# How well regarded is Zahi Hawass? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956 "2010-06-21T04:06:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/41 "2010-09-24T16:34:14Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > And if he ever googles and gets this post, I will never get permission to do anything in Egypt for the balance of my professional life. Good thing my field of interest is in steppes nomads. Out of curiosity, what time period do you study? ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/42 "2010-09-25T01:34:16Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I am not an archeologist yet [working on getting into UofATuscon for it now] so take it with a grain of salt, from watching pretty much everything on Egyt that has been on TV in the last 20 years. > > The guy is a well educated jackass. Boob. Moron. He is good for getting face time on every program shot in Egypt because oddly enough he is in the hierarchy of bureaucracy you have to go through to get permission. > > How I hate him, let me count the ways … > > How about total inability to not be total flash - One memorable “live” event he did a parallel dig where he went down into the tomb, ripped open the sarcophagus and manhandled the mummy with no protective gear on. > > Firstly - you carefully take copious notes, drawings and photographs of every step of the process because all data are important to forming an accurate picture of what happened thousands of years ago in the process of burial. Secondly, you carefully remove the items and preserve them in a laboratory so you can maintain any small clues and details about the items. Thirdly, fungus, spores, dust, mold, mildew and cross contamination. You do not want to catch some of the nasties from spore exposure they can and have killed archeologists and workers on digs. You do not want to cross contaminate your remains, frequently chemical and DNA analysis is carried out and if you cross contaminate the grave goods or body it fucks up your results. > > I have friends who are archeologists. One friend literally took 3 weeks removing random broken stuff from a jar piece by piece in a whitesuit lab. Under a camera. With an assistant taking still pictures, notes and bagging samples. That ass Hawass would probably dump it on the floor of the tomb and turf through it pointing stuff out then having some poor schlub sweep it up and turf it back in, just to get face time on a camera. > > Hawass also has this charming habit of denying permits to dig anywhere that someone non-egyptian might find something of note, and has been known to jump in and turf archeologists off their dig sites as soon as it appears they might actually have found something interesting. He has been totally dismissive of DNA unless it suits him to get something flash out [like Hatsepshut] though he claims it is all for the benefit of egypt, to maintain control of their history. > > About the only thing I like about him is he is anti-afrocentric. His response to all the claims of black pharohs is that they were certainly not black [except for the few that had documented ethiopian mothers.] > > **And if he ever googles and gets this post** , I will never get permission to do anything in Egypt for the balance of my professional life. Good thing my field of interest is in steppes nomads. He really tracks down people who make negative comments about him and restricts their access to the digs? How petty! ---
**Author:** ![scientist4ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@scientist4ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scientist4ever)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/43 "2012-08-25T16:56:33Z")
Hawass is an embarrassment to the field of science, and it’s a shame that in order to get access to conduct real scientific work in Egypt one has to go through this Grand Vizier who requires kowtowing and pledges of allegiance to his cause, i.e. give me back the Egyptian antiquities. As a matter of fact, if the British, Italians, Germans and French had not removed the antiquities in the past, they would have been sold to the highest (foreign) bidder, or smashed in one of the many periods of political turmoil in the country. The irony is that Hawass claims to be working to further Egyptian archaeology and “native” research, but as has been pointed out, he is less that scientific in his approach to discoveries (incidentally, always made by others), and has actually decreased the reputation of Egyptian science. He has a lucrative deal with Nat Geo. In return for millions of dollars he “allows” antiquities to be displayed abroad. Currently he is being prosecuted in Egypt for corruption, and it is uncertain whether he will be reinstated, or replaced with an equally corrupt government official from another regime. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/44 "2012-08-25T17:31:28Z")
> [@scientist4ever](#): > > Hawass is an embarrassment to the field of science, and it’s a shame that in order to get access to conduct real scientific work in Egypt one has to go through this Grand Vizier who requires kowtowing and pledges of allegiance to his cause, i.e. give me back the Egyptian antiquities. > > . If I remember correctly, Hawass has since lost his his job, so this cursed mummie thread is no longer relevant. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/45 "2012-08-25T17:33:30Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > If I remember correctly, Hawass has since lost his his job, so this cursed mummie thread is no longer relevant. If I could, I would +1 just for the really creative variation on the tired old zombie meme. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/46 "2012-08-25T18:07:43Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > If I remember correctly, Hawass has since lost his his job, so this cursed mummie thread is no longer relevant. Back off! This is _my_ zombie mummy thread. It’s like one of my children coming home. And eating my brains. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/47 "2012-08-25T18:19:05Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > He really tracks down people who make negative comments about him and restricts their access to the digs? How petty! Many people vanity google themselves, or have assistants do so. Hawass basically _was_ that petty. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/48 "2012-08-25T18:22:21Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I’m certainly not an expert on the racial makeups of various populations and societies of history. But the political faction pushing for Egyptian = Black don’t appear to be looking at percentages or “just a drops”, they seem to be promoting the idea that ancient Egyptians were more like [this](http://www.afrpw.org/cultures/maasai) and [this](http://www.stluciasa.co.za/Web/Tours/zulu_header.jpg) than > [this](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4401702141_114531beb7.jpg). They think ancient Egyptians were cheetahs?! :eek: (Your first link.) It makes it all the more amazing how they built all those pyramids and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/49 "2012-08-26T03:42:36Z")
[http://www.drhawass.com/blog/message-all-my-friends](http://www.drhawass.com/blog/message-all-my-friends) All Hawass, all the time. Apparently, according to the post-revolution government, he was corrupt. According to his blog, his ouster was orchestated because he objected to new laws that would make artifact looting and sale easier, a law pushed in the assembly by opponents of his who were neck-deep in antiquities smuggling themselves. Yes, he does seem to pop up everywhere. BTW, our guide in Cairo and northern Egypt was light, could probably pass for southern Italian; our guide the south was maybe as dark as Obama, but had a distinctive round-faced look like most Egyptians. They call that sort “Nubian”, but it means the local tribes of the southern Egyptian Nile, not people from south of the Sahara. Keep in mind the Nile is a very isolated place as far as mass migrations and mixing go. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/50 "2012-08-27T18:18:10Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > They think ancient Egyptians were cheetahs?! :eek: (Your first link.) Yeah, I saw that. Link rot sucks. And I apologize for so much posting on the race hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956/51 "2012-08-27T19:19:15Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > [Site en construction](http://www.drhawass.com/blog/message-all-my-friends) All Hawass, all the time. You don’t say :eek: > [@Hawass](#): > > As I have done for most of my life, I work seven days a week. I do not use my private car; I take taxis and walk on the street, enjoying the crowds of Cairo. Every day I am blessed to see first-hand how so many Egyptians respect and love me. > [@Hawass](#): > > He also told me that the Egyptians are proud of me and love me, and that all the foreigners who ride in his taxi know me, and that this made him happy and proud. And at the end, he refused to take the taxi fare! > Another time, I was walking in Lebanon Street, waiting to cross. A car with five young men and women inside stopped and asked if they could take a picture with me, because I am the “Indiana Jones of Egypt.” I was honored to be photographed with them. > Strangers have even called me to offer their support, like one lady who said she had spent a long time trying to get my cell number, so she could tell me that many people know that the people writing against me are wrong, and not to worry. “You live in our hearts,” she told me [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-regarded-is-zahi-hawass/543956.md?page=2)