I had a very nice visit with the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila. He contacted my office and requested to meet with me while he was visiting Cairo and so I went to see him at the pyramids. The President was very interested in seeing several of the monuments at Giza and we spent nearly an hour there.

We went inside the Great Pyramid and I showed him the Grand Gallery and explained the amazing craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptian workmen. We then proceeded to look at the subsidiary pyramids of the queens, as well as the boat pits. We also saw the funerary temple and the new chapel found on the south-east side of the Great Pyramid. I took him to the Khufu Boat Museum where I gave him a replica statue of the god, Horus, the falcon-god. President Kabila also took the time to write a nice message in the VIP book at the museum. On our way to the Sphinx, we discussed the important project of protecting Egyptian monuments from the Nile water and I think that he is a supporter of Egypt on this issue. At the end of our tour I gave President Kabila a copy of my book, the Realm of the Pharaohs, as a gift. I very much enjoyed the visit of President Kabila and I think he will continue to be a great leader for his country.