Thousands of years after the Pharaonic era has come to end, people still obsess over finding out details about the unforgotten, golden civilisation. The clothes pharaohs used to wear, the food they used to eat, and their daily routine are still some of the most interesting topics for people all around the world.
But what if the clothes Egyptians are currently wearing are made from the same fabrics as the pharaohs’ garments? And what if their favourite meals today are actually inherited from that golden civilisation? Or if the jewellery women wear now has similar designs to the ones worn thousands of years ago? That is what archaeologist Zahi Hawas plans to reveal in his upcoming programme Kashef Al-Asrar (The Revealer of the Secret).
Kashef Al-Asrar is a new programme produced and aired by private TV channel Al-Ghad. Throughout 16 episodes, Hawas explores the similarities that Egyptian culture nowadays still shares with the golden era. Moreover, the programme uncovers the underlying effect of the Pharaonic civilisation on life in Egypt today.
This includes various perspectives of life─from the food Egyptians eat nowadays, to the clothes they wear, and the traditions they still follow.
“This programme increases people’s awareness about archaeology in a new interesting way,” Hawas said during a press conference, launching the programme. “The way we talk about antiquities has to be as interesting as the antiquities actually are, which is an aspect that many similar shows lack nowadays. In my programme, I narrate captions while people get to see the similarities and differences all by themselves,” he added.
The programme also revives currently lacking ethics that used to be a significant part of the Pharaonic civilisation, such as honesty, justice, and hard work.
Through his show, Hawas mainly aims to reveal the similarities between modern Egyptian culture and the ancient one. “When we talked to citizens in small villages in Luxor─those who have not yet been affected by modernisation─we discovered that they still follow the same old traditions like the pharaohs, without even realising it,” he explained.
(Nada Amr)
“The programme presents Egypt the way it should be,” the programme’s creative director Hassanein Fadel said. “We can clearly see the effect this programme will have on enhancing Egypt’s image globally, through the new perspectives we’re going to show people about Egyptian civilisation,” he stated.
The programme will be aired on 20 October.
“This show is one of the most important tools to revive tourism in Egypt,” said Abdellatif El-Menawy, manager of Al-Ghad TV channel. “Hawas is the best to grab people’s attention to Egypt from all over the world,” he concluded.
