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

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Dr. Zahi Hawass' Adventures
  • Philadelphia students study the Sphinx
    May 24th 2010

     

    I recently received a group of letters from a 5th grade class at Friends Select School in Philadelphia. The students wrote letters about the Sphinx because it was a part of their studies. 

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    VIDEO - Laser Scanning the Sphinx
    February 4th 2010

    The Sphinx has always been an object of fascination for people for thousands of years. Today, new technology allows us to study it in more detail than ever. We recently cooperated with a team from the Mubarak Scientific City using laser technology to scan the entire Sphinx from nose to tail. The laser scanning was even able to make a detailed record of the face of the Sphinx. We then used the information gathered by the scanning and create the most accurate 3D model of the Sphinx ever.

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    VIDEO: Tombs of the Pyramid Builders
    January 14th 2010

    In August 1990, an American tourist was riding a horse, when it stumbled over a mud brick wall. Investigation led to one of the most important recent discoveries in Egypt: the tombs of the pyramid builders.

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    VIDEO: Intact tomb at Saqqara
    December 24th 2009

    This past year we found a new tomb in Saqqara, in the Gisr el-Mudir area. I was there when we opened a sealed limestone sarcophagus.  Before the event, I could not sleep because I could not stop thinking about the excitement of that moment.  When I arrived, I came down about 11 meters underground, where we began to open the sarcophagus, which had not been touched in 2600 years.

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    VIDEO: Tomb Robbers in the Valley of the Kings
    December 10th 2009

    The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun was mostly due to chance.  Howard Carter was looking around the Valley of the Kings and stumbled onto this tomb by accident. It remained hidden for centuries because, after it was entered three times by thieves shortly after it was cut, the guards of the cemetery sealed the tomb completely so no one else could enter.

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    VIDEO: King Tut’s Treasure
    December 3rd 2009

    There are many beautiful objects in the Cairo Museum, and some of my favorites are in the collection of King Tutankhamun.  If you visit the Cairo Museum, be sure to look at Tutankamun’s golden mask.

    This mask is a masterpiece of art that I believe could never be repeated in history.  The details of the face are beautiful, the eyes are incredible.  This mask was crafted carefully out of gold, glass and lapis lazuli to be the face of the boy king for eternity.

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    VIDEO: The Curse of Tutankhamun
    November 26th 2009

    The day of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun is a day that will never be forgotten by history. Events related to the discovery led to tales of a “curse” protecting the tomb.

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    VIDEO: How Did King Tut Die?
    November 20th 2009

    Before the tomb of King Tutankhamun was found, Egyptologists knew very little about this short-reigned king.  Since the discovery of KV 62 in 1922, King Tut has become the most famous pharaoh, and there has been much debate about why he died so young.

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    VIDEO: The Riddle of KV 63
    November 12th 2009

    After King Tut’s tomb was discovered, everyone thought there were no more tombs to be found in the Valley of the Kings.  But in 2006, we made an amazing discovery, the shaft of an unknown tomb.  When I first saw the shaft, I thought that the tomb underneath would be robbed, that there was no way there could be anything inside.

    But when we began to excavate, we found many coffins and pottery jars and other materials.  Now I believe it is a storage area for mummification materials for the Valley of the Kings.

  • Dr. Janice Kamrin inside one of the Lost Tombs
    VIDEO: The Lost Tombs of Thebes
    November 9th 2009

    On the West Bank of Thebes, there are over 800 tombs located in the hills of the area known as el-Qurna. Though some of them, such as Theban Tomb 100, that of Rekhmire, may be known to the public, there are many that have been neglected and lost since antiquity.  With my colleagues, I have recently investigated many of these tombs, including many that were only recently discovered.

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