Archaeologist, anthropologist, minister… Zahi Hawass combines the hats. This Egyptian, born in 1947 in Damietta, is co-curator of the exhibition “Ramses and the gold of the pharaohs”, which opens Friday, April 7 at the Grande Halle de la Villette.
He left his native Egypt at the age of 20, in 1967, to study at the prestigious University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), in the United States. His career began in 1969, when he became an inspector of antiquities in Tounah El-Gebel, in Middle Egypt. This site, an ancient necropolis, began to be occupied during the New Kingdom (from -1580 to -1077) and was still active in Roman times.
He quickly rose through the ranks and ended up appointed to the same position at the temples of Abu Simbel in 1973, then in Luxor in 1974. Two sites of fundamental importance in Egyptology, since the first is an architectural marvel built by the pharaoh Ramses II, and the second is home to the Valley of the Kings, where the tomb of Tutankhamun was rediscovered.
Under-Secretary of State for Giza Monuments
His rise does not stop there. He was appointed first Inspector of Antiquities the same year, a position he held until 1979. In 1980, he was Chief Inspector, then Director General of the Giza Plateau, Saqqara and Bahariya Oasis from 1987 to 1997. He therefore supervises the most famous Egyptian site, that of the three great pyramids.
His work in Egypt earned him foreign distinctions: he was invited to several Western universities, in addition to joining the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. His political career began in 1998, when he became Under-Secretary of State for Giza Monuments.
In 2002, he won the most important position in his discipline, that of Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, which is responsible for all of the country’s cultural heritage.
Collecting Egyptian Treasures Abroad
He then managed to roll back certain practices from the colonial period. Zahi Hawass cancels in particular in 2010 the quota of 10% of goods that foreign missions normally took from their discoveries.
He also embarked on a major campaign to recover Egyptian treasures kept abroad. Zahi Hawass claims, for example, the return of the Rosetta stone, which allowed the decipherment of hieroglyphs, currently kept by the British Museum in London. He also wants the return of the bust of Nefertiti held by the Neues Museum in Berlin.
When the post of Minister of Antiquities was created by Hosni Mubarak in 2011, it logically failed this star Egyptologist. He survived the revolution for a time and kept his place in the government, but was eventually dismissed in 2011.
Accusations and “megalomania”
His close relationship with the clan of the former dictator is particularly criticized, and he is being investigated for allegations of corruption. “None of the charges went to court,” he will sweep away with the back of his hand then.
In June 2013, his ban on leaving the territory was lifted, and he began a series of international conferences. This does not prevent certain criticisms of him from continuing to be heard.Young Africainsists in particular on “megalomania” and its ambiguous appeal to media stardom.
The real Indiana Jones?
Indeed, Zahi Hawass did not hesitate to create a character to establish his celebrity. He is particularly known for his Stetson, an accessory that clearly recalls another famous archaeologist, Indiana Jones. “When I gave a talk at the O2 in London, 1,700 people came to listen to me. Bill Clinton had 700,” has he even swaggered in an interview with The Independent.
Among his feats of arms is the restoration of the Sphinx of Giza, which stands guard in front of the pyramids. His work was once again the subject of criticism, in particular because of the use of reinforced concrete. In 2007, Zahi Hawass moved with his team the mummy of Tutankhamun to a new sarcophagus and authenticated the same year the mummy of Queen Hatshepsout, rediscovered in 1903. And all this, without ever parting with her Stetson.