Ancient City Revealed Under the Sea
Egypt uncovered amazing finds from Abu Qir Bay waters off Alexandria, uncovering remains of a city lost for over two millennia. The site is thought by archaeologists to be an extension of Canopus, a bustling center of the Ptolemaic dynasty and subsequently under the Romans. Powerful earthquakes over centuries and seas rising buried the city and neighbouring port of Heracleion in the Mediterranean.
Cranes lifted statues and artefacts off the seabed on Thursday, as crowds looked on, with divers who assisted in their recovery cheering along the beach. Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister, Sherif Fathi, described the recovery as a glimpse of “our sunken heritage,” but mentioned that the majority of the remains will remain underwater for preservation.
Unearthed Treasures from the Depths
Among the discoveries were limestone buildings that must have been temples, residences, and marketplaces, as well as reservoirs and ponds where water was stored and fish were farmed. There were also dramatic statues, including incomplete sphinxes and kings. One had the cartouche of Ramses II, the mythical pharaoh who reigned over Egypt for decades.
Other remains consisted of broken sculptures: a headless Ptolemaic figure in granite and the lower part of a Roman aristocrat in marble. The excavations also uncovered sea treasures, such as stone anchors, a merchant vessel, and a harbour crane at a 125-metre wharf once utilized by little boats up to the Byzantine period.
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A City at Risk of the Future
Though Alexandria today is Egypt’s cultural gem, experts say it will meet the same destiny as Canopus and Heracleion. The coastal city sinks over three millimetres a year, while the climate crisis pushes sea levels up. Under the most favourable projections by the UN, a third of Alexandria will be underwater or rendered uninhabitable by 2050.
The find of Canopus is both a historical achievement and a warning. Egypt’s submerged past yields not only the glory of the past but also a grim reminder of what can be lost to the sea again.
