Because water is scarce in desert regions, and thus valuable, the implements with which people drink and wash are often ornately decorated. In wealthy households – such as that of a Mamluk governor of Qus in Upper Egypt – water would have been poured over guest’s hands from inlaid metal ewers and into basins for washing before and after meals. Often, Mamluk inlaid-metal basins are decorated with a whorl of fish on the inside base so that when the basin is filled with water, the fish appear to be swimming. Likewise, fish are among the motifs found in Mamluk green-glazed pottery which imitates Chinese celadon wares.