Dig Days:

When Seth won

By Zahi Hawass

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I believe that we have great people in Egypt who can achieve remarkable things. They are intelligent, talented and have vision, but they are continually fighting the followers of the god Seth, the ancient Egyptian "devil" god. The followers of Seth are the enemies of success. They try to destroy these magnificent people.

One of these great people is the artist Mahmoud Mabrouk, who is one of the most talented of sculptors. Mabrouk is a modest man whose creativity knows no bounds; he is polite and dignified and has a wonderful personality. During a tour of the Egyptian Museum with former First Lady Mrs Barbara Bush and Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, I showed them King Tut's beautiful golden coffin, which weighs about 116 kilogrammes. While I was explaining it, Mrs Mubarak remarked that no one could do this today. I said: "Only one person can do this type of craftsmanship today -- Mabrouk!"

In 1987 a chunk of the Sphinx's left shoulder fell off. The entire world was shocked and astonished, and we knew that it was imperative that we restore the Sphinx. When we began our campaign scientifically to restore the monument we formed a team, which included the best archaeologists and architects with Mabrouk and Adam Henein as the sculptors. We stared the project by removing the cement and restoring the bedrock. Then we referred to the photogeometric maps and old photographs to return the Sphinx to its former glory with a body of a lion and head of a king. Mabrouk worked every day; he had vast knowledge and he treated the Sphinx as if it were his own baby. President Hosni Mubarak gave him the First Class medal for his dedication to the Sphinx and because he was able to return the smile to the Sphinx.

When I became head of antiquities, I knew Mabrouk's talent not only as a sculptor but also as an Egyptologist. I found that his knowledge of Egyptology was better than many others with a doctorate. He even has many theories about Akhenaten and other important aspects in the field. I hired him to be the head of the museum sectors. One of his first projects as the head of the museum sector was the new annex of the Luxor Museum. We decided this annex would be dedicated to the military of the Golden Age (in the New Kingdom). Mabrouk used his artistic eye to design this extraordinary annex. He placed an arrowhead next to a wall relief to show how the ancient Egyptians used arrows in battle, and he placed the beautiful statue of Pharaoh Seti I at the bottom of a ramp so that when you stand at the top of the ramp you see Seti's eyes and feel as if he is looking at you.

We worked together to create the site museum of Imhotep at Saqqara. He designed the most beautiful gallery to show how Imhotep invented the first large-scale stone structure, the Step Pyramid. Mabrouk wanted the museum to reflect the Saqqara style. Some Egyptologists felt that Saqqara did not have a distinct style, but I supported Mabrouk's idea. One room displays wooden statues and stone vessels from the Second Dynasty, which were discovered underneath the Step Pyramid. The other room shows burial objects such as coffins, canopic jars and amulets. Everyday I receive complements about this museum; people say it is a unique museum and has no parallel. The Imhotep Museum touches the heart of everyone who visits it. I give the credit to Mabrouk.

He also did a wonderful job with the new Arish Museum, showing the modern style of the people who live nearby and the Bedouin jewellery.

Mabrouk's intelligence, honesty and talent have made many ignorant people jealous, and these people tried to destroy him. They work in the field of Egyptology and accomplished nothing during their careers. They started plotting against him and wrote anonymous letters to the press accusing him of many things he has not done! Mabrouk has helped me a lot in my job, and I believe he is one of the most talented Egyptians. I am proud to know him. But this time the followers of Seth have won, and have succeeded in forcing him to leave his job.