Zahi Hawass

AnnieJones

New member
I don't know about my fellow Raven members,but I rather like Zahi Hawass.He is interested in ancient history in such a way,that it makes other people interested in it as well.What I also like about him is he doesn't just site around in a stuffy office all day,he also gets involved in what is going on in Egypt,such as digs and other things.
dr_zahi_hawass.jpg


Zahi Hawass is friends with actor Omar Sharif( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001725/ ).Omar Sharif was even at his sons wedding.
I think it would be good if Zahi Hawass and Harrison Ford met.

His official website is here: http://www.drhawass.com/
And here: http://www.drhawass.com/about-zahi-hawass
Zahi Hawass Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahi_Hawass

I found these interesting quotes on his website:

People often ask me, ‘well, it’s not really as exciting as Indiana Jones, now is it?’
I reply, ‘to an archaeologist, yes, it certainly is!’

— Zahi Hawass
The first statue I found was a statue of a dwarf.When I entered a shaft about 5 meters down,and I held this statue in my hands,it was exactly like when I held my first born son - exactly that same feeling.When you enter the shaft for the first time,that no one has entered before you - in the dark,the excitement and the adventure go to your heart,it trembles the heart,and this is why when you reveal it,you tremble the heart of the people.When you see a movie,it is thrill,but in a movie,they set this up.But for us,it is not a movie.It is real.

— Zahi Hawass
Many people make the mistake of thinking that dreams cannot come true, but they can. You have to believe, and know that they are more than just imagination.

— Zahi Hawass
For me, archaeology is not a just a job. It combines everything that I could want - imagination, intellect, action, and adventure.

— Zahi Hawass
What is important to me is that I have the great good fortune to spend my days doing something I love, and being given the opportunity to make a difference in the world.

— Zahi Hawass


Personal quotes from IMDB:

I believe that Egyptologists have a mission to teach interested young people about working in the past. Archaeology, after all, is not Indiana Jones. I encourage young people to study and prepare for the field.
When I started excavating--you know when you see someone and fall in love right away?--that is when I found my love. And when I did that, archaeology became everything in my life. This is why I tell every young person in Egypt and outside Egypt that they have to look and wait until they find their real love.
There is an ancient Egyptian saying that 'Man fears time, and time fears the Pyramids,' but this is no longer true. The Pyramids must fear time, too. (New York Times, August 10, 1997)



What do you think of him?






The wedding of Dr. Hawass's son.
http://www.guardians.net/hawass/news/wedding_of_dr_hawass_son.htm
wedding1_sm.jpg



Omar Sharif at the wedding.
wedding2_sm.jpg
 
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?We own that stone,? he told al-Jazeera television recently. ?The motherland should own this.?
For Dr Hawass, and many others in so-called ?source? countries, this is a simple issue of restoring looted cultural property: ?For all of our history, our heritage was stolen from us. They [the British Museum] kept it in a dark, badly lit room until I came and requested it.?

There are several objections to this, beginning with what he means by ?we? and ?the motherland?. Modern Egypt did not exist in 1799, let alone in 196BC, when the stone was carved. Unlike some controversial items in Western museums, the stone was not smuggled away, but handed over to the British as part of a legal treaty, signed not only by the French and British, but by the Ottoman Government in Egypt.

As for the absurd notion that it was undervalued and poorly exhibited: the Rosetta Stone has been on almost continuous, prominent display since 1802, the single most visited object in the entire museum.

But more than that, the Rosetta Stone is an emblem of universality, and a product of the multiple cultures that existed in the 2nd century BC, in what we now call Egypt. Dr Hawass, a brilliant and inspiring defender of the past, has selected the wrong object over which to fight a narrow, nationalistic political campaign for ?repatriation?.

You think he's picking a worthy battle, or is he still searching for the elusive limelight?
 

AnnieJones

New member
I saw a mummy for the first time in The Charleston Museum,in South Carolina,when I was in my late teens.For people like me who don't get to see ancient Egyptian artifacts,or who get to travel around the world to see them,it's a great help to see them in a museum more close to home(not just see them in books or on television).The mummy I saw was an adult woman and probably not a very important person in ancient Egyptian history.So,in my opinion,people and artifacts that aren't very important to the major parts of history can be in museums around the world,and more important people and artifacts should stay in their own country,such as the Rosetta Stone.


Maybe they could even travel the Rosetta Stone,like they do King Tut.But that's just my suggestion on what they could do.
 
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AnnieJones said:
So,in my opinion,people and artifacts that aren't very important to the major parts of history can be in museums around the world,and more important people and artifacts should stay in their own country,such as the Rosetta Stone.

Seems many precious artifacts were saved from theives, protected and displayed by more developed nations.

It seems on the surface, he's a spoiled child who wants his brothers toy. So far he's only dismisseded the saftey and security of the Stone and lied about it's status in The British Museum to justify his lust for glory, (nudge nudge).

