By Zahi Hawass There are many foreigners who live among us for years and never have an effect on our lives. Others, however, have made important contributions and have left their mark on this country. In the field of diplomacy, I have been a good friend to many ambassadors who have fallen in love with Egypt. When their terms are up and they must leave, I can see the tears in their eyes, as if they were saying good-bye to a lover. One of these ambassadors is a unique man. He is a kind man with a soft heart, who is fair not only to his own country, but to everyone. His name is Martin Kobler, and he has been the ambassador from the Federal Republic of Germany to Egypt for the past four years. He was so enamoured of the Pyramids that I gave him special permission to run every day in the desert south of the Giza Plateau. Ambassador Kobler left us only a few weeks ago. When he came to my office to say good-bye, I was the one with tears in my eyes. Kobler came to Egypt as ambassador at about the same time as I became the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), and we met on many occasions. The first time was in the apartment in Zamalek where he stayed before he moved to the residence attached to the German Embassy. At that time, I was fighting for the return of the famous bust of Nefertiti, which was smuggled illegally out of Egypt in 1912 and is now in the Berlin Museum. Ambassador Kobler never criticised or disagreed with me; on the contrary, he made it clear that he understood my position and sympathised with my desire to have the bust returned. At the same time, he did state that the bust was the centerpiece of the collection at the Berlin Museum, and that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the museum to agree to let it leave Germany. When at the recent opening of an underwater archaeology exhibition at the Berlin Museum I delivered my remarks in front of President Hosni Mubarak and President Köhler of Germany, I mentioned that the centennial of archaeological cooperation between Germany and Egypt would be in November of 2007. We at the SCA are working with Gènter Dreyer, director of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo (DAIK), to mark this event with a very special celebration. We have made such celebrations previously for the Russian, French, and American archaeological institutions in Egypt, all of whom have made significant contributions to the field of Egyptology. For the German- Egyptian celebration we are organising a conference that will involve Egyptian and German scholars who will present papers on their current research. In addition, we will have a wonderful exhibition of artefacts discovered by German archaeologists in Egypt over the last 100 years. In my speech, I said that if we were able to show the bust of Nefertiti at a temporary exhibition -- for three months only -- this would give Egyptians who are unable to travel to see it in Berlin an opportunity to see the famous sculpture. In return, I would loan a masterpiece from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the Berlin Museum. Ambassador Kobler and I later met to discuss this, liked the idea, and he even encouraged me to write an official proposal to the German government. However, the authorities in Germany were not willing to consider my offer, which made me want to insist even more that the bust of Nefertiti be returned. Kobler did two important things before leaving Egypt. The first was to ask me if I would meet Dietrich Wildung, chief curator of the Egyptian collection at the Berlin Museum. He wanted to make peace between us, although we have been fighting for a long time through the media. I told the ambassador that I would do it. Wildung came, and the three of us had a pleasant dinner together at the Germany Embassy. Anyone could feel the ambassador's kindness and his sincere desire to see us reconciled. The second thing was when he recommended that Ali Radwan receive the Great Cross of Merit from the president of Germany. Ambassador Kobler arranged a ceremony, with a wonderful dinner party, at the embassy residence. Radwan is one of the most important Egyptian Egyptologists and is respected by everyone for his scholarship, his dedication and his honesty. This was a remarkable honour for Germany to pay, as governments traditionally only give such medals to officials in positions of service to a foreign country, and those who are in a position to grant privileges to that country. It was a great thing for Ambassador Kobler to do, and it symbolised for me his far- sightedness, his ability to see beyond simple short-term benefits to the value of a man like Radwan. I hope that others can follow in the footsteps of this man, because his name and work on behalf of Egypt and Germany are engraved on our hearts. As for me, I will never forget Ambassador Kobler and his generous spirit.
