My great friend Mark Lehner has been working at Giza for the past thirty years. During this time he has written many scholarly articles and published important books on the pyramids. He is one of the most respected Egyptologists in the world and a professor at the University of Chicago.

The Saqqara plateau served as a burial site to the ancient Egyptians for over three thousand years. It is home to pyramids, private tombs and temples, and is even the burial place of sacred animals. The most famous of the animals buried at Saqqara were the Apis bulls. For over a thousand years these bulls were laid to rest in the darkness of the Serapeum, a massive gallery of tunnels and niches carved into the rock below Saqqara.

Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, announced today that Egyptian archaeologists, performing routine conservation work at the southern side of Saqqara’s step pyramid (2687-2668 BC), have stumbled upon what is believed to be a deep hole full of the remains of animals and birds. The mission has also found that the hole’s floor is covered with a layer of plaster.

On June 16th, I was extremely privileged to receive an honorary doctrate from Rajabhat Bansomdejchaopraya University,Thailand, and also Koosang Koosom Magazine’s Award of Recognition. The ceremony took place in the beautifully restored Golden Room at the palace of Mohammed Ali on the island of Manial. It was the perfect setting for a lovely evening that reflected the close ties between Egypt and Thailand, a country that is very close to my heart.

Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, announced today that an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), has discovered an 18th Dynasty tomb (1570-1315 BC) in the necropolis of Dra Abu el-Naga, on Luxor's west bank.

In 1945, the Egyptian archaeologist Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr came across a water-filled shaft inside a small tunnel that runs north-south under the causeway of Khafre at Giza. He explored it sufficiently to learn that it incorporated a number of chambers, but he never excavated or published it. For many years, the shaft had served as a swimming hole and as a source of drinking water for local workmen - it was filled with groundwater to such a high level that no archaeologist was able to excavate it.

The city of Cairo began making preparations as soon as it became known that US President Obama planned to give his historic address to the Muslim world from Egypt’s capital. It was remarkable to see how Egyptian and American security forces worked together to arrange for his visit, and it was impossible not to notice how happy the people of Egypt were to know that Mr. Obama was coming to Cairo. When I learned that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak had chosen me to accompany the American president to the pyramids of Giza, I was thrilled.

On his recent visit to Egypt, President Barack Obama toured the pyramids of Giza, escorted by Zahi Hawass. View footage of the tour, and hear Dr. Hawass' reaction to this historic event!

I was invited by the Egyptian government to travel to Turin, Italy for the 2009 International Book Fair. Egypt was the guest of honor this year, in recognition of the close ties cultural ties between Italy and Egypt. I gave a lecture in English, which was translated into Italian. I was very happy that I had the opportunity on the same day to do several interviews, and I also took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Egyptian Museum in Turin.

Less than one year ago, a young man of 13 from Florida named Preston Ray contacted me with questions for a school project. The theme of his project revolved around individuals in history - their actions and legacy. Preston chose to focus on the impact that I was making on the preservation of the Egyptian monuments, and my battles for the return of stolen artifacts to Egypt.