ZAHI HAWASS

'Zahi Hawass' ( ) (born in Damietta, on 28 May 1947) is an Egyptian archaeologist and a world-famous Egyptologist. In recent years, he has gained international renown in non-archaeological circles through his frequent appearances in television documentaries pertaining to early Egyptian civilization.
Hawass received his Bachelor's degree from Alexandria University, and his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of AntiquitiesHawass's home page; prior to that, he was the Director of the Giza Plateau and has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert, and the Upper Nile Valley.

Contents

Current work

Criticism

On television

References

External links

Current work

Hawass is currently spearheading a movement to return many prominent Ancient Egyptian artefacts, such as the Rosetta Stone, the bust of Nefertiti, the zodiac ceiling painting from the Dendera Temple, the bust of Ankhhaf (the architect of the Chephren Pyramid), and the statue of Hemiunu, nephew of the Pharaoh Khufu, builder of the largest pyramid, to Egypt from collections in various other countries. In July 2003, the Egyptians demanded the return of the Rosetta Stone. Hawass, as secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, told the press, "If the British want to be remembered, if they want to restore their reputation, they should volunteer to return the Rosetta Stone because it is the icon of our Egyptian identity."^[1][2]
He is also a vocal opponent of ancient astronauts theories about a previous worldwide civilization. He appeared on a History Channel show to dispel the theories, and provided evidence to show that the Egyptians built the pyramids of Egypt. Hawass is now a regular columnist for ''Egypt Today'' magazine ^[3]. Hawass was also alongside the Egyptologist Otto Schaden who opened Tomb KV63 in February 2006 — the first intact tomb to be found in the Valley of the Kings since 1922.
In June 2007, Hawass announced that he and a team of experts may have identified the mummy of Hatshepsut in KV60, a small tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Criticism

Over the span of a long career, Hawass has faced some criticism. In the West, some have accused Hawass of dominating the field of Egyptology, for reasons such as not allowing archaeologists to announce their own findings, and courting the media for his own gain after they were denied access to archaeological sites because, according to Hawass, they were too amateurish.The Show-Biz Pharaoh of Egypt's Antiquities. Sharon Waxman. New York Times. June 13, 2005. Others however, including several Egyptologists, have said in interviews that most of what Hawass has done for the field was long overdue. Hawass has typically ignored or dismissed his critics, and when asked about it, he indicated that what he does is for the sake of Egypt and the preservation of its antiquities. Hawass has instituted a systematic program for the preservation and restoration of historical monuments, while training native Egyptians to improve their expertise on methods of excavation, retrieval and preservation.

On television

Over his long career, Hawass has appeared on many television specials mainly on the History Channel. The History Channel has featured Hawass on different documentaries since the beginning of the station's history.
Hawass has appeared in several episodes of U.S. television show ''Digging for the Truth,'' discussing mummies, the pyramids, King Tut, Cleopatra, and Ramesses II.

References

1. Egypt demands return of the Rosetta Stone
2. Stolen Treasures: Zahi Hawass wants the Rosetta Stone back, among other things Henry Huttinger
3. http://www.egypttoday.com

External links

★ The king of the pharaohs – Tim Radford; ''The Guardian,'' 27 November 2003.

★ CEO backs down in dispute over Egyptian sarcophagus

★ The Plateau Official Website of Zahi Hawass