AMERICANWAY

to archaeologists, Hawass may be the most feared of them all. “Dr. Zahi! Dr. Zahi!” cry the camel-ride hustlers and jewelry hawkers at the Giza Pyramids when he goes by, angry that he has restricted their access to tourists. His visits bring hostile words from displaced residents near the ruins of Luxor Temple and nervous shivers from the excavators at the royal graveyard known as the Val- ley of the Kings. One British archaeologist fl atly said he dared not discuss Hawass on the record with us because he was scared of potential repercussions. Still others say they have no problem with his angry outbursts. Alison Ray of the Association for Research and Enlightenment, a New Age group that believes a library of Atlantis exists in a se- cret chamber under the front right paw of the Sphinx, says, “We adore him, even if he calls us ‘pyramidiots.’” At the age of 64, Hawass often displays the raw, unbridled exuberance of a teenage boy, and he also knows how to ooze charm when needed. A larger-than-life character given to highly expressive body language and loud decrees, he strikes commanding poses in photographs and is quick with quotable quips. Graduating with an Egyp- tology degree from Cairo University and then earning his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, Hawass has successfully navigated political and cultural land mines in both his homeland and the United States. (Aside from a little incident involving Be- yoncé; sensing some apathy while giving her a VIP tour of the Sphinx, Hawass dumped the singing superstar off on an underling and later called her “stupid.”) Though subtlety and humility aren’t his strong suits — he once said “If Egypt didn’t already exist, I would have had to create it” — Hawass has nevertheless proven highly ad- ept at negotiating tough multimillion-dollar deals with museums around the world for new exhibitions. In 2009, he scored a major PR coup by personally guiding the newly elected Barack Obama on a 90-minute tour of the Giza Pyramids. (“He made jokes all the time,” says Hawass, recalling how the president blamed “the curse of the pharaohs” after banging his head while entering an in- ner chamber.) Hawass loves to schmooze celebrities, and he counts famed Egyptian actor Omar Sharif (Funny Girl, Lawrence of Arabia) among his closest friends. In his rapid- paced, highly entertaining lectures at col- leges and conferences, he displays several slides showing him with A-listers, including the late Princess Diana, actress/model Me- gan Fox, comic actor Ben Stiller,Wolverine star Hugh Jackman, pop sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, former President Bill Clinton and director/producer George Lucas (he chuckles that Indy’s co-creator visited Egypt solely to check out what a real archaeolo- gist’s hat should look like). Unlike Indiana Jones, however, Hawass has never been a lone adventurer. Rising through the bureaucratic ranks to head Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, he has overseen more than 30,000 govern- ment employees who handle everything from digging at the world’s oldest pyramid in Saqqara to tearing visitor tickets at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor. Hawass’ staff includes scholars, writers, drivers, artisans, museum workers and others whose eff orts have helped maintain Egypt’s tourism in- dustry, which brought in nearly $12 billion in 2010 and primarily relies on monuments, temples and mummies from thousands of years ago to keep attracting new travelers from around the globe. This year began as a banner one for Ha- wass. Shortly after New Year’s, he revealed that the long-lost tomb of Tutankhamun’s widow, Ankhesenamun, could soon be un- earthed. “We recently found some foun- dation deposits in the western part of the Valley of the Kings, offerings of meat and pottery placed where a new tomb was to be built,” he says. “This is the best location for Ankhesena- mun’s tomb, and the fact that no LED MANY BATTLES, BUT I’M ROUD OF EGYPTIANIZING THE OF EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES.” artifacts have been found any- where else suggests it has never been disturbed.” The discovery of “Mrs. Tut” would no doubt be a worldwide sensation, drawing more attention (and tourist dol- lars) than any other fi nd, short of another pristine royal tomb. In addition, 2011 has seen continuing construction on the massive Grand Egyptian Museum, which is scheduled to open in two years to supplement the existing Egyptian Museum Hawass in front of Luxor Temple in Luxor, Egypt 52 JUNE 15, 2011 AA.COM/AMERICANWAY

• Cover