When normal people lose their jobs, they go home, tell their spouses, have a drink, and hope they find work before friends and family catch on. Not Zahi Hawass. As a long-time media darling, he was already positioned for a fantastic, well-publicized fall.
With the recent regime change in Egypt, Hawass has gone being a national hero and the preeminent Lord of All Things Egyptian Archaeology (the “pyramid whisperer“), to a villain, to a criminal, to (now) fired. The Associated Press explains:
Egypt’s antiquities minister, whose trademark Indiana Jones hat made him one the country’s best known figures around the world, was fired Sunday after months of pressure from critics who attacked his credibility and accused him of having been too close to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Zahi Hawass, long chided as publicity loving and short on scientific knowledge, lost his job along with about a dozen other ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle meant to ease pressure from protesters seeking to purge remnants of Mubarak’s regime.
“He was the Mubarak of antiquities,” said Nora Shalaby, an activist and archaeologist. “He acted as if he owned Egypt’s antiquities, and not that they belonged to the people of Egypt.”
Read the full article here: Egypt’s iconic antiquities chief fired.
Cultural Property & Archaeology Law 
Myra
August 3, 2011
Zahi Hawass was controversial however he can definitely be credited for professionalizing the Egyptian antiquities service, through his passion, perseverance and outstanding media personality!
Try cutting through the political red-tape found in every part of Egyptian culture and doing the job that he has done so successfully for many years, all the while exposing Egyptology as such a fascinating field, accessible to lay people and the general global public.
As for the so-called “activist and archaeologist” Nora Shalaby, what are her credentials? She wasn’t in charge of the SCA and neither did she have access to the dozens of projects that Dr Hawass and his teams were working on. I sense sour grapes from someone who likely wanted access to the sites herself and was turned down by Dr Hawass as she did not have the proper credentials or educational background. Basically, another bitter so-called “archaeologist” who has found her 15 minutes of fame spreading street rumours to further stir up Egypt’s current mobs, whom by the way, are still fighting amongst themselves over other petty issues.
Dr Hawass has not been found guilty of theft, bribery or graft. Instead he has found himself blamed for his celebrity, his passion and strictness over adhering to site access.
Without the capable oversight of Dr Hawass, Egyptian archaeology is in serious trouble! The Islamists and Salafists are ready & willing to issue fatwas against the Egyptian pagan heritage sites, which sadly might be lost this century – after having withstood thousands of years in a conflicted region.