Gihane Zaki is an Egyptologist, academic, and public figure. She studied at Helwan University in Cairo before pursuing doctoral studies at Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France, where she earned her PhD.
She has played a prominent role in international cultural policy, representing the Egyptian government at the UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Zaki is also recognized for her leadership in cultural diplomacy, notably serving as Director of the Egyptian Academy of Fine Arts in Rome from 2012 to 2019. She moved from Italy to France where she was appointed as Researcher at CNRS- Sorbonne University Centre of Egyptology, the oldest in Europe.
In 2021, she sworn as member of the Egyptian House of Representatives, bringing her expertise in culture into the political sphere. Over the course of her career, she has received several prestigious international honors, including being named a Knight of the French Ordre national du Mérite in 2009, Rosa di Bronza in Italy in 2015, followed by the Légion d’Honneur in 2025.
In February 2026, Gihane Zaki was appointed Minister of Culture of Egypt, marking a new phase in her career focused on the management of national cultural heritage and the promotion of cultural development.
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