The only son of a rich Egyptian merchant family living in Cairo, Hafez was sent to all the best schools of Europe, where he received a top-quality education. Unfortunately the treatment he received from many of the people he met also caused him to acquire a carefully concealed hated of Europeans, European arrogance and all things European. He was determined to return Egypt to the days of glory it knew with the Pharaohs and pursued a career in archeology in order to further his aims. He he megalomaniacal and paranoiac tendencies even then, and was very reluctant to cooperate with others for fear of their stealing his thunder. However, he was quite willing to use European universities to gain the funding he needed - as long as he gave them results from time to time his real work could proceed unmolested.
In 1882 he was excavating in the Sudan when he was trapped in a cave-in, and suddenly found he had acquired control over light itself. The cave-in had also revealed a secret inner part of the dig, piled high with golden artefacts, and in Hafez' mind these events became linked into one, of the ancient Pharaohs giving their approval to his course of action. Now he knew he was capable of attaining the goals he had set himself. Burning his way through the rockfall he strode forth in glory, slaughtering all the workers who were doing the actual digging, and everyone in his camp, so that no-one would ever know where his apotheosis had taken place. He then strode deeper into the Sudan, searching for an army and honing his powers.
In the Sudan he soon became a rallying point for a large number of dissatisfied locals, especially the religious movement known as the Dervishes. The treasure from the tomb he had discovered easily financed his army, and in 1885 they rose up, with the Pharaoh at their head. However, he had seriously underestimated the power it would take to hold his gains, and the fighting went slowly, in a race against time before the British brought in sufficient reinforcements. Eventually his forces captured the city of Khartoum. The British leader, General Gordon, and every other European in the city, were killed in the attack, but Hafez did not have sufficient forces to hold the city, and it was relieved one day later by the Royal Elite Guard, who then went on to destroy the power of the Dervishes and install the British in full control of the Sudan. Hafez and the tattered remnants of his forces were forced to retreat deep into the hinterlands of Egypt and the Sudan and hide while they recovered their strength.
Hafez learnt his lesson from the 1885 debacle and this time planned long and hard as he rebuilt his forces and power base. Over nearly twenty years he was a thorn in the side of British forces in Egypt, raiding military bases and convoys for equipment and always staying one step ahead of the law. In 1904 he made his move - the Pharaoh, at the head of an army, rose up in Egypt and having complete surprise was able to overrun the country, driving out or killing all Europeans. For eight months he and his forces were able to hold off the British Army and Navy, but in the end the British, with the aid of the Royal Elite Guard, were able to remove him and his army from power. In the confused fighting which occured as the last of his forces fell, the Pharaoh escaped, but was never seen again. Although initially the Egyptian people were pleased to see a native in charge, as time went by and all of the Pharaohs character flaws became more and more obvious, and his rule became more and more dictatorial, in the end they were glad to see him go and the British return to control.
The Pharaoh was an imposing figure of a man, 6' tall, handsome and impressive with dark, piercing eyes. Although he would wear more conventional clothes when it was necessary, usually he wore a splendid ancient Egyptian Pharaohs costume.