?Why did the Ptolemies dig tunnels in Alexandria
An Egyptian-Dominican archaeological mission discovered a 13-meter-deep carved rock, and specialists describe it as an "engineering miracle".
Initial studies indicate that the architectural design of the discovered tunnel is similar to the Yubilinos Tunnel in Greece (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
The Dominican-Egyptian archaeological mission of the University of San Domingo, headed by Kathleen Martins, succeeded in discovering a tunnel carved into the rock at a depth of about 13 meters below the surface of the earth, during the archaeological excavation of the mission in the area of the Temple of Taposiris Magna, west of Alexandria .
The discovered tunnel is about 1305 meters long and about two meters high, and two alabaster heads were found near it, one of which is for a person from the Ptolemaic period, and the other is likely a statue of the Sphinx .
Underwater tunnel
Kathleen Martins, head of the expedition, said in a statement that preliminary studies indicate that the architectural design of the discovered tunnel is very similar to the design of the Yubilinos Tunnel in Greece, but it is longer than it, describing it as an "engineering miracle."
She added that during the excavations and the archaeological survey of the tunnel, a part of the tunnel was discovered submerged under the waters of the Mediterranean, and a number of pottery pots and ceramic jars were found under the mud sediments, in addition to a rectangular block of limestone.
The mission found two heads made of alabaster (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
By completing the excavations, many archaeological evidence proved that part of the foundations of the temple of Taposiris Magna was submerged under water. To the collapse of part of the temple of Taposiris Magna and sank under the waves.
It is worth noting that during the previous excavation seasons, the mission was able to find many important artifacts inside the temple, including coins bearing images and names of Queen Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, a number of headless statues, and statues of the goddess Isis, in addition to inscriptions and busts. Various shapes and sizes.
It also discovered a network of tunnels extending from King Mariout Lake to the Mediterranean Sea, and 16 burials inside tombs carved into the rock, which were commonly used in the Greek and Roman periods, in addition to a number of mummies, which highlight the features of the mummification process during the Greek and Roman periods.
religious center
Regarding the Taposiris Magna area and its historical importance, Bassam Al-Shamaa, a specialist in Egyptian antiquities, told The Independent: “The area was known as a religious center, and it is located on the coast west of Alexandria, about 45 km away from it. On the hill, the area around it is completely revealed, which was the reason for building a lighthouse in this site, part of which still remains. It differs from the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Time to Abu Sir, which is what it is known by now.
Taposiris Magna was of great importance in the Ptolemaic period (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
Al-Shammaa added, "It was the custom of the Ptolemies to build temples on the ruins of ancient Egyptian temples that were destroyed, or parts of them still remain for the same idol, who was worshiped in them, in order to draw closer to the Egyptians and win their affection by respecting their idols and their religious faith, and this temple was built in this way on the ruins An ancient temple of Osiris, which has a rectangular shape with high walls and a shrine inside, and religious rituals were held inside, and one of the observations worthy of attention is that the discovered tunnel takes the form of a truss (triangular shape), which was common in the era of the pyramid builders, and its aim was to reduce pressure The stones are on a specific place, so the influence of the ancient Egyptian civilization was extended and continuous during the Ptolemaic era.”
?Why did the Ptolemies build this tunnel
The latest discovery raises this question, so what would prompt the construction of a tunnel extending into the sea in a religious place dedicated to worship? And what is its purpose, especially with what the disclosure indicated of the existence of a network of tunnels extending between King Mariout Lake and the Mediterranean Sea. Al-Shammaa answers, "I expect that the purpose of constructing the tunnel could be for the priests to use it to move from one place to another without appearing on the ground, or perhaps for military uses for the temple that is located on a high hill. It was common to build castles and fortresses on high places, especially that The temple has high walls, and it can be for protection, and this area is of great importance in this era, and was considered an important center during the period of the Ptolemaic rule.
He added, "The tunnel's arrival in the Mediterranean does not mean that at that time the situation was like this, as the water level rose, and many places sank. Climate changes over time had a significant impact. During this era, this tunnel may lead to another place, or Perhaps another temple was destroyed with time, and this tunnel was used to connect them. The importance of this discovery is that it will prompt more research on this area, and perhaps with the continuation of excavations, other discoveries are being reached that help link the available information. This tunnel represents a key to an important chapter. From the chapters of the region of Taposiris Magna".
Al-Shamaa concludes, "Such archaeological discoveries shed light on certain areas, and put them on the headlines at home and abroad because of the importance of the event, and from here this matter should be exploited at the tourist level, as the region of Taposiris Magna can be a tourist par excellence because it is located on the Mediterranean coast, in addition to The archaeological dimension, and the presence of a historical temple, it is possible to establish some tourist villages in the region and promote the region as a tourist as it has all the ingredients.”
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