The Rosetta Stone HAS traveled before, now he says he will drop his claim for the return of the Rosetta Stone if the British Museum loaned the stone to Egypt for three months. Sounds suspicious.

Those who have had dealings with this "modern Belloq" have reservations regarding how they could guarantee artefacts would be returned at the end of the loans. To which this "reputable and respected" scholar has only replied with hyperbole, (much like mine) that "We are not Pirates of the Caribbean...I will do it..." instead of providing a plan for security the current caretakers a require for an object them deem worthy of more then lip service.
 
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Violet

Moderator Emeritus
I never know what to think about this guy. Personally, a lot of the stuff he seems to do, is really all for personal glory.

It is quite debateable as to whether he has found anything huge a find and worthy of the text books. I think he knows that too.

One thing that I will give Hawass credit for, is creating current attention to Egypt and to it's findings. If it weren't Hawass, we wouldn't hear anything about Ancient Egypt on current affairs programs. Every controversy that comes up, he's right there, in the middle of it all.

Ten or so years ago (when Egypt was only one of many ancient societies looking at), he was the co-host in the new version of the Chariots of the Gods documentary special (along with the guy who plays Al in Home Improvement). And even that Golden Mummies special, where nothing that exceptional, despite promises before every commercial break, was found.

He's a good showman. I can't judge his academic side, obviously because I'm not an archaeologist.
 

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
There was a rather good, 10-page long or so profile on Hawass in the New Yorker, the November 16, 2009 issue. The text of it isn't online unless you're a subscriber, but maybe you can scrounge up a copy if you're interested enough.

At any rate, here's the abstract of the article. He clearly loves the limelight, which certainly seems a character flaw, but that's also how he's able to do much of the good he does in bringing Egyptian archaeology and Egypt generally into the public eye, so it's a mixed bag, as far as judgment goes.

On a lighter note, here's a blog, Egyptastic, that has as one of its primary purposes poking fun at him.
 
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Joosse

New member
I quite like the guy. He seems like a lot of fun.

I remember though when I was on an internal flight in Egypt, I read an article in a local magazine that he insisits the hat he always wears is the same hat as Indiana Jones wears... ;)

Let's just hope his Egyptology is a little more accurate...

:)
 

Joosse

New member
I don't know, Annie.

He seems like a guy who would laugh it off, and also one to understand that there is no such thing as bad publicity...

;)
 

Saber79

New member
Seems like a great guy and definitely knows how to keep an audience interested. My boss met him while in Egypt. She then got him to sign his book for me. She gave it to me as a birthday present. One of my most treasured possessions!

<a href="http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h18/saber79/?action=view&current=zahi-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h18/saber79/zahi-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h18/saber79/?action=view&current=zahi-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h18/saber79/zahi-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 

Joosse

New member
Either way, Bob, that autographed book is excellent! Congratulations!

I believe that Hawass being extroverted is quite normal for somebody coming from Egypt. You have to understand that people are different over there, and have different habits. It's quite usual to act extrovertly there.

For instance, when somebody we know dies, we might cry about it quietly in a corner.

In Egypt, they wil wail in public and go out into the streets proclaiming their grief.

So it's a cultural thing really...
 

Saber79

New member
Thanks Joose! It was definitely a big surprise. I wish I can say I was the one who got the signature, but beggars can't be choosers.

To me, from whenever I watch one of his specials, I think its his overall enthusiasm towards anything that brings out that extraverted side.
 

Joosse

New member
You're welcome.

I was quite surprised at the determination he showed in one of his specials as he broke his foot, but kept going anyway. If that doesn't show the man's true dedication, I don't know what does.

Mind you, a point could be made that his dedication is actually more to his own stardom than to egyptology, but I'm willing to give him a little leeway with that... ;)
 
Great prize...always very cool to have a personalized keepsake.

Everyone has their way of seeing things and their culture, (the Irish even paid Keeners), but that’s no substitute for respect and honesty in my book...especially on a national and public level. There's already so much discord among nations that this squeaky wheel's lies will only prove a disservice to humanity and progress.

Maybe it sparks a conversation but it undermines HIS position when he instigates with his chosen hyperbole.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Fellow California residents can hear Dr. Hawass speak at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Tickets are $15.00, and are on sale through Ticketmaster for the March 8 engagement.

Link here.

Tickets are now available for a special presentation by Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt?s Supreme Council of Antiquities, at 7:30 pm on March 8, 2010 at the San Francisco Opera House. Join Dr. Hawass as he discusses the latest scientific developments in the study of the mummy of Tutankhamun, the efforts to preserve his tomb in the Valley of Kings, and plans for the new museum in Giza. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

Dr. Hawass is internationally known for his work preserving the antiquities and monuments of Egypt. His familiar face and hat are regularly seen on the National Geographic, Discovery and Science Channels where he reveals the secrets and mysteries of ancient Egypt, the pyramids, and Egyptian pharaohs.
 

Joosse

New member
$15 is a sweet deal.

Too bad it would probably cost me another $900 for the plane ticket... :(
 
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