Magic of the Pyramids: My adventures in Archeology

By Zahi Hawass

“World-renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass. He is one of the world’s authorities on the Giza pyramids, and has spent his life excavating around the pyramids and the Sphinx. He made major important discoveries such as the tombs of the pyramid builders and the secret doors inside the pyramid of Khufu.

Dr. Hawass has received fi ve honorary doctorates from different international universities and was named as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People for the year
2006 by Time Magazine. His adventures around the pyramids have been presented in many TV shows. In this book, you will feel the thrill and the adventures of the modern-day Indiana Jones.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harmakis Edizioni
• Release date: Dec 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9788898301331

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Copyight © Zahi Hawass 2015

Copyight © Harmakis Edizioni 2015

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ISBN: 978-88-98301-33-1

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To Mark Lehner:

for our Great Friendship and his love

to the study of the pyramids.

Introduction

When the Arab travellers came to Egypt in the ninth century AD and saw the pyramids, they said: Man fears time and time fears pyramids.

Pyramids fascinate people all over the world who still wonder about their function and construction. We as scholars have studied the pyramids and their sites intensively in order to reveal such information as the discovery of the tombs of the pyramid builders as well as major discoveries both inside and outside the pyramids.

However, in contrast to these academic and scientific investigations undertaken by Egyptological experts, there are other studies that have been done by people who are unqualified in the field and that often present outlandish conclusions. A goal of this book is to present the results of scientific studies that can also debunk the more absurd conclusions that sometimes appear in print.

In this introduction, I would like to present some of my many adventures in the pyramids.

The Sphinx Cried Twice

The Pyramids of Giza are sacred and divine. We come to Giza to learn about history, about a great people and what they achieved. But when it comes to a pop concert performed in front of the pyramids and Sphinx, I call this destruction and site pollution.

A few years ago I said just this, when I heard that an Egyptian who had made his home in New York was planning to bring well-known singers over to perform in front of the Sphinx. At that time, many people agreed with me, but others who worked in tourism argued that performances by famous singers would help promote Egypt abroad, and that the publicity it generated would stimulate tourism. It is my firm belief, however, that tourism is the greatest enemy of archaeology. Mass tourism causes harm to ancient monuments, which have weathered thousands of years only to witness their greatest damage in the last century.

UNESCO has organized conferences in many countries to heighten awareness of what mass tourism can do to archaeological sites. It has been said that unless there are drastic changes, we can expect that many sites will have been irrevocably destroyed within two hundred years.

In 1977, when I was a young archaeologist, I attended a Grateful Dead concert staged in front of the Sphinx. A huge crowd of ten thousand young people was standing, shouting, screaming, and drinking beer, and I even saw some foreigners smoking drugs. The sound of their music was so loud that I could feel the stones of the pyramids vibrate and the fragile rock of the Sphinx shake.

I felt how sad the Sphinx must be that day, and how appalled that his descendants would violate his sacred precincts with such a cacophony. But the Sphinx kept silent, and only ten years later, when a big chunk of stone fell from his right shoulder, did the public become aware of the danger he was in. The world was shocked, and its press descended on Egypt to report on the tragedy.

Many experts argued that it was the water table and rain that caused this damage, but I knew the truth: the Sphinx was suffering from what we were doing to him. Residents of Nazlet el-Samman had built their houses a mere fifteen meters away from him; water and sewage were seeping into the bedrock and infiltrating his body. An antiquities director, now retired, had given permission for some amateurs to knock on the Sphinx’s body while using ultrasound, and for the Grateful Dead to give a concert at his very feet.

We never learn. Two decades later, a letter fell on my desk asking for permission for Sting to sing in front the Sphinx. We sent a letter to the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Gaballa A. Gaballa, and we denied permission and gave our reasons. Our opinion was respected. But when the organizer of the show couldn’t get authorization for the performance on archaeologically protected land, he decided to hold it in front of the Sound and Light Theater, which belongs to the Sound and Light Company. The organizer sold fifteen thousand tickets before it became clear that the theater, filled to capacity, could hold only three thousand spectators. The overflow, the concert organizers decided, would have to be accommodated on the area north of the Sound and Light building, which, needless to say, is land belonging to the Antiquities Department.

The Egyptian Tourist Authority wanted the concert; the Egyptian antiquities authorities refused. A few hours before the scheduled opening, the latter were obliged to give way.

About fifteen thousand concertgoers, most of them young people in their teens and twenties, packed the area. Many could not even enter the plateau because it was so crowded, and there was no crowd control. Sting started to sing, and the vibration of the music echoing from the gigantic speakers shook the ground. The spectators jumped around in time with the music, the sound reverberated, and every stone of the pyramids, not to mention the Sphinx, suffered. At midnight, one of my students called me and said, Dr. Zahi, you taught us to preserve the monuments, and I cannot understand how you gave permission for this. I was glad to hear that just then the concert finished.

