Hamunaptra
Encyclopedia
Hamunaptra is the name of a fictional city in the 1999
horror/action film, The Mummy
, as well as a real city in India
.
ian city hidden deep in the desert some distance from Thebes
and is the primary setting for the story. Unlike many of the real places mentioned in the movie, this Hamunaptra is purely fictional.
In the film, Thebes is identified as the "City of the Living" while Hamunaptra is the "City of the Dead, ancient burial site for the sons of pharaohs, and resting place for the wealth of Egypt." This coincides only loosely with the actual Wadi el-Muluk, the Valley of the Kings
on the opposite side of the Nile
from ancient Thebes. Being to the west, where the sun set, this valley was considered the realm of the dead. King Seti I
, who is depicted in the film, was entombed there.
Hamunaptra is depicted as containing two books central to the film's plot. One is the golden Book of Amun-Ra
, "The Book of the Living", hidden beneath the statue of Horus
. "It contains within it all the secret incantations of the Old Kingdom." The other is the black Book of the Dead
, hidden beneath the statue of Anubis
. The Book of the Living can take life away while the Book of the Dead can give it back. It is the latter that Imhotep, high priest of King Seti I, uses in his attempt to resurrect his true love Anck-su-namun meaning "Life's mystery" or "hidden one."
Also in this city is the preparation room where mummification is carried out. And hidden deep is a large underground chamber holding "the wealth of Egypt." To protect this treasure, however, the entire city is hidden behind a desert mirage and is only revealed to travellers at sunrise. This entire necropolis was "rigged to sink into the sand on Pharaoh's command," causing the city to disappear under the desert, putting the treasure permanently out of reach. Near the end of the film this defence is accidentally triggered and the city begins to sink. During the second film you can see workers digging to find it and it's now hidden treasures.
With the passage of time, Hamunaptra became a lost city, the subject of legends. As a result, by the 1920s, the decade in which most of the film's action takes place, its existence is doubted by serious scholars.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
horror/action film, The Mummy
The Mummy (1999 film)
The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken...
, as well as a real city in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Hamunaptra
In the 1999 film, The Mummy, Hamunaptra is an ancient EgyptAncient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian city hidden deep in the desert some distance from Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
and is the primary setting for the story. Unlike many of the real places mentioned in the movie, this Hamunaptra is purely fictional.
In the film, Thebes is identified as the "City of the Living" while Hamunaptra is the "City of the Dead, ancient burial site for the sons of pharaohs, and resting place for the wealth of Egypt." This coincides only loosely with the actual Wadi el-Muluk, the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
on the opposite side of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
from ancient Thebes. Being to the west, where the sun set, this valley was considered the realm of the dead. King Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
, who is depicted in the film, was entombed there.
Hamunaptra is depicted as containing two books central to the film's plot. One is the golden Book of Amun-Ra
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
, "The Book of the Living", hidden beneath the statue of Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
. "It contains within it all the secret incantations of the Old Kingdom." The other is the black Book of the Dead
Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead is the modern name of an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used from the beginning of the New Kingdom to around 50 BC. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw is translated as "Book of Coming Forth by Day". Another translation would be "Book of...
, hidden beneath the statue of Anubis
Anubis
Anubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu . According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized as Anapa...
. The Book of the Living can take life away while the Book of the Dead can give it back. It is the latter that Imhotep, high priest of King Seti I, uses in his attempt to resurrect his true love Anck-su-namun meaning "Life's mystery" or "hidden one."
Also in this city is the preparation room where mummification is carried out. And hidden deep is a large underground chamber holding "the wealth of Egypt." To protect this treasure, however, the entire city is hidden behind a desert mirage and is only revealed to travellers at sunrise. This entire necropolis was "rigged to sink into the sand on Pharaoh's command," causing the city to disappear under the desert, putting the treasure permanently out of reach. Near the end of the film this defence is accidentally triggered and the city begins to sink. During the second film you can see workers digging to find it and it's now hidden treasures.
With the passage of time, Hamunaptra became a lost city, the subject of legends. As a result, by the 1920s, the decade in which most of the film's action takes place, its existence is doubted by serious scholars.