Zahi

On Sunday morning, I attended what I like to call the Zahi show. Dr. Zahi Hawass is a renowned Egyptian Archaeologist who, for the past decade or so has held the title of "Secretary General of the Supreme Council on Antiquities." Egypt's claim to fame, crown jewels, and staple of the economy have been running through Dr. Hawass, and he has not disappointed. The New York Times Saturday Profile by Michael Slackman last weekend offers a glimpse of the character of this renegade gunslinging cowboy, but seeing it with my own eyes made it whole different story.  

By now, most people have probably heard that they believe they have discovered the tomb of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. The fated couple, an Egyptian Queen and a Greek General, committed suicide together in 31 BC, and their final resting place has remained a mystery ever since. Their story has captivated people from Shakespeare to Elizabeth Taylor, and in reality, the new discovery at an already well-known site is a story that will sell itself. But ol' Zahi has to play this one up. 

So I had a friend at Reuters who was covering the story, and we tagged along in his car. Since it was a video press conference at an outdoor site, the light had to be right, so the conference began at 8 AM. Being three hours away, we woke up at 5 and hit the desert road. We got to the temple just as the press conference had started, and Zahi was just as advertised.

Impressing upon the cameras the significance of the discovery, as well as the personal ingenuity (speculation) that it took to make these predictions of the location of the tombs, the man was in his element. Granting every personal interview with a smile and a dramatic phrase, and even granting several requests for videos of him simply walking away from the camera, across the rocky and jagged floor of the temple, he did his best to sell this as not only an historic find, but as a massive asset for Egypt and its massive antiquities collection. 

People in Egypt have plenty of bad things to say about Dr. Hawass. His Indiana Jones persona and know-it-all demeanor grate politicians, archaeologists, and the public alike. Without repeating Slackman's largely tongue-in-cheeck profile, I saw for myself how he can hog the spotlight and trample on other arghaeologists findings. But the man has a plan. 

Few people here might agree with me on this, but Dr. Hawass is good at what he does. Recognizing antiquities as an enormous asset to Egyptian tourism (a large chunk of the Egyptian economy), he is working tirelessly to mark the Egyptian Antiquities as a brand. He does his best to play up archaeological finds, postures for the camera, and has hatched a master plan to improve the antiquities museum (which I haven't written on yet, but really needs a serious revamping). I witnessed this branding in person, and let me tell you, it could certainly come off as annoying. But I was refreshing to see a man with a plan and a vision, especially one who could have serious influence on the economy and well-being of his country.