Modern Threat
Hawass believes the greatest threat to the pyramids today is the hordes of people who go to admire them. He has urged other archaeologists to join him in a two-year moratorium on all excavations in the area from Giza to Aswan.
But the discoveries will continue for a long time. "I believe that we've discovered until now only 30 percent of the monuments," he says. "Seventy percent are still buried."
As an explorer-in-residence, Hawass plans to continue restoring and preserving the Giza pyramids and the tombs of the people who built them.
He feels a strong connection to his work, and to the place where he has lived all his life.
His office is just steps away from the pyramids. And he says he is never far from them in spirit: "There is nothing [else] in my life—only one thing, one lover: archaeology.
"This is in my heart," he adds. "I'm the guardian of the pyramids. That's why I like people to call me 'Mr. Pyramid.'"
Susan Roesgen is co-anchor of National Geographic Today.
She interviews Zahi Hawass and reports on his research in two segments of the television program, which are scheduled to air on July 10 and 11.
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
