Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass has hit back at criticism from Egyptians on social media over his controversial interview with Joe Rogan and accused the US media personality of focusing his questions on topics he had long dismissed as pseudoscience.
The nearly two-hour interview, which was released on podcast platforms and on YouTube on May 14, touched on Mr Hawass’s extensive career and his work at the pyramids and other pharaonic sites at the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo.
But the conversation quickly became contentious, leading many viewers to criticise Mr Hawass for his combative demeanour and refusal to engage in meaningful discussions about his research.
A week after its release, Rogan described the episode as “the worst podcast I have ever done" but also "maybe a good one, too”, during an interview with NFL superstar Aaron Rodgers.
Rogan’s remarks, including his characterisation of Mr Hawass as “a closed-minded fellow” who was “gatekeeping all the knowledge”, have caused a stir on Egyptian social media.
Many online comments criticised Mr Hawass for interrupting Rogan’s questions and his dismissal of attempts to explore alternative theories about the pyramids and the Sphinx.
According to one viewer who spoke to The National, Mr Hawass exhibited a “severe and sometimes aggressive” unwillingness to entertain doubts or alternative perspectives about his work.
"Throughout the interview, Mr Hawass repeatedly interrupted Rogan, deflected detailed questions about his work, and emphasised his authority and legacy rather than addressing the topics at hand," one viewer said.
Critics on YouTube and social media also accused Mr Hawass of arrogance. One viewer noted that, rather than engaging with Rogan’s questions, Mr Hawass repeatedly insisted his word as the “foremost expert on ancient Egypt” should suffice.
Mr Hawass, who is on a lecture tour in the US, was not immediately available for comment but his media liaison Ali Abou Dsheish told The National he was "very upset" by the criticism.
The former minister of antiquities appeared on an Egyptian talk show on Tuesday night to defend himself.
“How can this man, Joe Rogan, not read my book before I arrived?” Mr Hawass asked angrily, referring to Giza and the Pyramids, a 1,000-page study co-written with American archaeologist Mark Lehner. “The only book in the world written about Giza with the utmost skill. How can he not have read it?”
Mr Hawass went on to question the criticism of his interview. “Why are they attacking me? Because I held my own against Joe Rogan? Because I was confident? Why would my confidence offend him? Did they even understand what our conversation was about? Did they even understand what this man was really saying?”
He reiterated that his decades of research had definitively proven how the pyramids were built. The subject continues to baffle many archaeologists.
During the Rogan interview, he repeatedly referred to his book as the definitive source on the topic. However, viewers noted that he failed to provide detailed answers to some of Rogan’s more technical questions, particularly about construction techniques.
On the talk show, Mr Hawass suggested Rogan’s line of questioning was influenced by an agenda to undermine his credibility. He claimed the interview, arranged a year ago by alternative historian Graham Hancock, with whom Mr Hawass recently resolved a 25-year dispute, was unfairly skewed towards topics "like Atlantis and aliens", subjects he has long dismissed as pseudoscience.
“I spent 25 years holding debates against people like Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval and John Anthony West, who argued that the pyramids and the Sphinx were built 15,000 years ago by people from Atlantis,” Mr Hawass said. “Thank God I stood up against their ideas, not just in Egyptian newspapers, but internationally as well. I told Rogan I have nothing to do with these matters.”
One of the most heated moments during the Rogan interview occurred when the host brought up a recent study by Italian researchers Filippo Biondi and Corrado Malanga. The study, which used tomography technology, suggested the existence of hidden shafts, tunnels and passages beneath the Giza Plateau.
Mr Hawass told Rogan the study was “completely false” and that, not being a radar expert himself, he had consulted with the best imaging experts he knew and they had categorically discredited it.
While the Italian researchers have gained credibility in recent months, their work remains controversial and has not yet been widely accepted by the archaeological community.
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Price: From Dh650,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
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