Zahi Hawass

Have you got an opinion on Dr Hawass? He was recently made Vice Minister of Culture. Which means he will ALWAYS have the power as now.

What do you think?




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Dr. Hawass Named Vice Minister of Culture of Egypt











This
past week the President of Egypt signed a decree naming me the Deputy
Minister of Culture. I was very honoured by his decision, as it shows
his continuing support of my work to preserve the monuments of Egypt.Dr.
Hawass accepts his appointment as Vice Minister of Culture of Egypt in
a reception at his office Sunday. (photo: Jennifer Willoughby)

There
is a rule in Egypt that when a government official reaches a certain
age, they retire. Therefore I was planning to retire next May. There
are many good people at the Supreme Council of Antiquities who have
experience and whom I hope could do a good job protecting Egypt’s
history. However, I was concerned that the government would decide to
appoint someone from the University to fill my position, who did not
have experience in archaeology. Such a person might be impressed by the
glory of the job and not focus on the monuments, and all the projects I
have initiated would be abandoned.

Although this worried me, I was planning my life
after the SCA. I was planning to have a new office with all of my
books, where I could continue writing. I would continue to give
lectures and travel all over the world, and also continue my
excavations at Saqqara and the Valley of the Kings. But then President
Mubarak called me on the phone to ask me when I am really retiring. He
said he would appoint me as Deputy Minister of Culture, which would
mean that I would not have to retire next year, as Ministers and Deputy
Ministers in Egypt have no set age for retirement.

Dr.
Hawass in front of the Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria, one of
several new museums that will open this year in Egypt. (photo: Jennifer
Willoughby)

This would give me the opportunity to continue
my work, especially the new museums I am building. I would have more
time to finish the Akhenaten Museum, the Civilization Museum, the Sohag
Museum, the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria, and many other museums I
want the world to see. I would also have the opportunity to finish the
site management plan I began, to preserve pharaonic sites, Jewish
synagogues, Coptic churches, and Islamic mosques. However, the most
important thing I wish to continue is the training programs I have
initiated. I am training the museum personnel, to teach them how to run
the new museums. I also want to continue a training program for
archaeologists, to teach them about site management, what it means and
how they can use it to preserve the sites.

My dream for the coming years is to continue
working and especially teaching young people in the SCA how to make
good decisions and be assertive, to fill my position. I hope future
heads of antiquities can come from within the SCA, where these young
people have experience in archaeology and site management, rather than
from the University, where they would not gain this valuable
experience. This is why I feel that my decision to stay will help me to
finish my work and fulfil my dreams.

One of the tomb paintings taken from the tomb of Tetiky, which will be returned to Egypt by the Louvre. (photo: SCA)

When
President Mubarak made this decision and it was published in the
newspaper, the reaction was wonderful; I have never seen before in my
life anything like it. All the people of Cairo, rich and poor, the taxi
drivers and doormen and everyone was so happy. This response made me
very happy, to see that the people appreciate what I do, and they see
me as a guardian of the monuments. I saw how happy people were when I
got the Louvre to return the tomb paintings of Tetiky, and when I asked
for the return of the Nefertiti bust from Berlin. I hope these people
continue to support my work to preserve Egypt’s history.


I would also like to say how grateful I am to
President Mubarak. He is a unique man, who has given a lot to his
country. He has been in public service for years and I have not once
seen him make a decision just for himself. Everything he does, he does
for Egypt. His wife, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, I feel deserves a Nobel
Prize for the work she has done for peace. All her activities are
working for peace, she has initiated programs to assist children, help
women gain their freedom, and build museums to educate people. When
President and Mrs. Mubarak called me to tell me I could be a Deputy
Minister, to give me the opportunity to continue serving my country, I
was very honoured. I hope that I can continue to do good works, and
that the world will see many important improvements in the years to
come.