One of the most famous sites in Egypt has always been the Valley of the Kings, which has revealed to us such wonders as the tomb of Tutankhamun. However, all of the major discoveries of the past were made by foreign archaeologists. I was determined that Egyptian archaeologists should become part of the process of excavation and discovery, so in November 2007, the first all-Egyptian team to ever work in the Valley began excavating the area behind the tomb of Merenptah.

Egypt will restitute a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in June 2010, the collection is now in the custody of the Homeland Security Office on Long Island, near New York City.

When I went to the Dominican Republic, the only person I knew was Carlos Morales Troncoso, the minister of foreign affairs. I consider him to be a great man and I believe he will be a leader of the Dominican Republic in the future. When you meet him, you will instantly be attracted to his personality, strength, and kindness.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced today that the French mission working at Saqqara has found the burial chamber of Queen Behenu. As of yet, it is unclear if this queen was the wife of Pepi I or Pepi II, who ruled during the 6th Dynasty. The burial chamber was revealed while the team was cleaning the sand from Behenu's pyramid in the area of el-Shawaf in South Saqqara, west of the pyramid of King Pepi I.

Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, announced today that a colossal red granite head of King Amenhotep III (circa 1390-1352 BC) was discovered in his funerary temple of the Kom El -Hettan area on Luxor's West Bank. He added that the discovery was carried out by the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project, a multi-national Egyptian-European team.

When Omar Sharif kissed Barbara Streisand in his famous movie Funny Girl, the entire audience screamed. The kiss caused much anger throughout the Arab world, because at the time the Arab-Israeli conflict was going on, which had begun soon after the war of 1967. Arab people did not like to see Sharif kissing a Jewish woman, and so they began to criticise him. What could he say? Sharif is an Egyptian Christian who converted to Islam after marrying his love, Faten Hamama.

Culture Minister, Farouk Hosni, announced that following two years of negotiations and investigations, the 21st Dynasty (1070-945 BC) coffin of a private individual called Imesy is to be returned to Egypt. 

The SCA currently has many restoration projects underway. One of the most important is the Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor. This is an avenue that stretches between Karnak and Luxor Temples and is lined with sphinxes, although most of it was covered with modern housing.

The issue of returning stolen artefacts to Egypt is very important to me. I have worked for years on returning pieces that were illegally taken from Egypt, and there are many great institutions that support and assist me in my quest. Recently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York brought a piece of a naos back to Egypt, and we replaced it in its original location in Karnak Temple.