom-Dai ritual as shown in the film is completely fictional. Children of Ancient Egyptian royalty (deceased)Imhotep (deceased)Imhotep's priests (deceased)Warrior priests The City of the Dead has been characterized as a slum;[18] however, this characterization is not endorsed by everyone and has been criticized for relying too heavily on the story of the "tomb-dwellers" (people squatting in the tomb structures), whose existence has been sensationalized in the media and whose numbers are almost certainly greatly exaggerated or misconstrued. In the Second Mummy movie, where the Scorpion king made a deal with the god Anubis, in exchanged for the king soul, Anubis would grant endless power. There was actually a person by the name of Imhotep, who lived in the Third Dynasty (c. 2,667-2,648 BC). Did Hamunaptra really exist? Siwa Oasis is situated around 850 kilometers to the North East of Cairo, more than 1500 kilometers to the North West of Aswan, 1146 kilometers to the North West of Hurghada, around 500 kilometers to the North West of the Fayoum Oasis, and around 250 kilometers to the South West of Marsa Matrouh, the nearest city to . Egypt | History, Map, Flag, Population, & Facts | Britannica Though it is referred to as a book, the inscriptions were often found on long papyrus, tomb walls, wrappings, and even King Tuts golden mask. you should check them out one day, it is two movie (I and II). The head of Osiris shall not be taken from him, and my head shall not be taken from me. [3][1] In fact, the majority of the residents live in regular urban housing and neighborhoods which, through various historical circumstances, developed inside the cemetery zones. On top of scenes of decapitated bodies, ancient funerary texts also contained scenes of bodies burned in raging fires. The priests tie him up forcefully, then proceed to cut off his tongue. The movie is just a fantasy, as far as I know mummies have never become animated and come back to life (and just as well). [1][7], By the end of the Mamluk period in the 16th century, the decline of Cairo's population and wealth also led to the decline of the necropolis zones overall, particularly the old southern Qarafa. Seti I, the famous father of Ramesses II, is often regarded as one of Egypts most powerful kings. With the many similarities, the use of The City of the Dead in The Mummy could be seen as an homage. Fay I am also interested in fiction books set in Egypt. In 1897 the census put the population of the districts which included the cemeteries at 30,969 (though this may have included some regular neighbourhoods too, given the difficulty in defining the boundaries of the cemeteries). For example, the mythical creature Ammit devours all those who do not pass the famous judgment in the Hall of Two Truths (2). First let us look at the architecture of Hamunaptra. Hundreds of bites are reported annually, but a powerful anti-venom prevents deaths in most cases. Scorpion was a king in southern Egypt that was buried in a very spectacular way. Dwayne Johnson, while filming for the historical fantasy action movie titled The Scorpion King, has eaten a real scorpion and the actor has even admitted to the same on twitter. However, by the time of the New Kingdom, the Medjay are a sort of security group in charge of protecting the royal tombs on the Theban West Bank. We can detect the Medjay in the archaeological record from the Middle Kingdom to the early New Kingdom. [1], During the second half of the 20th century, rapid urbanization and the modernization of industries in and around Cairo lead to a massive migration that the city was ill-equipped to handle. [1] The tomb enclosures, typically walled structures built to house the tombs of one extended family (also known as a hawsh), are nonetheless considered better, in some respects, than poor-quality housing elsewhere in the city. Related: The Mummy Needs A Revival More Than Indiana Jones. [1] The regime also taxed waqfs, the legal trust agreements that governed many of the mausoleums and religious buildings, which reduced the ability of those who managed them to pay for the upkeep of the monuments. Passionate about all things Egypt, Thomas is currently completing his doctorate at the University of Toronto.