Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, has issued two ministerial decrees assigning Dr. Diaa Zahran to perform the duties of head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Suzan Mostafa to perform the duties of head of the Central Department of Tourism Marketing at the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, for a period of one year or until the two posts are filled through legally prescribed procedures, whichever comes first.
Dr. Diaa Zahran previously served as head of the Central Department of Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities in Cairo and Giza. He rose through the ranks and held many positions in the council's Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector since starting out as an antiquities inspector in the Citadel antiquities area. He served as director general of archaeological research, studies and scientific publishing at the General Department of Cairo and Giza Antiquities, then director general of archaeological research, studies and scientific publishing at the sector, director general of the sector's General Department of Archaeological Registration, director general of technical follow-up at the sector and deputy head of the sector, as well as general supervisor of the sector's scientific centers.
He also took part in supervising various restoration projects in the sector and completed many training courses in research methodology in Islamic archaeology, scientific publishing, methods of preserving antiquities and developing executive management skills, in addition to courses in anti-corruption methods and the protection of public funds at the Sadat Academy for Management Sciences.
He has taught in the archaeology departments of the faculties of arts at Assiut University and New Valley University, supervised many academic theses, participated in many conferences and seminars, and has a number of published research papers, in addition to books on Islamic civilization and archaeology. He holds a bachelor's degree in archaeology (Islamic Archaeology Department) from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University, an educational diploma from the Faculty of Education at Assiut University, a master's degree in Islamic archaeology from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University, and a PhD in archaeology from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University.
In a related context, Suzan Mostafa has extensive professional experience in tourism marketing. She served as director general of the Tourism Promotion Department at the authority since the department was included in the authority's organizational structure in 2022. She was appointed to the authority in 2001 and rose through many positions until she took charge of promotional campaigns in 2020, overseeing the implementation of many international campaigns for Egypt, including Unmatched Diversity, Alive 360, Follow the Sun and This Is Egypt, as well as overseeing many tactical campaigns to promote various tourism products. She also served as director of the authority's General Department of Planning in 2021, alongside overseeing the tourism promotion file, and had been part of the authority's promotion team since 2006.
Suzan Mostafa holds a bachelor's degree in commerce (English section) and has completed many training courses, including the "Women Lead in Egyptian Governorates" course at the National Training Academy in 2024, as well as the International Business Driving License (IBDL) from the University of Missouri. She has participated in many international exhibitions and workshops abroad, and has represented the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on a number of national committees managing certain files, including yacht tourism, as well as serving on the board of trustees of the Great Transfiguration project.
