The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
(NMEC) in Fustat hosted a screening of the Netflix documentary ‘Unknown: The
Lost Pyramid’. It was screened on the platform on July 3, starring famed
archaeologists Zahi Hawass and Mostafa Waziry.
Most of the crew were present at The
event, including director Max Salomon. Salomon expressed his happiness in
working with the two Egyptian archaeologists. He said they were keen to not
only compete with foreigners but to reclaim the science of Egyptology itself.
“I love Egypt. I would like to show
this love for all workers in archaeology by highlighting not just the
discoveries but all people behind them. “I thank Dr Hawass and Dr Waziry for
lifting up Egyptology,” Salomon added.
He said the film took 43 days in 10
months. It started in the fall of 2021 and was shot in two excavation areas in
Saqqara, Gisr Al-Modier, led by Hawass and Bubasteion, led by Waziry.
It features Hawass hunting for the
long-lost pyramid of a forgotten Egyptian king, while his rival, Waziry,
searches for an unlooked tomb in an ancient necropolis. Both teams race against
the clock to see who will make the greater discovery and make their mark in
history.
Waziry, who is Secretary General of the
Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the recent discoveries in the last
few years were made by Egyptian missions, out of 250 foreign missions working
in excavations from 50 countries.
“For the first time in 120 years, the
Egyptian mission succeeded in discovering four papyri; three in Saqqara and one
and the first ever in Minya,” he said.
The previously discovered papyri were named after those who found them, who
were foreigners. These four papyri were named after Waziry. They all contain
chapters from the Book of the Dead.
The Waziry one papyrus, which is
16-metre-long, is on display at the New Administrative Capital Museum, the
second and fourth are on display in the Cairo Museum, while the third will be
among Grand Egyptian Museum’s collections, he said.
Hawass said that since the
documentary was first shown on 3 July it has become number on the platform
worldwide, “something unique in the history of Netflix”.
“When I went to any bookstore, all the
books were written by foreign archeologists. When I opened the TV, I saw
foreign archeologists. Foreigners ruled, but we needed to compete with them. We
need to be good like them,” he told the gathering.
“I wanted and was planning that one day
I’m going to make a difference in Egyptology. One day my name will be written
in history. And it happened,” he added.
Many ministers and foreign ambassadors
attended the film screening. Prior to the start of the event, NEMC Managing
Executive Director Ahmed Ghoneim requested the attendees to stand for a moment
of silence in sympathy for those who died in Gaza.
The film was shown within the Cinema
and Civilization initiative, launched by the NMEC within the framework of
cultural and artistic programs to revive the art of cinema.
Source: Egyptian
Gazette
