The following statement by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s new Minister of Antiquities and head of “a newly created department that will be charged with the care and protection of all Egyptian monuments and museums,” was posted today on ZahiHawass.com. Hawass is also a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. By Zahi Hawass I would like to tell the people,...

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, reports that several of the country’s museums have been attacked by looters taking advantage of the political turmoil in the country. In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, looters stole jewelry from the museum shop and smashed a statue of Tutankhamun and other artifacts. In...