EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGIST IS NEW EXPLORER-IN-RESIDENCE

WASHINGTON—Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass will become the National Geographic Society’s eighth Explorer-in-Residence at a ceremony at Society headquarters in Washington on July 11, 2001.

Hawass, Director for the Giza Pyramids, is credited with such major discoveries as the double statue of Ramses II and the tombs of the pyramid builders, and he recently directed the conservation of the Great Sphinx at Giza.

Since 1999 Hawass has led an excavation and preservation project at Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis, which uncovered more than 200 mummies, many richly gilded. This ancient cemetery, now called the Valley of the Golden Mummies, may hold thousands more mummies and is considered one of the most important finds in Egypt since the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.

Hawass believes strongly that the antiquities of Egypt and the rest of the world must be preserved. “If you destroy your past, you also destroy your future,” he has said. He estimates that only 30 percent of Egypt’s monuments have been discovered, with the rest still buried in the sand.

As a National Geographic Explorer-in Residence, Hawass will join the ranks of historian Stephen Ambrose, underwater explorer Robert Ballard, anthropologist Wade Davis, marine biologist Sylvia Earle, primatologist Jane Goodall, high-altitude archaeologist Johan Reinhard and paleontologist Paul Sereno.

“We are proud to extend this honor to Dr. Hawass, one of the world’s most respected experts on Egyptian antiquities,” said National Geographic Society President John Fahey. “His appointment builds on the Society’s efforts to extend our reach to all corners of the globe.”

National Geographic established its Explorers-in-Residence program to enhance its long-standing relationships with some of the world’s preeminent explorers and scientists. Their groundbreaking discoveries generate critical scientific information, conservation-related initiatives and compelling stories that are the Society’s trademark.

The National Geographic Society has a long history of work in Egypt. Its Committee for Research and Exploration has funded more than 80 projects there, many of them archaeological. National Geographic magazine has published 71 Egypt-related articles, including “Pharaohs of the Sun” in April 2001. Hawass has been featured in three films on National Geographic EXPLORER, and in October 2001 National Geographic Books will publish “Egypt of the Pharaohs,” for which he wrote the foreword.

Hawass was born in Damietta, Egypt, in 1947. He studied archaeology in Egypt and the United States and in 1987 earned his Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1988 he has taught Egyptian archaeology, history and culture, most recently at Cairo University, the American University in Cairo and the University of California at Los Angeles.

Last year Hawass received the award of Distinguished Scholar from the Association of Egyptian American Scholars and was one of 30 international recipients of the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

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