18 - 24 April 2002
Issue No.582
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 18 - 24 April 2002 Issue No.582 |
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Dig days
Meeting Queen Beatrix
The word "queen" always touches our hearts. A few years back, when tourism was down in Egypt following a terrorist attack, we cleaned and restored the interiors of Khufu's Queens' pyramids, and opened them to the pubic in the hope of attracting more visitors. The international media and TV crews promoted the opening for more than a week. In London, the exhibition featuring Queen Cleopatra attracted thousands, and the media enjoyed covering the perennial debate among scholars as to whether Egypt's famous queen was beautiful or ugly. It was Susan Walker, the curator of the Greek and Roman Department of the British Museum, who set things off when she announced categorically that, "Cleopatra was ugly." When I met her, I told her that though I did not agree with her, she was smart to have made such a comment because she had promoted interest in the exhibit. I told her that, in fact, Cleopatra was very charming and beautiful.
When I heard that Queen Beatrix of Holland and her husband were coming to visit the pyramids, my heart rejoiced. The ambassador of the Netherlands came to my office in the shadow of the pyramids and told me that the queen had requested a private visit to the tombs of the pyramid builders. I later learned that she had heard about this discovery from Queen Sofia of Spain, who visited the tombs without giving prior notice to security. Queen Beatrix came wearing her famous hat and I met her in front of the Great Pyramid wearing my Indiana Jones hat.
She arrived in the middle of a sandstorm; the whole time she kept one hand on her hat, holding it in place and protecting it from the strong wind. We walked to the main entrance of the Great Pyramid and I told the royal couple about the secret door we found inside the pyramid. The queen showed great interest, and it was then that she said she would like to visit the tombs of the pyramid builders.
The accompanying security officers were shocked. They could not believe that the queen wanted to visit the tombs in the middle of a sandstorm, to which the only approach is through the village Nazlet Al- Semaan. But this was the decision of Her Majesty so we had to comply.
When we arrived at the site she inquired about the significance of the discovery, and I explained that it was important because it tells us about the life of the people, who represented about 80 per cent of the population; also it provides evidence that the Egyptians who built the magnificent pyramids were not slaves. I showed the royal couple that these workmen had artefacts to help them in their journey to the afterlife, and that they were buried with great respect because they participated in a great national project. Queen Beatrix and her husband asked many questions, showing their profound knowledge and interest in the ancient Egyptian culture. It was a very successful visit and I have a wonderful photograph of the queen in front of the Sphinx showing her hand protecting her hat.
The queen had, unfortunately, to cut her trip short and was not able to visit the other major sites in Egypt because of the massacre that occurred at the Temple of Hatshepsut in 1997. However, last year Wagieh Hanafi, our ambassador in Holland, called and said that Queen Beatrix wanted me to come and give lectures, one at the Museum in Leiden, and the other a private one for the royal family. The ambassador said that the queen had heard about the discovery of the Valley of the Golden Mummies and wanted to hear the full story of this incredible find, which is known as the Tutankhamun of the Greek and Roman Periods. When I arrived in Leiden, I saw posters advertising an exhibition about Egypt, on the Amarna Period. As I walked past the museum I saw people standing in line; they had been queuing up for hours to buy tickets. The objects on display came from different museums in America, Europe and few famous pieces of the period from the Egyptian Museum.
I gave my first lecture to the public and the following day went to the I-MAX Theater and watched the film entitled "Mysteries of Egypt" narrated by Omar Sherif. Our great actor did a wonderful job. The film has been seen by millions of people all over the world and it made a profit of $75 million. The only thing I did not like about the film was the character of Kate, a young girl who played the role of Omar's niece from London. In my opinion she overacted, but was fortunately overshadowed by Omar who more then made up with his incredible performance. Queen Beatrix commented that he was even better than in Lawrence of Arabia.
When I went to give my talk about the discovery of the Valley of the Golden Mummies with our ambassador, the queen met me at the door and he offered her a replica bust of Nerertiti. Afterwards I presented her a copy of my book of that title, and wrote her name in hieroglyphics. She loved it. At a reception she introduced me to her son and his fiancée, Queen Beatrix said that Egypt had captured her heart and she would pay another visit soon. Our ambassador Hanafi, in turn, hosted a reception at the museum and his wife prepared Egyptian cuisine: falafel, hommos and other delicacies, which everybody commented on and appreciated. We talked about the "curse of the Pharaohs" and the pyramids in the presence of her son and his fiancée. I told them, "When you get married, come and visit us. We will welcome you."
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