Achievements of the BA Hawass Center of Egyptology

By Ali Abu Dashish And Salma Yassin

CAIRO, Jan. 9 (SEE)-Zahi Hawass center of Egyptology is a research, training and educational center located in The Center For Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CULTNAT), at smart village in Giza.

The center was established in January 2018, by the decision of Dr. Mostafa el Feki, the director of the new library of Alexandria, who invited Minister of Antiquities Dr. Khaled El Anany, Minister of Tourism Rania A. Al Mashat, in addition to celebrities, to attend the center’s inauguration party at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, in May 2018.

The Center’s name was chosen carefully in order to be compatible with the distinguished scientific position of Dr. Hawass.

The main reasons behind the center’s foundation are, raising public awareness of the archeological heritage value, besides clarifying ways to preserve it, through organizing specialized training courses and scholarships.

One of the efficient courses that has been provided was a 7-week course for winner Russian students in Egyptian and Russian arts’ competition, and it was a partnership between Hawass’s center, antiquities ministry and the Russian Center of Science and Culture (RCSC).

The course program included field visits to archeological sites in some Egyptian governorates like, Cairo, Giza, Minya and Asyut, besides visiting Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese.

On the part of school students, the center aims at organizing visits to archeological sites like, Giza pyramids, the Egyptian museum, village of Saqqara and Medium area.

In most of such visits, Dr. Hawass is the one who discuss the archeological history to groups, directly.

And for Egyptian universities’ students, the center’s specialists are responsible for providing specialized lectures in different locations like, Alexandria, Tanta, Kafr El Sheikh, Ain Shams, El Fayoum universities and The Higher Institute For Tourism, Hotels and Restoration Of Monuments in Abou Qir.

Moreover, the center has organized cultural trips to students in faculty of architecture at Giza Higher Institute of Engineering & Technology, by which they were able to enter The Grant Egyptian Museum (GEM) and discover its fabulous design.

And to celebrate the international day of disabled persons on December 3rd, the center managed to customize a special visit to group of disabled children to see Giza pyramid on 5th of December

In addition to the above, and for the sake of promoting Egyptian tourism, the center has organized some archeological visits to celebrities in both media and art fields.

In a further step to confirm its great role, the center is currently revising the content of Hawass’s Egyptology encyclopedia, besides preparing some specialized courses in Egypt’s history, to be provided to whom are interested in, via world wide web.

Regarding the future schemes, the center has declared to offer Dr. Hawass’s award to the most outstanding archeologist and renovator, whom belong to the ministry of antiquities.

A committee formed by ministry of antiquities is going to announce winners’ names, during celebrating Archeologists’ Day on 14th of January, in the Opera House.

Also, the center might hold number of co-operative protocols with concerned entities in and outside Egypt, as it’s purposes extend abroad and that was clear in Hawass’s lectures in Japan, Serbia and Brazil.