Archaeologists exploring the Taposiris Magna temple in Egypt have stumbled upon a remarkable discovery – a vast tunnel, hailed as a “geometric miracle,” hidden 13 meters beneath the temple grounds. Kathleen Martinez, leading the excavation from the University of Santo Domingo, made the groundbreaking find during the ongoing mission to unearth the mysteries of this historical site.
The 2-meter tall tunnel, meticulously carved through an astounding 1,305 meters of sandstone, bears a striking resemblance to the Tunnel of Eupalinos, a 6th-century BC aqueduct on the Greek island of Samos, celebrated for its engineering prowess.
The purpose of the newly uncovered tunnel remains shrouded in mystery, with some sections submerged in water. Martinez, who has dedicated years to the search for Cleopatra VII’s lost tomb, sees this discovery as a promising lead in unraveling the secrets of Taposiris Magna.
The temple, founded around 280 BCE by Ptolemy II, is believed to be dedicated to the god Osiris and his queen, the goddess Isis – deities closely associated with Cleopatra. The site has yielded figurines of Isis, along with coins featuring the likenesses of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.
Martinez’s team is hopeful that further exploration could lead to the discovery of long-lost tombs. The next phase involves investigating the nearby Mediterranean Sea, where earthquakes between 320 and 1303 CE caused parts of the temple to collapse into the waves, revealing a network of tunnels stretching from Lake Mariout to the Mediterranean.
While the tunnel has already yielded treasures in the form of a rectangular limestone block and pottery fragments, the tantalizing possibility of uncovering Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s tomb adds an extra layer of excitement to the archaeological endeavor.
In 2009, former Minister for Antiquities Zahi Hawass expressed the magnitude of the potential discovery, stating, “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.”
