Hawass Opens Int'l l Workshop on Pyramids with Insightful Address

Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass delivered the opening address at a major international workshop hosted by the International Association of Egyptologists, dedicated to the latest research and discoveries related to Egypt’s pyramids.

In his keynote speech, Hawass recounted his decades-long journey exploring Egypt’s ancient wonders, beginning with his tenure as Director of the Giza Plateau and extending to recent excavations at Saqqara in search of the elusive pyramid of King Huni.

He firmly dismissed long-standing myths about the pyramids, emphasizing that both the Giza pyramids and the Great Sphinx are built on solid limestone bedrock. 

In the same context, he clarified there is no evidence of deep shafts or hidden chambers beneath the Pyramid of Khafre, contrary to popular speculation.

The workshop also featured a lecture by Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, who shared insights from his excavation of the Pyramid of Sahure at Abusir.

He underscored the advanced architectural planning of the Fifth Dynasty pyramids and stressed the importance of relying on scientific research rather than unsupported theories.

In turn, Dr. Tawfik, President of the International Association of Egyptologists, highlighted that the workshop brought together over 100 Egyptologists and experts from around the world, both in person and virtually. The event showcased groundbreaking discoveries that shed light on the ingenuity of ancient Egyptian engineering—most notably, the logistics behind the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Among the most significant contributions was a presentation by Dr. Pierre Tallet, Director of the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, who discussed the Wadi al-Jarf papyri. Discovered along the Red Sea, the ancient documents offer rare firsthand accounts of the transport and organization behind the pyramid’s construction.

The workshop provided a vital platform for scholarly exchange and reinforced the global fascination with Egypt’s ancient heritage, as well as the continued efforts to unravel its many enduring mysteries.