I did not go. I have not forgotten that first scene, two decades ago, when this magical site was transformed into an anthropoid zoo. I had no desire to repeat the experience.

The next day, I went to the Sphinx and walked around to see if anything had befallen the statue. I searched his face for anger; I was afraid that what happened in 1988 could happen again, that another large section of the ancient monument could fall down.

I do not object to antiquities sites being used for cultural performances, such as the opera Aida, which is in keeping with the dignity of this sacred site. Certainly the audiences of such performances are easier to manage than the crowds at a pop concert. However, what is done is done; but we should think carefully before we ever allow something like this to happen again. I don’t want to hear the Sphinx crying again. I hope that this time he will forgive us. Meanwhile, we have found another site for rock performances and similar events, west of the pyramids. The Sphinx can sleep in peace.

Adventure in the Bent Pyramid

When I was teaching at the American University in Cairo in 1988, I once told my students that we would share an adventure. We were going inside a pyramid that had been entered by only a few Egyptologists. Even some of the distinguished scholars specializing in the pyramid field had not entered it.

We met in front of the pharaoh Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, and I explained its history and archaeology. My class was surprised and delighted when we met Rainer Stadelmann, the former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo. Rainer, who ranks among the finest of scholars, has dedicated his life to excavating around this pyramid and has made many interesting discoveries, among them the oldest capstone of the North Pyramid of Snefru, sometimes called the Red Pyramid. I told my students that Rainer was one of the few archaeologists with a profound knowledge of the pyramids and, let me add, he has also made solid friendships with many Egyptians.

Why does Snefru have four pyramids? asked one of my students. Rainer can give you a better answer than I can, I replied. Rainer explained that the first pyramid Snefru built was at Sila in the Fayoum. This did not have a burial chamber, and most scholars believe the pyramid, built behind the king’s palace, must represent the primeval mound of Egyptian mythology. Snefru then started building a second pyramid in Meidum as a step pyramid but, for reasons unknown, he did not finish it. (Many scholars, incidentally, still believe that this pyramid belonged to Huni, the last king of the Third Dynasty.) He subsequently went to Dahshur and there built the Bent Pyramid—the original angle of 54° 31’ 13 was later changed to 43° 21’. After this he moved north and built the first true pyramid" in Egypt, the North Pyramid. Finally, he returned to Meidum and completed the structure there as a true pyramid. We now believe that Snefru ruled for more than fifty-four years.

We eagerly anticipated our adventure: twelve young students about to enter the Bent Pyramid for the first time. We reached the entrance, a height of 11.8 meters. I climbed in first, with my famous hat on my head, followed by my students. We entered a tunnel about 80 meters long and only 1.10 meters high. Hot and sweaty, we had to double over as we made our way to the corbelled room. Once inside, I thought of Abdel-Salam Hussein, the first engineer who cleaned and worked inside the pyramid, in the 1940s. He believed there were secret chambers yet to be discovered.

I warned my students in advance that, in order to reach the floor of the lower burial chamber, we had to climb 6.25 meters up the south wall on wooden stairs that were very difficult to negotiate. I thought one or two might opt out. But no, in unison they proclaimed that they wanted to go on. We found two tunnels leading from the south wall to a shaft that did not lead anywhere. We also saw another tunnel extending from the floor up to about 12 meters. This led to another tunnel running east-west. We went to the east and found a portcullis in the room of another burial chamber.

We were surprised to find cedar-wood beams. This was a mystery to us. A student asked if Sneferu might have procured this wood this wood from Byblos in ancient Lebanon.

We had another surprise when we felt what the explorers Vyse and Perring had also noticed on October 15, 1839. Cool air was coming from the interior of the pyramid and appeared to flow towards its exit. This may be evidence that one of the chambers is connected to the exterior of the pyramid. Our great archaeologist, the late Ahmed Fakhry, noticed this too, and speculated that another part of the interior of the pyramid had yet to be discovered.

The inside of the Bent Pyramid is different from all others. It was a thrill to share such an experience with the enthusiastic students. We will never forget our adventure inside the Bent Pyramid, one of them said.

As for me, I certainly couldn’t forget our adventure, because after all that climbing I couldn’t move my legs for three days.

The Untold Story of the Solar Boat

Egyptology is an exciting and rewarding field, and every major find has a story. The discovery of the Solar Boat of Khufu in 1954 is one of the most interesting. At that time, Mohamed Zaki Nour was chief inspector of antiquities at Giza, and Kamal El-Mallakh was a young architect of the Antiquities Department. The south side of the Great Pyramid was then obscured by debris to a height of 7 meters, but the idea of removing it came only after a visit by King Saud of Saudi Arabia, who commented on the debris during a visit to Giza. El-Mallakh, being an ambitious and energetic young man, set workmen to the task. The chief of the diggers was Garas Yani, an Upper Egyptian who had been trained by some of the best foreign archaeologists. Also on the team were George Reisner from Harvard and the German archaeologist Hermann Junker.

