Treasure in Great Pyramid Awaits Discovery says Zahi Hawass

A news article came out today that says famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass is free of legal charges and is launching a worldwide lecture tour hoping to boost tourism in Egypt.  He's apparently making a pretty big claim too -- he says the Great Pyramid may still have undiscovered treasure.

From LiveScience:

Hawass also said that he believes there are some fantastic discoveries waiting to be made, including more tombs in the Valley of the Kings and a secret burial chamber, containing treasure, which he believes to be inside the Great Pyramid built by the pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops).

How awesome would it be to find hidden treasure in the Great Pyramid?  Maybe even the real burial chamber?  I've heard people claim a lot of different things about the Great Pyramid including hidden chambers, but until now, I don't know if I've ever heard Zahi Hawass make such a bold declaration.  Sure, he's the one behind the robot investigation of the two mysterious shafts in the Queen's chamber, but those investigations, while interesting, have been inconclusive.  So where do the hidden treasure claims come from?  Well, the article quotes Zahi has saying this: 

"I'm traveling the whole world. I'm going to Brazil, going to Argentina at the end of the month, going to Australia, New Zealand, everywhere to promote tourism to Egypt and to bring the tourists back because, I think, I'm the only one who can really bring the tourists back to Egypt," he told LiveScience.

Hmm...tourism.  The article goes on to say this:

Tourism plummeted after Egypt's revolution, resulting in lower ticket sales at ancient sites, a situation that has the antiquities ministry strapped for cash.  

"We don't have any money at all for excavation or preservation," he told the audience.

Hmm...and they're short on cash.  Could this just be a marketing ploy to increase tourism and funds coming into the country?

I'd like to think there is hidden treasure in Great Pyramid.  The idea that there is hidden treasure waiting to be discovered is not a new idea.  But I can't help but wonder if Zahi Hawass is only now hyping it in an attempt to increase tourism.