Forgotten artifacts unearthed from the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo or reclaimed from dusty warehouses for the institution’s centennial exhibit "Hidden Treasures" join key pieces from the permanent collection to form the foundation of this sumptuous tour of the archeological history of Egypt. Aided by Kenneth Garrett’s adept photography, Hawass, an Egyptologist and head of the country’s antiquities council, narrates the past 150 years of excavation, from the colonial period-when Westerners overwhelmed the ranks of those recovering the nation’s treasures-through Egypt’s independence and the present era of international cooperation. A last section explains current discoveries driving the field as well as Hawass’ efforts to preserve ancient sites and increase Egyptians’ knowledge of and access to their heritage. This breathtaking glimpse at the country’s archeological wealth should excite curious and adventurous minds worldwide. 120 color photographs.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hawass is currently one of the most famous Egyptologists in the world, credited with considerable work at Giza, as well as the Western Oasis. An Egyptian, he has been greatly involved in work carried out around the Great Pyramid of Giza. He also discovered and worked in the necropolis of the artists who worked on those pyramids. In 2001, he was named as the eighth National Geographic Explorer in Residence. In the first months of 2002, he was named as the chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), which oversees all artifacts and monuments in Egypt under the authority of the Ministry of Culture.