Zahi Hawass fired

[Dalton]

Remember that guy who was always on the History Channel talking about Egypt? Yeah, he got fired for being too strongly tied to Mubarak.

Egypt's antiquities minister, whose trademark Indiana Jones hat made him one the country's best known figures around the world, was fired Sunday after months of pressure from critics who attacked his credibility and accused him of having been too close to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

Zahi Hawass, long chided as publicity loving and short on scientific knowledge, lost his job along with about a dozen other ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle meant to ease pressure from protesters seeking to purge remnants of Mubarak's regime.

"He was the Mubarak of antiquities," said Nora Shalaby, an activist and archaeologist. "He acted as if he owned Egypt's antiquities, and not that they belonged to the people of Egypt."

Despite the criticism, he was credited with helping boost interest in archaeology in Egypt and tourism, a pillar of the country's economy.

[Thanas]

He was somebody who burned a lot of bridges and thereby halted a lot of scientific progress.

I hope the next guy will be a bit better.

[Simon_Jester]

Could you expand on what you mean by burning bridges? I'm curious about what, specifically, he did wrong.

[LadyTevar]

He was a showman, and loved the limelight, and he used his position to get on TV and in the news as much as possible.

However, he also managed to get thousands of artifacts that had been removed from Egypt during the Colonial period returned home, and he found (took credit) for several new tombs discovered in the last 20yrs.

[Sea Skimmer]

He was a showman, and loved the limelight, and he used his position to get on TV and in the news as much as possible.

However, he also managed to get thousands of artifacts that had been removed from Egypt during the Colonial period returned home, and he found (took credit) for several new tombs discovered in the last 20yrs.

Yeah, as a result of demanding that all artifacts ever be returned to Egypt and none ever removed again. This was and is totally unreasonable and caused many groups to simply halt doing any work in Egypt since they'd never get to study anything they found. Its on par with the US demanding every Indian arrowhead ever found be returned.

[The Spartan]

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I've seen dozens of programs that feature him or have him commenting on something and, strictly from that perspective, I feel a certain nostalgia for his voice and delivery while discussing whatever it was. Particularly on one program from years ago when they opened a tomb and found a mummy with some beautiful and intricate bead work on the shroud.

On the other hand, I've heard about how he's been kind of a dick, in some fashion or another, towards other archaeologists; even if they were ostensibly his direct colleagues.

In the end, though, it's probably time for some fresh blood.

[Sea Skimmer]

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I've seen dozens of programs that feature him or have him commenting on something and, strictly from that perspective, I feel a certain nostalgia for his voice and delivery while discussing whatever it was.

And that's been one of the largest fully credible complaints against him; he spends all his time with the media while issuing blanket controls over archaeology in Egypt which allow nothing to happen without his personal approval, which he can't even give if he wants since he's always talking to the cameras.

[The Spartan]

Well, like I said, it's probably time for some fresh blood.

Actually, nix the probably. He needs to go. I'm letting that nostalgia get the better of my sense.

[Flagg]

I never liked the guy for some reason, so I'm glad he's gone. Hopefully they'll get an intellectual rather than a fame seeking douche.

[Sea Skimmer]

The funny thing is it looks like he actually already lost his job once earlier in all this, and was already sentence to jail, but he was reinstated to his job after a month, while the jail sentence for refusing to pay for a shady property deal got overturned.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

He'll find a way to get his job back. He's like the Douglas MacArthur of Archaeology, he'd have to call the President of Egypt a dickweed to his face to lose it permanently.