Dr. Zahi Hawass

Quick on the heals of our return from London, we heard that Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, was going to lecture in Atlanta. The event was originally scheduled to take place during our trip, but with a last minute reschedule, we jumped at the chance to see him in person.

You probably know him as the guy on every Discovery Channel (ditto for National Geographic, History Channel, etc.) show related to ancient Egypt. His heavy Arabic accent with careful English annunciation, witty commentary and bold self-confidence is fun to watch, and hard to forget.

He gave a 90 minute presentation that centered on the major archaeological discoveries in Egypt of the last several years. The achievements are impressive to say the least, but my wife and I had to chuckle at everything that "he" had found - he makes it sound as though he turned every shovel of dirt himself! His reputation as being a bit full of himself is hard to disagree with.

Regardless, he has done an amazing job of promoting Egyptian culture and heritage in recent years, a point born out by the HUGE crowds at the Atlanta event. He speaks from the heart, and genuinely wants everyone to share his passion for Egyptian history.

The event closed with several kids coming up on stage, each of whom have been emailing with Dr. Hawass in recent months about their love of Egyptian archaeology. Dr. Hawass took the time to hug each one, pose for photos, and even offered a free trip to Egypt for one local family. It's easy to see why people find him so endearing.

It was a great event and I was thrilled to see so many of my fellow Atlantans coming out on a weeknight to share in the experience. Keep it up Zahi!