Egypt Has Raised Relics Of A 2,000-year-old Sunken City From The Deep Sea

• 25.08.2025, 16:33

Unique finds dating back to the Roman Empire have been discovered underwater.

Egypt has unveiled unique finds from a sunken archaeological complex in Aboukir Bay near Alexandria. Statues, architectural elements and a pier dating back to the Roman Empire were discovered underwater, writes Interesting Engineering (translated by Charter97.org).

According to archaeologists, the finds include limestone buildings used as temples, dwellings and workshops. Tanks and stone ponds for storing water and raising fish have also been found. These elements reveal details of life in the coastal city before earthquakes and rising sea levels hid it underwater along with the port of Heracleon.

The most valuable relics include statues of royal figures and sphinxes, including a partially preserved sphinx with the cartouche of Ramses II. Also raised are fragments of granite and marble sculptures, stone anchors and elements of port infrastructure near the 125-meter pier used before the Byzantine era.

The work was carried out under the strict norms of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities emphasized: "We are only raising strictly selected sites. The rest will remain part of our underwater heritage."

A part of the artifacts has been sent for restoration for the exhibition "Secrets of the Sunken City" at the National Museum of Alexandria. Authorities are discussing the creation of a permanent exhibit or underwater museum.

The Aboukir Gulf holds not only the ruins of Canopus, but also the remains of Heracleon, Menoufis, an ancient arm of the Nile, and a modern gas field - evidence of the region's millennia-long history.