Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery in the ancient Egyptian city of Taposiris Magna, including a tunnel beneath a temple, which could be a key lead to the lost tomb of Cleopatra VII. The tunnel was found about 43 feet below the ground. It’s 6.5 feet tall and partially submerged in water. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has noted that the tunnel’s design bears similarities to the 4,285 feet Tunnel of Eupalinos, a 6th-century BC aqueduct on the Greek island of Samos, regarded as a marvel of ancient engineering.
Kathleen Martinez, who has been working in the area since 2004 searching for Cleopatra VII’s lost tomb, believes the tunnel could be a key clue. About 25 miles west of Alexandria in Egypt, the ancient city of Taposiris Magna was founded around 280 BCE by Ptolemy II, a descendant of one of Alexander the Great’s generals and an ancestor to Cleopatra.
Before discovering the “geometric miracle,” archaeologists at Taposiris Magna unearthed a range of significant findings, including mummies with golden tongues, Greco-Roman style burials, a mysterious bust, coins thought to feature Cleopatra, Ptolemaic alabaster statues, and ceramic pots.
The team suspects the temple was dedicated to Osiris and his queen, Isis—goddess with whom Cleopatra was closely associated.
The tunnel has already yielded artifacts, including pottery and a block of limestone.
The tunnel uncovered at Taposiris Magna has been compared to the Tunnel of Eupalinos due to their similar engineering design and scale including their similar length and geometric precision making them incredible feats of ancient engineering.
Earthquakes between 320 and 1303 CE are thought to have caused parts of the temple to collapse into the sea, with previous excavations revealing tunnels extending from Lake Mariout to the Mediterranean.
Future investigations, including exploring the Mediterranean Sea, are planned to determine whether the tunnel could lead to the long-lost tombs.
Archaeologist and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt previously said: “If we discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony it will be the most important discovery of the 21st century.
“If we did not discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, we made major discoveries here, inside the temple and outside the temple.”
