I have been very busy since my recent visit to Spain but I wanted to share with all of you the highlights of my trip. I was very glad to travel to Madrid to give my first public lecture and I want to thank all the Spanish people for welcoming me with open arms. I especially enjoyed meeting all the young people who came to my lecture, including one young lady who drew me a picture of the pyramids.

I arrived in Madrid on a Thursday and was immediately taken to the royal palace for my meeting with Queen Sophia. I was so happy to see her again. Queen Sophia is very fond of Egyptology and has traveled to Egypt several times to tour the monuments. One time she traveled strictly as a tourist, without alerting any press, and I took her on a tour of my excavations at Giza and Saqqara. 

During our meeting I presented the Queen with a copy of A Secret Voyage, my latest publication. The photographer for the book, Sandro Vannini, was also able to attend the meeting. I had engraved the book with a special hieroglyphic inscription for the Queen and then signed it for her. She was very excited and ensured me that it would be kept as one of the treasure's of the royal palace.

That evening, I went to the opening of an exhibit of Sandro's photography at the Egyptian Cultural Center in Madrid. I gave a speech and was happy to be a part of this event, which celebrates Sandro's work and the publication of A Secret Voyage. The next day I met with several members of the press and discussed with them my latest excavations and the traveling exhibitions of artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun. 

It was a wonderful and incredibly busy two day trip. I look forward to more events like this in the future and I hope to return to Spain soon.

Official SCA Press Release:

During a recent visit to Spain, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), met Queen Sophia of Spain at the royal palace in Madrid. Dr. Hawass brought a special edition copy of his latest book, A Secret Voyage, as a gift for Queen Sophia, which was engraved with a special plaque to commemorate the occasion. Queen Sophia was so delighted that she decided to display it as a piece of art for the palace’s visitors.

Dr. Hawass offered the first copy of A Secret Voyage to President Hosni Mubarak for his many contributions to Egypt and the Egyptian people. The second copy will be given to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Dr. Hawass will also offer copies to a few select international figures.

During the lecture, Francisco Lara, a representative of the APFOA -la Plataforma para el Fomento de los Oficios Artísticos, announced that Dr. Hawass had been chosen as the 2010 Personality of the Year for his many contributions to the field of Egyptology.