Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s antiquities minister, has been fired in a cabinet reshuffle. The move aims to appease critics of the current government, which has retained many officials who were part of the regime of former president president Hosni Mubarak.

Hawass, a prominent archaeologist, was appointed Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs by Mubarak in the dying days of his tenure.

Hawass had quit as antiquities minister in March, saying that he wanted to draw attention to the lack of security at Egypt’s many archaeological sites (see Nature’s interview). But he was reappointed within a month.

According to a report from Associated Press:

Hawass was replaced by Abdel-Fattah el-Banna, an associate professor in restoration. He was frequently present in Tahrir Square during the protests.