Egypt Unveils Ancient Sunken City, Revealing Millennia-Old Treasures Off Alexandria

Egypt has announced the unveiling of significant portions of a 2,000-year-old sunken city, meticulously extracted from the waters off Alexandria’s coast. The discovery includes ancient buildings, artifacts, and a historic dock, offering a rare glimpse into a civilization lost to the sea.

Authorities suggest the site, located in Abu Qir Bay, may be an extension of Canopus, a once-prominent center during the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman Empire. Over centuries, earthquakes and rising sea levels submerged Canopus and the nearby port of Heracleion, preserving a treasure trove of historical remains beneath the Mediterranean.

The recent operation saw cranes carefully hoist statues from the depths, as divers who aided in their retrieval cheered from the shore. Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi emphasized the selective nature of the recovery, stating, “What we’re able to bring up is limited… The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage.”

Among the remarkable finds revealed by the ministry are limestone structures believed to be places of worship, residential areas, and commercial buildings. Researchers also uncovered reservoirs, rock-carved ponds for water storage and fish cultivation, and statues of royal figures and sphinxes, including a partially preserved sphinx bearing the cartouche of Ramses II. A merchant ship, stone anchors, and a harbor crane from a 125-meter dock, used until the Byzantine period, were also discovered.

This extraordinary archaeological feat highlights the rich history submerged around Alexandria, a city itself increasingly vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, facing the risk of succumbing to the same waters that claimed these ancient wonders.

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