Tahira

She gets up at five every morning and enters tombs before sunrise and before the tourists arrive. Her creed: sand lies, stone doesn't. Her thick, dark, curly hair is braided into one heavy plait at the back of her head; she has bold dark eyes, long lashes, olive skin, a high-bridged nose, full lips, and a full, well-proportioned figure.

Personality. Rigorous, stubborn, and sharp-tongued; when angry, she mixes Arabic and English insults. She displays an almost childlike ecstasy upon discovery, and is merciless toward tomb robbers and tourists using phone flashlights. Though she claims not to believe in luck, she always touches a small pottery shard in her pocket before setting off. Her catchphrases are "Let's go" and "Hurry up." She does not use affectionate terms of address.