Egyptologist Zahi Hawass Bad-Mouths Beyonce, Calls Her “Stupid Person”
Posted by: Annika Harris
Filed in:
celebs
1:10PM, Friday November 13th 2009
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is known for his outbursts. He reportedly speaks in Arabic while attending dinner events and other social gatherings so he can insult non-Egyptians, who he assumes don’t understand his language. And well-known celebrities aren’t off-limits. Earlier this week, Beyonce toured the Giza pyramids with Hawass, who reportedly became annoyed with her attitude because she didn’t show the pyramids the respect he thinks they deserve.
“I showed her the Sphinx and I gave her a book on King Tutankhamen,” said Hawass, according to an Egyptian journalist who overheard the comments. “She’s a stupid person and she doesn’t understand a thing and she doesn’t want to understand. She’s coming here to take pictures and that’s it,” Hawass allegedly added. Beyonce didn’t understand the comments (unless she’s picked up a Rosetta Stone language program recently), and he pawned her off on an assistant, who scuttled her to a predetermined location to take photos. But I’ll be fair and say Beyonce’s entourage wasn’t on its best behavior either. One of her bodyguards threatened a photographer who was shooting the pop star without permission.
Are you really surprised someone would think this about Beyonce? Let us know in the comments. [Bikya Masr]
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Riley
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:28 pm: [report]
I’m not surprised about anyone saying this about an American.
As a man that dedicated his life to Egypt’s history, having to shuffle around an ignorant person that has no desire to learn, his attitude is understandable.
Erin Flaherty
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:35 pm: [report]
well, as someone who has visited the pyramids and appreciated the experience as one of the greatest opportunities of my lifetime, it’s a bit shocking to think that some people lucky enough to visit wouldn’t be respectful enough to at least feign interest. personally, if zahi hawass had been on my tour i would’ve besieged the poor man with questions!
i don’t know if that makes her “stupid” per se, but it’s pretty daft to be all whatev’s when you’re hanging out at giza with the world’s foremost egyptologist, even if he is a prick…
BrokenBrain
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:37 pm: [report]
I live in DC, and I’ve wondered before about the swarms of foreign tourists that visit the US Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court every summer. How much do they really care about our system of government? (And if they have a genuine interest, why?)
I’d imagine if I’d devoted my entire life to the study of the tourist destinations in question, my reaction might change from mild curiosity to frustration.
Keesh Mia
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:39 pm: [report]
It’s truly the classic case of Diva vs. Diva. This is pointless.
spatula
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:41 pm: [report]
I think this guy sounds like a total jackass. You can bet that if I ever went to the pyramids, I’d be taking pictures!! It mentions nothing of her “being all whatevs” or ANYTHING except wanting to take pictures.
Kiki T
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:48 pm: [report]
if you can’t f’em, you might as well insult them
MuchoMacho
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:52 pm: [report]
yeah im siding with her too. and who cares if her bodyguard stopped a paparazi? isnt that part of their job?
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 01:55 pm: [report]
I don’t side with anyone, they are both culpable.
Sage
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 02:19 pm: [report]
He should have known something was up when Beyonce show up and the first thing she said to him was,
“all this sand and no beach, oh are you that guy that built these triangle things.”
Who did he expect Marie Curie to show up and discuss physic ... he needs to lower his expectations.
secretstevie
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 02:58 pm: [report]
i think this man is being ridiculous. she showed up as a performer and tourist, she had no intentions of becoming an egyptologist. calm down sir.
LiciMama
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 04:10 pm: [report]
If she was just being a tourist than there are plenty of other guides out there that aren’t a leader in Egyptology. Don’t ask him to cater to a star that isn’t even willing to learn about what she is going to see. He is a scholar, not a tourist guide.
Goldfinch86
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 04:58 pm: [report]
Thank you LiciMama, This man is not a tour guide, he’s a respected Egyptologist. Her people might have wanted him and he thought she was interested in learning, probably in 5 minutes of talking with her he realized all she really needed was a regular tour guide with a map. I cannot believe that they hired him and treated him like #&@$%. Rich people do it all the time, because they can buy anything and hire someone smart to entertain them then they get snotty and bored when they are not being entertained. She wasted his time, he’s got more important things to do like finding out about his history and solving mysteries thousands of years old, not catering to another dumb pop star who no one will care about in 40 years.
MuchoMacho
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:06 pm: [report]
i changed my mind. im on his side. beyonce is over-rated. but i still support the body guard.
bumbler
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:20 pm: [report]
I doubt she asked for him, that man does love to be on camera. Saw a Discovery Channel program where Egyptologists discovered a new tomb and they had to step aside and let him do all the publicity, unveiling etc.
Bee Mee
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:26 pm: [report]
Even if he was in his own home, It is such a cowardly act to switch between languages to talk trash about someone in their face without their knowledge. I guess being an Egyptologist doesn’t mean you have any class.
Beyonce aside, it is risky to assume the person you are badmouthing doesn’t understand you. A couple of “men” learned this lesson the hard way when they assumed a friend didn’t know they called her a stupid whore in Italian. Wearing a skimpy dress in Vegas doesn’t mean someone didn’t major in Italian before attending law school. The douchebags got an earful and deserved it.
roseblush
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:34 pm: [report]
I have always believed that Beyonce is overrated.
JackieD
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:56 pm: [report]
im sure plenty of people that have had to deal with celebs have had the same thought..its not his fault hes got a pair and is willing to actually say something, even if it is in a language she cant understand
Shosanna
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 05:56 pm: [report]
@Keesh Mia. Precisely!
Zahi Hawass loves to see himself in the news as much as he likes to self-righteously reclaim Egyptian artifacts from former colonialists.
secretstevie
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 06:38 pm: [report]
@bumbler, i agree. so far there is nothing to suggest that she actually asked him to be a tour guide.
bumbler
wrote on November 13 2009 @ 07:29 pm: [report]
@secret stevie Yeah it’s more likely that it was a publicity event to drum up tourism in Egypt. I’m sure she would have wanted to see the pyramids otherwise but Hawass is a master of promotion and would no doubt have taken advantage of a famous celebrity in the area to help the tourism economy in Egypt.
Also it’s pretty classless to call someone stupid because they don’t share an interest in your particular narrow field of expertise. We would all agree it was ignorant if a Renaissance art historian called Hawass stupid for taking a quick look at Bottecelli’s Primavera in the Uffizi gallery and moving on.
Zay
wrote on November 14 2009 @ 05:48 pm: [report]
It doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve seen Beyonce in many interviews and what not. She’s definitely not the sharpest pencil in the box. The things she says and her attitude make you wonder if she has a brain. Best thing she can do for herself is smile and keep her mouth shut.
bogart4017
wrote on November 16 2009 @ 10:13 am: [report]
I don’t care what she did or didnt do or how smart or dumb she is. It is poor form to insult a lady visiting your country. Period.
occumb
wrote on November 19 2009 @ 12:58 pm: [report]
This guy sounds like a jackass looking for a platform.
That said, my husband and I honeymooned in a lodge in South Africa that Beyonce and Jay-Z had recently stayed in. The staff told us they were very polite, but not interested in safari or leaving their rooms other than for photo shoots. Seems like she’s just a bit jaded with all the travel, too bad she’s not letting herself enjoy these spectacular experiences.