The
Ministry of Awqaf of Egypt is one of thirty-six ministries in the
Egyptian government and is in charge of religious endowments. Religious endowments,
awqaf, are similar to common law trusts where the trustee is the mosque or individual in charge of the
waqf and the beneficiary is usually the community as a whole. Examples of waqfs are of a plot of land, a market, a hospital, or any other building that would aid the community.