"The time: The Middle Ages under the Mamelukes.
The place: Islamic Cairo, Ibn Toloun Mosque to be precise.
The scene: A man running along the road shouting, 'They're taking the sink, they're taking the sink.' A bewildered crowd follow in his wake.
What's all this about? It was the sink that stood outside the Ibn Toloun Mosque, that people used for drinking and washing before the prayers.It was made from a big piece of black granite, adorned with Pharaonic inscriptions. No-one knew where it was made or why it was there. But rumour had it that there was treasure underneath and a genie lurked there, protecting it for the promised one. That's why they called it el-Houd el-Marsoud (the Haunted Sink). When one of the Mamelukes wanted the sink for some reason, he sent his soldiers to get it. People flocked to see what was going on . . . .
When the French invaded Egypt in 1798, they brought with them the cream of their country's scientists, who noted down everything they noticed and learnt about Egypt's people and their history. The scientists were fascinated by the sink. They decided to take it home. With all their high-tech skills, it was easy to take el-Houd el-Marsoud to Paris. They packed it up along with the Rosetta Stone and the Fist of Ramses, but they ran into the British Navy who destroyed the French ships and seized the treasures. The sink, the Rosetta Stone and the Fist of Ramses ended up in the British Museum. The British were able to piece together the secrets of the sink, once they'd deciphered the Pharaonic symbols on it.El-Houd el-Marsoud was originally a sarcophagus made by a man called Hapmen in the 26th Dynasty, 600-300 BC, or later".
What's all this about? It was the sink that stood outside the Ibn Toloun Mosque, that people used for drinking and washing before the prayers.It was made from a big piece of black granite, adorned with Pharaonic inscriptions. No-one knew where it was made or why it was there. But rumour had it that there was treasure underneath and a genie lurked there, protecting it for the promised one. That's why they called it el-Houd el-Marsoud (the Haunted Sink). When one of the Mamelukes wanted the sink for some reason, he sent his soldiers to get it. People flocked to see what was going on . . . .
When the French invaded Egypt in 1798, they brought with them the cream of their country's scientists, who noted down everything they noticed and learnt about Egypt's people and their history. The scientists were fascinated by the sink. They decided to take it home. With all their high-tech skills, it was easy to take el-Houd el-Marsoud to Paris. They packed it up along with the Rosetta Stone and the Fist of Ramses, but they ran into the British Navy who destroyed the French ships and seized the treasures. The sink, the Rosetta Stone and the Fist of Ramses ended up in the British Museum. The British were able to piece together the secrets of the sink, once they'd deciphered the Pharaonic symbols on it.El-Houd el-Marsoud was originally a sarcophagus made by a man called Hapmen in the 26th Dynasty, 600-300 BC, or later".
See the above article for the full details on the Egyptian Mail website.
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