Dig Days: The Underwater Treasures of Egypt in Paris By Zahi Hawass I have spent most of my life excavating so that I can reveal the secrets from the sand. I always feel magic and mystery at each discovery. I never thought that this passion would also include underwater excavations. When I was visiting Hawaii, I tried underwater diving, but was not able to stay in the deep for more than a few minutes. However, I do enjoy watching divers, including Franck Goddio and others in Alexandria, swimming among hundreds of artefacts which have been discovered thus far. They are in two locations: the eastern harbour of Alexandria, where a number of royal palaces of Queen Cleopatra and Ptolemaic rulers were established, and at Abu Qir Bay where the lost cities of Canopus and Herakleion lie. Here evidence of the lost cities has been found, along with wrecks of Napoleon Bonaparte's fleet. The problem with underwater archaeology is that the artefacts are encased with salt which takes a long time to clean off. When I became the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), I decided to leave these artefacts in situ, since many objects had been lifted off the sea bed and I thought we should leave the rest to the possible underwater museum, the only archaeological underwater museum in the world. Recently, Goddio selected some 500 objects to be exhibited across Europe. The exhibition "Egypt's Sunken Treasures" went first to Berlin where it was opened by President Hosni Mubarak and Horst Köhler, President of Germany, and his wife. The objects included heads of Ptolemaic kings and Roman emperors, along with a number of objects of daily life such as gold coins, pottery, and metal vessels. Among the most beautiful items on show, for me, was a life-like statue of the goddess Isis. The famous "Naos of the Decades" erected by Nectanebo I (380-362 BC) is also exhibited. The naos records the ancients' ideas concerning astronomy and the universe. Its upper section had been on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1817, but the lower part was not found until 1940. Goddio borrowed the top section from the Louvre for the exhibition. At the opening ceremony, I gave a speech where I discussed how the Ptolemies and the Romans became Egyptianised, and how they ruled the world with Maat, or truth. I even took this opportunity to ask for the return of the beautiful bust of Nefertiti, which is now exhibited at the Berlin Museum, for a three-month loan in Egypt. Last December the exhibition went to Paris, where it will be on display for three months at the Grand Palais. At the inauguration, I guided Presidents Mubarak and Chirac on their tour of the exhibition, and I was really impressed by the way that the artefacts were put on display. The presence of the two presidents and their wives gave the exhibition prestige and highlighted the strong ties of culture and friendship between Egypt and France. Farouk Hosni, Minister of Culture, was also in attendance. Mrs Mubarak always enjoys seeing the statue of Isis and all the artefacts that came from the eastern port in Alexandria, and she explained them to Mrs Chirac with great pride. When we stopped in front of the naos, I also took the opportunity to ask President Chirac to permit the Louvre to return that piece to Egypt. However, Mr Chirac made no comment. Afterwards, at the opening ceremony, President Chirac spoke of the friendship and cultural relations between France and Egypt, and mentioned his admiration of how the ancient Egyptians ruled the world with Maat -- truth -- and justice. President Mubarak also gave a speech expressing his pride in this wonderful exhibition.
