#2321 - Dr. Zahi Hawass
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Who is Dr. Zahi Hawass and what are his contributions to Egyptology?
No, it's up to you to decide. It's up to you. I'll talk to you forever. I have so many questions. I'm very excited to meet you. Same. I've seen you in documentaries for decades. So many documentaries. I've watched so many things about Egypt. I'm completely fascinated by it.
What challenges did Dr. Zahi Hawass face from skeptics like Art Bell?
You know, I will tell you something. Do you know this guy used to do a radio show late evening? Art Bell?
The best. He was the best.
I need to say this on air. I need to say this story on air. Okay. Now, are we on air now?
Yeah, we're on air.
Art Bell used everything to attack me. He attacked you? Yes. Oh. How the Egyptian can move stones. Oh. That's not true. The Egyptians cannot do that. Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. Then I was teaching at UCLA and he called me for an interview. I said, no, I'm not going to give you an interview until you come to visit me in Egypt. And he said, okay. He came with his wife. I took him to a quarry that we are cutting stones to construct the Sphinx. Then I brought a stone, eight tons weight stone. and I brought a man on the age of 70, and I told this man, cut this stone. The old man stood above the stone. You know, stones has weak parts like us. With a pencil, he draw a line from the beginning to the end.
How were the Great Pyramids of Giza constructed according to Dr. Hawass?
In the middle, he put a piece of iron, pump, pump, he cut it for twice. I said art, the Egyptian, doesn't use muscles. They use their brain because the pyramid was the national project of the whole nation. If you go today, if I take you today with me, and, you know, I always tell people this. I give lectures maybe three, four times a week for American groups, and I tell them the following. If you stood in front of the Great Pyramid and you look at it, you will never believe that this pyramid built by human beings. Why? Because you don't know. And number two, if you try to do it today, you will never be able to do it. Are you going to hire today 10,000 workmen to work for 28 years for nothing? That was the national project of the whole nation.
I think Art Bell's real concern was how would someone possibly move those stones 4,500 years ago? Okay. A lot of questions, right? Yes.
But can I answer you now?
Yes, please.
Listen. Two examples I will tell you. The first example happened a few years ago. I discovered a tomb in a site called Abu Sir. In the top of the tomb, There was a huge granite sarcophagus, 20 tons weight. Okay? Okay. If you come to Egypt, have you been to Egypt? No, I haven't. You have to. If you talk about Egypt. No, I have to. You have to come. I know. But you have to tell me before you come. I will tell you. Now. I promise. I brought only 10 people because I called the minister of culture. And I told them, we found an intact two. And the minister said, wait, I will bring the reporter, the press, and we'll do it live. I said, okay. But I hate to do anything live. Then I came to the site. I brought my workmen. Ten workmen only moved the 20 tons of Only by wooden sledges.
We found underneath another sarcophagus, 10 tons weight of granite. We took the third one and we found underneath another, a third one, five tons weight. We took the five tons out and we found underneath a coffin with the mummy. And I told the workman, put everything back. And I called the minister. I said, you can bring the press. We'll open it live. I never told him that I cheated him. But only in a site that I'm excavating right now, we do discover 60 feet under the ground, we discover sealed sarcophagus. The lid is about 10 tons wet. Two workmen only opened the lid for me. We have a machine called the devil. I don't know why they called it the devil. Devil? Devil. Why? I don't know. I asked them. They said our grandfathers called it like that. This is an ancient machine?
It is an ancient machine. Jamie could probably pull it up. It's probably online. Then they put this machine under the lid and they come back. doing like this and there is a little bit when the lid that it is laced they put a piece of wood another piece of wood until there is a half a feet that they can put right my face inside with the circle with a flashlight to see what's inside the coffin.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Who is Dr. Zahi Hawass and what are his contributions to Egyptology?
0:13–0:27
2
What challenges did Dr. Zahi Hawass face from skeptics like Art Bell?
0:27–1:46
3
How were the Great Pyramids of Giza constructed according to Dr. Hawass?
1:46–13:24
4
What new discoveries have been made about the Pyramid of Khufu?
13:24–23:53
5
How did ancient Egyptians transport massive stones?
23:53–33:21
6
What recent breakthroughs have been made in pyramid exploration?
33:21–53:35
7
How does Dr. Zahi Hawass plan to share his findings with the world?
53:35–1:59:00