The discovery of an archaeological tunnel more than a thousand meters long inside the rock in Alexandria
The Egyptian-Dominican archaeological mission of the University of San Domingo, headed by Dr. 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.
Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, indicated that the tunnel is about 1,305 meters long and about two meters high.
Two heads made of alabaster were found near the temple, one of a person from the Ptolemaic period, and the other probably a statue of the Sphinx.
Dr. Kathleen Martins, head of the mission, explained that preliminary studies indicate that the architectural design of the discovered tunnel is very similar to the construction of the Yubelinos Tunnel in Greece and is longer than it, and described the Alexandria Tunnel as an engineering marvel.
She added that during the excavation and archaeological survey of the tunnel, part of the tunnel was discovered submerged under the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and many pottery pots and ceramic jars were also found under the clay, in addition to a rectangular block of limestone.
Among the archaeological evidence, a part of the foundations of the Temple of Taposiris Magna is submerged under the sea, and the mission is currently working to uncover it.
According to scientific sources, no less than 23 earthquakes hit the Egyptian coast between 320 AD and 1303 AD, which led to the collapse of part of the Taposiris Magna Temple and its sinking under the waves.
It is worth noting that during the previous excavation seasons, the Egyptian-Dominican mission was able to find many important artifacts inside the temple, including coins bearing the pictures and names of Queen Cleopatra II and Alexander the Great, and many beheaded statues and statues. of the goddess Isis, in addition to various inscriptions and busts of different shapes and sizes.
The mission also discovered a network of tunnels extending from Lake King Mariot to the Mediterranean Sea, 16 tombs inside rock-cut tombs that were commonly used in the Greek and Roman periods, and many mummies that shed light on the features of the mummification process during the Greek and Greek era. Roman periods.
Source: websites