If you want to know whether Egypt’s revolution is succeeding, consider the fate of Zahi Hawass, a man best known to Americans for his Chasing Mummies television series. After a decade as minister of antiquities, ruling with an iron hand over the country’s famous monuments, he was suddenly ousted in the summer of 2011. The world’s most famous archaeologist blames his enemies for his fall, while his critics lambaste him for shoddy science, a dictatorial approach, and unseemly relations with U.S. television. In this profile, based on a recent lengthy interview in Cairo, Hawass defends his controversial reign, frets over unleashed by the events of January, and reveals his contempt for a leaderless revolution. It’s a fascinating portrait of a man obsessed with the past being swept away by current events.
