Aral Karakum is a desert in Kazakhstan, situated northeast of the Aral Sea. It borders on the Syr Darya river to the south. The desert covers an area of 40,000 km².

The landscape in the region is quite flat, with a height that varies from 55 to 118 meters AMSL. The dunes can reach heights of around 25 meters. The area is very dry, and the dried-out riverbeds usually only carry water during springtime, when the winter snow melts. Annual precipitation is around 120 mm.

The winter lasts from mid-November to mid-March, with varying cloud cover and frequent fog. Mean temperature during daytime is minus 5-10 °C, and at night around -25 °C. The lowest recorded temperature is -42 °C. However, at any time during winter, mild weather is possible. Precipitation falls mostly in the winter as snow. Snow cover is usually around 15 cm deep, but can reach 30 cm.

Summer lasts from May to mid-September. Daytime temperatures normally range 30-35 °C, but temperatures up to 43 °C have been recorded. At night the temperature drops to 15-18 °C. During summer there are often dry winds and dust storms.

Zahi Hawass (Arabic: زاهي حواس‎; born May 28, 1947) is an Egyptian archaeologist, an Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs. He has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert, and the Upper Nile Valley.

Hawass has received widespread publicity internationally, and was the subject of a reality television series in the United States, Chasing Mummies. His views and links to business ventures and the Mubarak regime have engendered controversy. In connection with the awarding of a gift shop contract at the Egyptian Museum and alleged smuggling of antiquities, he was sentenced to a prison term, which was later lifted.

Hawass was born in Damietta, Egypt. He originally intended to become a lawyer, but then studied Greek and Roman archaeology at Alexandria University, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree. He obtained a diploma in Egyptology at the University of Cairo. In 1987 he received his PhD degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied as a Fulbright Fellow.