Zahi Hawass

Egyptian Archaeologist, Egyptologist, and Former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

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Culture, History, Research & Exploration
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Zahi Hawass Biography

Zahi Hawass was born in a small village called Abeedya near Damietta in Egypt in 1947. As a child, he never dreamed of being an archaeologist, but rather a lawyer. He went to school to study law at 15, but decided this was too boring and chose to try a new department that had just opened in the Faculty of Arts: archaeology. Still, he hated studying and only ever just passed his classes. At 20 he graduated with his BA in Greek and Roman Archaeology from Alexandria University and was given a job as an Inspector of Antiquities by the government. Back then, the government gave everyone who graduated from college a job.

When he joined the Antiquities Department, he found out that everyone hated one another and he thought to himself, “I cannot live with these people” because he always strives to keep the peace. So instead he went to study to try to be a diplomat. He passed the written exam but failed the oral exam. From there he wanted to try a career in the Ministry of Tourism but could not be accepted. He also tried and failed to work in the Department of Cinema that is a part of the Ministry of Culture. With sadness, he returned to the Antiquities Department in Cairo. He met with the head of the department, Dr. Gamal Mokhtar, who informed him he was too absent from work. Dr. Mokhtar told Hawass he had signed a decree for him to join the excavation site in the desert. Hawass told him “I cannot go and live in the desert!” At that time, he was in love with a girl in Cairo and could not bear to leave her. But Dr. Mokhtar said if he did not go he would cut 15 days of his salary. So Hawass traveled to the site. It was a huge project with more than 300 workmen.

Sitting in a tent on a Thursday, Hawass was waiting to go home for the weekend to Cairo. Then, one of the workmen came to him. His name was Faraq. He and the other workmen were from Qift and were experts in excavation and restoration, taught by all the foreign excavations that happened in the area. Hawass went with Faraq to the site and met Reis (overseer) Doctor. That was his name, “Doctor.” His father named him Doctor because he was working on a German expedition and the head of the excavation was called “doctor.” Doctor gave Hawass a brush and told him to sit down next to him and start cleaning in the middle of the tomb. After cleaning for about half an hour a statue begn to appear through the sand. Hawass continued cleaning more and more and a voice inside of him said “I found my love. I found my love: archaeology.” Then he realized he was in love with something he didn’t know anything about. So he went to Cairo University in the Faculty of Archaeology and earned his diploma in Egyptology.

From 1969 to 1974 he was the Inspector of Antiquities for a number of sites throughout Egypt. By the time he was accepted into a PhD program with a Fulbright scholarship in 1980 he was working as the Chief Inspector of the Great Pyramids. The Fulbright paid for two years of his education and the Egyptian government paid for the other five. He graduated from the American Ivy League University, the University of Pennsylvania, in 1987 with a dissertation on The Funerary Establishments of Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura During the Old Kingdom, supervised by the late David O’Conner. The seven years he lived in America and studied at Penn changed his life.

He returned to Egypt as the Director General of the Giza Monuments, Saqqara, and Bahariya Oasis. In 1998 he was made the Undersecretary of the State for the Giza Monuments, a position he held for only four years until he was made the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. While Secretary General, Hawass focused on monument restoration and preservation, as well as on training Egyptian Egyptologists.

After the 2011 revolution, Hawass retired from public office to work independently as an archaeologist. He currently oversees excavations in Saqqara and Luxor, the Scan Pyramids project, and is about to begin work in the never-before-excavated Valley of the Marks. Recently, he has published a novel in French dramatizing the life of Khufu and finished an opera about the life of Tutankhamun that will premiere in 2024. In the rare moments when he is not working, Hawass enjoys smoking a cigar and watching old cowboy movies.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/30/2025.

Zahi Hawass Speaking Topics

  • Secrets From the Sand

    This lecture focuses on discoveries from other sites in Egypt, including the Valley of the Golden Mummies, the discovery of the Temple of Min, and three tombs at Giza and Bahariya, thought to contain gold and precious artifacts, along with his latest discoveries from the Valley of the Kings.

  • The Story of King Tut

    Recent CT scans of the King Tut mummy revealed intriguing new details about the boy king’s life. Hawass, who oversaw the project, takes you on a guided tour.

Zahi Hawass Videos

Dr. Zahi Hawass Grand Lecture May 2023 - YouTube

Dr. Zahi Hawass Grand Lecture May 2023 - YouTube

michaeljmcgee.com at the "Dr. Zahi Hawass USA Grand Lecture tour" Bellco Theatre / Denver Colorado • May 17 2023. Dr. Zahi Hawass's ...

Joe Rogan Experience #2321 - Dr. Zahi Hawass - YouTube

Joe Rogan Experience #2321 - Dr. Zahi Hawass - YouTube

Dr. Zahi Hawass is an archaeologist Egyptologist lecturer and former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities. See him live during his Grand ...

See All Videos »

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  • What topics does Zahi Hawass speak about?

    Zahi Hawass is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Culture, History, Research & Exploration

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Zahi Hawass is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Secrets From the Sand and The Story of King Tut. The estimated speaking fee range to book Zahi Hawass for your event is available upon request. Zahi Hawass generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Alexander Geurds, Van Jones, Islam Issa, Fred L. McGhee and Spencer Wells. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Zahi Hawass for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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