Hawass Calls for Teaching Hieroglyphs Symbols in Schools

Famous archaeologist Zahi Hawass said that he participated in a celebration in New York on August 13 to promote Egyptian tourism, and the promotion campaign will last for a month, calling for teaching Hieroglyphs symbols in schools.

He explained that Minister of Tourism, Rania Mashat, is using this event to promote tourism.

During a telephone call with MBC Egypt satellite channel, on Monday evening, Hawass called on the Minister of Education to issue a decision to teach hieroglyphs symbols in drawing classes in schools.

"Instead of drawing a tree, the students may write hieroglyphic symbols," he explained.

Noteworthy, Hawass has spent decades uncovering cultural clues, protecting antiquities and, especially lately, inspiring the next generation of archaeologists.

“For a long time, he’s been the face of archaeology for Egypt,” said Lisa Rice, director of the Warren County Public Library, which is organizing the event.

Recently, Hawass investigated theories of ancient tunnels by drilling under the Sphinx, searched for secret chambers inside the Great Pyramid of Giza and helped lead an excavation aiming to uncover the tombs of Queen Nefertiti and Queen Ankhesenamun in the Valley of the Kings.

Hawass, the former secretary general of what’s now called the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities, remains relevant in the political conversation, too, as he advocates for the retrieval of looted artifacts.

When a wave of imperialism swept across Africa in the late 19th century, Britain occupied Egypt and smuggled some of its history and placed it in European museums – though it wasn’t the only country to steal from Egypt during that time. And in 2011, Egypt faced more looting due to political instability.