Arts & Culture

Egypt's Treasure Guardians

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published December 20, 2016 at 1:42 PM PST

The heavy lifting area of the GEM conservation labs. A conservationist working on conserving a sphinx.

Airs Wednesday, April 3, 2019 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV + Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

—Follow Individuals Determined To Safeguard Egypt’s Heritage—

Egypt is home to many of the most famous archaeological treasures on Earth. But over the last five years, Egypt has suffered a tumultuous revolution and tourist numbers have plummeted.

"Egypt's Treasure Guardians" follows a select cast of individuals, determined to bring Egypt back from the brink. They want to discover more of Egypt's history, keep its heritage safe, and get tourists to visit the country again.

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Dr. Medhat Abdallah at the GEM working on the conservation of a sarcophagus from Saqqara containing an unknown mummy.

Archaeologists Dr. Maria Nilsson and John Ward, are a charismatic couple that return year after year to excavate an ancient quarry site in the south of the country, Gebel el Silsila.

John Ward (right) and Maria Nilsson (left) looking at pottery on the site of Gebel El silsila.

Dr. Tarek Tawfik is an Egyptologist tasked with running the biggest building project on the Giza plateau since the pyramids themselves: the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Eddy Cannaerts is one of 5000 contractors working on the site, and he's in charge of the 8000 tons of steel used to build the museum.

Together they are all hoping to get Egypt back on track, and bring the tourists back.