In July 1954, Garas uncovered several huge limestone blocks lying flush with ground level. It was obvious to him that they covered a large pit. In great excitement, he went to look for El-Mallakh, and found him in a downtown Cairo café with his close friends Anis Mansour and Maurice Guindi, the latter a correspondent for United Press International. As Mansour relates the scene, Yani was bursting with excitement and said: Mr. El-Mallakh, we have found the boat of Khufu!

Whether from the advantage of hindsight, or an inspired guess at the time, El-Mallakh said he was convinced from the first that the south enclosure wall had been built closer to the pyramid’s base than the northern and western walls precisely to conceal one or more boat pits, and that Yani knew this. Be that as it may, the announcement caused great excitement, and the group left the café in haste, jumped in a car, and headed for Giza. Mansour recalls that the car broke down on the Pyramids Road from overheating. The curse of the Pharaohs! he said.

When El-Mallakh arrived at the site, he found that the forty-one limestone blocks seemed to be supported on a meter-wide shelf, and he broke through a massive slab to reveal a deep vault beneath his feet. His excitement grew, and his whole face lit up with a smile as he realized that what lay inside was a boat, and that, moreover, it appeared to be in a remarkable state of preservation. For the first time in 4,500 years the sun shone on the timbers of a great cedar-wood vessel.

Guindi lost no time in publishing an article through his agency, UPI, and the New York Times ran story after story of the discovery of the Solar Boat. Meanwhile, El-Mallakh embarked on a lecture tour of the United States to talk about the discovery. Ever charismatic, the now famous El- Mallakh shared his passion for Egypt with academic audiences, and also gave television and radio appearances. He was a great success.

When El-Mallakh returned to Egypt, Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, the political writer, convinced President Nasser that the site was worth a visit. Together with an entourage of military officers, Nasser went. He listened as El-Mallakh explained the discovery and its significance. Mansour, who was there, heard Nasser say to El-Mallakh: I came to encourage you!

At this point, the evil nemesis, the ancient god Seth, decided to churn things up. It would seem he almost never leaves us alone! El-Mallakh was criticized for publishing the discovery without the permission of the Antiquities Department, and fifteen days’ salary was cut from his monthly pay package. Then Nour, the Giza inspector, claimed that he should have had credit for the discovery. Meanwhile, Abdel-Moneim Abu Bakr, dean of the department of Egyptology at Cairo University, wrote an article outlining six points to support his theory that the vessel was not a solar boat at all, but a funerary barge that was built to transport the body of the deceased king from the capital, Memphis, to the pyramid site.

I have reviewed all of Abu Bakr’s notes and do not find enough evidence to support his theory. In fact, during excavation of the boat, shavings of cedar and acacia wood were found in the pit, along with traces of mud plaster covering the limestone blocks over the pit. In my opinion, this provides evidence that the boat was built close to where it was buried. There is, moreover, one indication that it was never used on the Nile. The deckhouse is not big enough for a comfortable journey; also, it did not have windows.

Egyptology bestowed instant fame on El-Mallakh early in his career, because of his discovery of the so-called Solar Boat. He should, of course, have gained full credit for the unquestionably great discovery, but probably because he was an architect for the department rather than an archaeologist, he failed to receive his due. And that was when the trouble started.

No doubt as a result of El-Mallakh’s natural charisma, combined with his pride in his achievement, he received much publicity in the foreign press, but this led to jealousy on the home front. Things became so difficult for El-Mallakh in the Antiquities Department that he was forced to leave.

Needless to say, El-Mallakh continued to regard the vessel as a solar boat connected with the age-old myth of the sun-god eternally journeying across the heavens. Imagine his frustration when he left the Antiquities Department, and the boat that had given him instant fame was taken out of his hands. Believe me, he fought like a tiger and he eventually lost his life in the battle. When no longer involved in the project, he nevertheless continued to visit Giza to watch Hag Ahmed Youssef, chief restorer of the department, supervise the excavation and reconstruction of the oldest boat in the world. Limestone blocks covering the pit were lifted with great cranes, and a resinous solution was applied to the fragments of ancient matting so as to lift them without damage. A platform

Reviews for Magic of the Pyramids

[Максим Поплевин · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It’s not interesting at all. Author dwells on Giza Pyramids a lot without having an idea that tomb without any inscription on it is not a tomb at all in ancient Egyptians funeral practices and believes. Well they say it was not customary to do so over that time. But open eyes wide and look at Hetepheres tomb at Giza which is brimming with decoration and text.Moreover don’t brand pyramidoidiots. anyone, in your account of the pyramids you looks even worse.