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Egypt’s Zahi Hawass Rehired Again

Mummy Hunter

Antiquities chief and TV star had been ousted twice.

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Amr Nabil / AP Photo

In the movies, archeologists foolish enough to enter pyramids frequently emerge with deadly curses on their heads. In real life, however, one mummy hunter seems unassailable. Zahi Hawass was Egypt’s longtime antiquities minister, a slick self-promoter who expanded the fame of his country’s ancient sites while enriching himself with a National Geographic series. But he was also a longtime Hosni Mubarak loyalist, and he resigned under pressure in March, only to be quickly reinstated. He was then fired early this week, only to be rehired again Thursday after critics attacked his would-be successor. Hawass said he was unsure how long he’d remain back in his old job.

Read it at Bikya Masr