Hawass Compares Egypt's Modern Leader to Mentuhotep II

Patrick Kingsley, 'Former minister Zahi Hawass compares Egypt's Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh', The Guardian , Thursday 2 January 2014 The former antiquities minister says the rise of the army leader mirrors the ascent of Mentuhotep II 4,000 years ago.

"In my opinion, Sisi is really Mentuhotep II," said Hawass. "You need to understand what happened 4,000 years ago to understand what is happening now." In Hawass's view, the upheaval Egypt has experienced since 2011 mirrors the century of chaos that preceded Mentuhotep's accession to the Egyptian throne in 2046BC. Mentuhotep restored order to Egypt – much as Hawass argues Sisi is about to do today. "We need an elected officer – a strong man – to control the country. And in my opinion, Sisi is our only hope."Hawass is particularly hopeful about Sisi's rise, perhaps because it has come hand-in-hand with the rehabilitation of many of those who – like Hawass – were once tainted by their association with Mubarak.

 The rest of the article speculates about Hawass' return as a Minister of Antiquities with clout, to replace the weak and ineffective measures which are currently leading to serious destruction and erosion of the archaeological heritage in Egypt.

Vignette: Mentuhotep's tomb-temple is next to Hatshepsut's (or rather its the other way round) at Deir El Bahari.