Mostafa Waziri (Arabic: مصطفى وزيري, occasionally cited as Mostafa Waziry) is an Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and the former secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt.[1][2]
Mostafa Waziri | |
|---|---|
| مصطفى وزيري | |
 Waziri in 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1967 (age 56–57) |
| Alma mater | Sohag University (PhD) |
| Profession | Egyptologist |
He received his PhD from Sohag University in 2014.[3]
Career
edit
In January 2019 archaeologists led by Waziri working in the Kom Al-Khelgan area of the Nile Delta discovered tombs from the Second Intermediate Period and burials from the Naqada II era. The burial site contained the remains of animals, amulets and scarabs carved from faience, round and oval pots with handles, flint knives, broken and burned pottery. All burials included skulls and skeletons in the bending position and were not very well-preserved.[4][5]
In April 2019, the archaeological mission of the Ministry of Antiquities led by Waziri uncovered a tomb of a nobleman called Toutou and his wife at the Al-Dayabat archaeological site in the Sohag Governorate, dating back to the Ptolemaic era. The tomb contained two tiny rooms with two limestone sarcophagi. Besides the well preserved mummies, mummified animals and birds including falcons, eagles, cats, dogs and shrews were also revealed in the tomb.[6][7]
In January 2020, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the collective graves of senior officials and high clergies of the god Thoth in Tuna el-Gebel in Minya. An archaeological mission headed by Waziri reported that 20 sarcophagi and coffins of various shapes and sizes, including five anthropoid sarcophagi made of limestone and carved with hieroglyphic texts, as well as 16 tombs and five well-preserved wooden coffins were unearthed by their team.[8][9]
In February 2023, his team announced the discovery (in May 2022) of what is now called the Waziri Papyrus I, a 16-metre-long papyrus text in the Book of the Dead tradition, found in the coffin of a man named Ahmose.[10][11] The scroll dates to 350-300 BC and contains 113 spells.[12][13] It is "considered the largest and most complete papyrus in hieratic script discovered in the Saqqara necropolis."[14] "The name of its owner, Ahmose, is mentioned around 260 times in a hieratic inscription and includes 113 chapters from the Book of the Dead. The text is also supplemented with various depictions and representations such as a scene showing Ahmose worshiping the god of the netherworld Osiris in his shrine."[14] It is now kept at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
In March 2023, Waziri was part of the announcement of finding the North Facing Corridor behind the original entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza,[15] by the ScanPyramids team.[16]
In July 2023, Waziri was one of the Egyptian archaeologists featured in the Netflix documentary Unknown: The Lost Pyramid, alongside his mentor Dr. Zahi Hawass.[17] This film documents the 2022 archaeology season in Saqqara.
Media Appearances
editIn July 2023, Waziri was featured in the Netflix documentary *Unknown: The Lost Pyramid*, directed by Max Salomon. The film documents Waziri's archaeological work in Saqqara alongside his mentor, Zahi Hawass. It showcases their efforts to uncover ancient Egyptian secrets during the 2022 excavation season, with Waziri leading the search for an undiscovered tomb and Hawass focused on finding a lost pyramid.[18][19]
The documentary featured a skilled crew, including Directors of Photography James Mills, Paul Kirsop, and Jason Lee Wong. In 2024, the film was nominated for an **Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography in a Documentary**, recognizing the exceptional work of the cinematography team.[20]
References
edit- ^ "Egypt reveals 'one of a kind' tomb find". Bbc.co.uk. 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Mostafa Waziri: Sarcophagus uncovered in Alexandria belongs to priest not king". EgyptToday.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ ""مصطفى وزيري" أمينا عاما للمجلس الأعلى للآثار". مصراوي.كوم (in Arabic). Masrawy.
- ^ "3,500-Year-Old Tombs Unearthed in Egypt's Nile Delta - Archaeology Magazine". www.archaeology.org. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ El-Aref, Nevine (24 Jan 2019). "Ancient tombs and prehistoric burials found in Nile Delta". Ahram Online.
- ^ El-Aref, Nevine (5 Apr 2019). "In Photos: Ptolemaic-era tomb discovered in Upper Egypt's Sohag". Ahram Online.
- ^ "Ptolemaic-era tomb discovered in Upper Egypt - Xinhua | English.news.cn". 2019-04-06. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Tombs of High Priests Discovered in Upper Egypt - Archaeology Magazine". www.archaeology.org. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ El-Aref, Nevine (30 Jan 2020). "In photos: Communal tombs for high priests uncovered Upper Egypt". Ahram Online.
- ^ "Never-Before-Seen 16 Meters Long Ancient Egyptian Papyrus Unveiled To The Public - Ancient Pages". www.ancientpages.com. 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Owen Jarus (2023-01-26). "52-foot-long Book of the Dead papyrus from ancient Egypt discovered at Saqqara". livescience.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Samir, Salwa (2023-02-26). "First Egyptian-discovered papyrus now on display". Egyptian Gazette. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Egypt unveils renovated wing of oldest museum, new papyrus". Toronto Star. Associated Press. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ a b "The longest hieratical papyrus". archaeologicalpaths.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Scientists discover hidden corridor in Pyramid of Giza through cosmic-ray muon radiography, Reuters/ABC News Online, 2023-03-03
- ^ Precise characterization of a corridor-shaped structure in Khufu’s Pyramid by observation of cosmic-ray muons, Sébastien Procureur, Kunihiro Morishima, et al, Nature (magazine), DOI [1], 2023-03-02
- ^ "Unknown: The Lost Pyramid". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Unknown: The Lost Pyramid". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Unknown: The Lost Pyramid (IMDb)". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ "Unknown: The Lost Pyramid". Mills Movies. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
External links
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- YouTube interview - "Interview du Dr. Mostafa Waziri - juin 2018 - Dans les locaux du ministère des antiquités" (in French)