Zahi Hawass, maybe the world’s most well-known archaeologist, hopes to find the tomb of the historic Egyptian queen Nefertiti earlier than he retires, and he says he could also be getting shut.
“If I made this discovery, I feel I might be completely happy to finish my profession with a very powerful discovery of a very powerful queen of Egypt — Queen Nefertiti,” Zahi Hawass, a former Egyptian antiquities minister, says in “The Man with the Hat,” a brand new documentary about his life and profession. The movie, directed by Jeffrey Roth, will premiere on a number of streaming platforms Jan. 20.
Hawass and his staff have been excavating in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings for years. Beforehand, they discovered two tombs, generally known as KV 65 (present in 2006) and KV 66, that had been plundered, probably in antiquity. KV 66 was initially believed to be the room of one other tomb, however follow-up work in 2015 decided that it was a separate tomb and it was named KV 66.
Whereas the 2 tombs do not shed direct mild on Nefertiti’s tomb they, and the different discoveries made by Hawass’ staff present that there are nonetheless vital discoveries to be discovered within the Valley of the Kings. In addition they assist map out extra of the valley and assist decide areas the place Nefertiti’s tomb shouldn’t be positioned.
Now, his staff is excavating within the japanese Valley of the Kings, near the tomb of Hatshepsut, a strong feminine pharaoh who dominated between 1479 and 1458 B.C. They hope Nefertiti’s tomb shall be discovered there. Hawass says that he would not have proof to help this principle, however has a sense it may very well be there.
“There’s one space now that we’re working within the east valley, close to the tomb of Queen Hatshepsut,” Hawass instructed Dwell Science. I am hoping that this may very well be the tomb of Queen Nefertiti.” Work is continuous, and “this discovery may occur quickly,” he stated.
Repatriation to Egypt
Hawass has been concerned in lots of different excavations and initiatives which might be described within the new documentary. One initiative seeks to have the Rosetta Stone (now within the British Museum), the Dendera Zodiac (now within the Louvre) and the bust of Nefertiti (now within the Neues Museum in Germany) repatriated to Egypt. Hawass instructed Dwell Science he believes these three artifacts “are the icon of the Egyptian id and their dwelling needs to be the Grand [Egyptian] Museum,” which opened in November.
It is “honest [for] these three objects to come back again to Egypt as a result of the Europeans, within the final century,” took numerous artifacts from the Nile area within the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he stated. These priceless treasures have been delivered to personal households and museums in Europe at a time when Egypt was usually managed or closely influenced by European powers.
Controversies
Along with overlaying Hawass’ life and work, the documentary discusses just a few controversies he is been concerned in. One of the critical ones occurred after the 2011 Egyptian revolution that pressured out longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
In April 2011, Hawass was sentenced to 1 12 months in jail for allegedly failing to uphold a court docket resolution over a store contained in the Egyptian Museum, a call that was later overturned on enchantment. The dispute is difficult: When the museum was being reworked and a brand new present store was constructed, the earlier store proprietor was barred from bidding due to disputes the proprietor and museum had had up to now. The proprietor went to court docket and obtained a authorized order that he be allowed to bid on the brand new store. However Hawass refused to implement the court docket order, saying that the winner of the bid had been determined.
Egyptian officers additionally investigated Hawass over different complaints. Whereas he could not journey outdoors of Egypt for a time, he was by no means charged, and in 2013 he was capable of journey outdoors the nation once more, one among his first stops was the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto to kick off a lecture tour that aimed to advertise tourism in Egypt.
He addressed this and different controversies within the documentary, saying that as he turned higher recognized, he discovered himself being criticized and attacked extra incessantly. He maintains that he performed himself with integrity all through his profession.
How one can watch “The Man with the Hat”
“The Man With The Hat” is streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video, from Saturday January 19.
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