Dr. Zahi Hawass, Pharaohs' ambassador
An ambassador of pharaohs, the spokesman of the pyramids builders, who appears as Egypt’s fourth pyramid, some consider him Indiana Jones of the Egyptian antiquities. He is the Last Pharaoh, Egyptologists in the U.S. and Italy hold this view. He is now a defender of the Egyptian antiquities and the immortal treasures.
Dr. Hawwas, is one of the most famous Egyptologists in the world of today. He is a great admirer of antiques.
In an interview with SEE journalists, he was asked about his dreams, reasons of his success, his publications and great interest in Egypt's monuments.
Hawass posing in a photo with Safaa Nawar, SEE's editor in Chief
What is your dream that never came true yet?
I have an excavation project in the Kings’ Valley along with a number of Egyptian archaeologists in search of two tombs; one for Queen Ankhesenamun, the wife of Tutankhamun, and another for Queen Nefertiti, the wife of King Akhenaten.
In September, I will start a national project of studying the Royal Mummies in CT scan and DNA. We will announce the outcome to the whole world. I also have doubts whether tomb No. 21 could be either Queen Ankhesenamun or Nefertiti. CT scan and DNA will help us recognize the particulars of the mummies in the above mentioned tomb. We are looking also for the mummy of Seqenenre, who was said to be killed in the war against Hyksos. We need also to decide whether he was killed in the war of liberation or not.
There is also a mummy being attributed to Ramses I, and we will try to find out if it belongs to him.
I will also leave to the U.S. to finish the second part of My Life, Part II. I also wrote Part I of the book in Arabic of 40 Years of Excavations.
Can you tell us more about your background?
I joined the faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. I was an average student. I joined the Ministry of Antiquities after graduation. I tried to leave it but I could not. I was part of the mission to Tuna El Gabal, Minya. We found a statue of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess associated with love and beauty. I said to myself “I found my love.” I fell in love with antiquities. I spent my life in search and exploration of Egyptian antiquities. I felt blessed by the discoveries. We found builders of the pyramids cemeteries. Such a discovery was a proof that ancient Egyptians were the true builders of the Pyramids and there was no Jewish interference in the construction of the Pyramids.
Hawass answering questions posed by SEE Journalists
What is the secret behind Zahi Hawass’ success?
I work and do not concentrate on criticism. This is the key reason of my success. I go to my office between 10 am to 3 pm. I write three articles a week in different Arabic and English newspapers. I pay attention to no one who attacks me. I remember once I felt upset by one of those attacks and I telephoned late writer Anis Mansour. He gave me a key to such a situation. He told me, “look around you. Your books can defend you.”
You have published several books. Can you mention some of them?
I have published a lot of books and articles on the Egyptian civilization in different languages. Secrets from the Sand: My Search for Egypt’s Past, The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt, The Valley of the Golden Mummies, and Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs are good examples.
I also wrote books for children such as Curse of the Pharaohs: My Adventures with Mummies, Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King, and The Golden Boy: Mysteries, Adventures and Discoveries.
Hawass during the Interview with SEE
Are monuments in Egypt being given special attention?
We present antiquities in a boring way. We need to present them in an exciting way. You take the example of a robot when it was introduced in the big pyramid and people spent the night watching it. People recognized me through many documentaries. On April 7, we opened a coffin on air and it was aired in 95 countries around the world. I also present a program named “Zahi and the Pharaohs.”
Egyptian media deal with archaeological finds in four-line news items; the tomb of so and so, dating back to so and so, was found, and end of the news. In the west, they deal with the discoveries in stories that attract millions of people.
We need to boost such discoveries and use such techniques as the National Geographic documentaries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe1Fn1LwJ24
Zahi Hawass with SEE Journalists
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