Chasing Mummies with Dr. Zahi Hawass: Digging up ancient treasures is dirty and dangerous business, and nobody knows that better than the legendary Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass. History s cameras follow closely as he and his cadre of fellows unearth astonishing finds and tackle some of the world s greatest archaeological riddles, from who built the pyramids to the location of Cleopatra s tomb. It s a whirlwind tour, led by the man who holds the keys to Egypt s greatest antiquities and rules his world like a modern-day pharaoh. Unfiltered, entertaining, exciting and suspenseful, Chasing Mummies lets viewers share in the thrills and hardships facing the team and crew as they toil to reveal what lies beneath the sand. With its wealth of historical information and blow-by-blow coverage of world-altering discoveries, this series breaks new ground literally.

Trapped: Only a handful of people have ever had the chance to see the Five Chambers high above the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid. Now, Zahi decides to go on his final journey to the Five Chambers with the fellows in tow...together they will document the ancient graffiti on the walls of the Chambers, proving Zahi s theory that ancient Egyptians, not slaves, built the Pyramids at Giza. This near-death experience leaves the fellows; Leslie, the executive producer; and, the crew gasping for air. Finally, Zahi will reveal his findings in an exclusive television interview.

Lost: Most people experience something rare or exceptional once or twice in a lifetime, but Zahi Hawass, unimpeded by his tireless lust for adventure, lives many lifetimes in a single day; Zahi moves from a dig site in Saqqara...descending deep underground to uncover a cache of mummies; to the Workmen s Cemetery; and finally, discovers a rare and important piece of Egyptian history...a beautiful anthropoid sarcophagus from the 26th Dynasty! After a day like that, anyone would be ready to end their day...not Zahi...he s going to party at one of Cairo s latest hotspots!

On the road to Dakhla, the fellows learn quickly just how fast everything can change when Zahi is in the driver s seat! Army maneuvers have shut down their journey to restore an ancient minaret and now they must take a treacherous journey through the White Desert to camp overnight in a deserted oasis. If only the fellows had prepared for this! With their food spoiled from 115? temperatures, only Zahi can show them how to make friends with the local Bedouins, who feed the starving group. The next day, Zahi must fly out to meet former First Lady Laura Bush in Dallas and speak about his recent discovery of Queen Sesheshet s Pyramid.

Finding Cleopatra s tomb has been the lifelong passion for many an archaeologist. Some scholars believe Cleopatra s remains are at Taposiris Magna, while others believe her remains must be in the city of Alexandria, where she lived an infamous life with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.

Finding unopened tombs in modern day Egypt is very rare indeed, but with all his fellows in tow, Zahi heads to Sheikh Sobey and discovers an amazing mummy inside a sarcophagus. Also, Zahi makes it clear to the world community that every important Egyptian artifact must be returned to Egypt.

It s early morning in Saqqara and Zahi is getting ready to open two sealed tombs for the first time in thousands of years, but Zoe is late again and his patience is wearing thin. At the Festival of the Sacrifice, Derek and Allan begin to learn about the customs and traditions of their host country, while Zahi meets the press and reveals a completed renovation of one of the oldest operating monasteries in the world. If only the fellows hadn t made that unexpected stop to the Robber s Tomb, maybe things would have been different...

It s time for Leslie, the Executive Producer, to do Zahi a favor, and it requires going where few cameras have been before to the mysterious caves below the Giza Plateau. Zahi is determined to disprove the theories of the so called pyramidiots, who believe that there are secret underground chambers ... leading to the Sphinx.

Now that two fellows are gone, it seems that Alice, the marine archaeologist from Alexandria, wants to ask Zahi for a spot in the fellowship program. Zahi sets her to task her first assignment ride with him on horseback through the vast open desert to the Falcon Galleries.

Having the chance of a lifetime to follow Dr. Zahi Hawass and witness so many new discoveries in this magical land of Egypt is an exceptional experience for anyone who can actually keep up with him! Just ask his truly devoted archaeological workers, who ve named a brand new tomb complex in Luxor after their dynamic boss: Z-1, or Zahi -1. So what s more fitting than going deep underground to discover five intact burials even a murdered mummy to complete this amazing adventure with Zahi Hawass!

Can Papua New Guinea s new generation return to the old ways and recreate the skills that once helped mummify their dead ancestors? Find out in the premiere of Lost Mummies of Papua New Guinea Cut off from the rest of the world for thousands of years, to this day Papua New Guinea is a wild and mysterious land of untamed jungle and inaccessible terrain. With the modern world only intruding into this ancient culture in the last century, the isolation of the tribes that live on the island helped give birth to a unique series of customs. And while stories of cannibalism are legendary, less well known is the island s ancient process of mummification. Preserving bodies so their spirits can act as protection for the living, the practice all but died out as missionaries spread Christianity to remote communities in the 1950s. Led by photographer Ulla Lohmann, this programme gives you an in depth look at the macabre art of mummification. Plus, discover how bodies can be preserved for decades in the hot and humid climate of the island, and witness the restoration of existing mummies.