The structure was found underneath the city of Taposiris Magna, baffling archaeologists that uncovered a piece of history.
They even described the finding in the city, which was established by Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the son of Alexander the Great’s renowned general, between 280 and 270 BC, as a ‘geometric miracle’.
Pottery has also been found in the temple (Ministry of Antiquities, Egypt)
Below a temple in Taosiris Magna, a tunnel was uncovered, 13 metres below the ground.
Kathleen Martinez of the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and her colleagues were responsible for the discovery, as they came across the tunnel in an excavation of the Ancient Egyptian temple.
The tunnel, which is two metres tall, was shaped through 1,305 metres on sandstone.
Its design has been compared to the 1,306-metre Tunnel of Eupalinos, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, presenting great news for the archaeology community.
For some context, that tunnel is a sixth century BC aqueduct located on Samos, a Greek island, that is known for being the pinnacle of engineering in its time.
This discovery then, has the potential to be just as impressive.
While its purpose is currently unknown, it is partially submerged in water, with Martinez, a Taposiris Magna specialist having worked on the temple since 2004, believing that it is a promising lead to the lost tomb of the world-famous Cleopatra VII.
The team carrying out excavations on the temple believe that it was made in dedication to the god Osiris and his queen, the goddess known as Isis.
Cleopatra had a strong connection to Isis, with figurines of the goddess being found on-site, as well as coins with the names and figures of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great found on them.
The tunnel could be a lead to the lost tomb of Cleopatra (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
As it stands, more future work is needed to work out if this new discovery could lead to the fabled lost tombs, and the work includes exploring the Mediterranean Sea.
It’s been theorised that due to the series of earthquakes that hit the coast between 320 and 1303 AD, parts of the temple may have collapsed and been swallowed by the sea.
Past excavations have shown a number of tunnels from Lake Mariout, also in Egypt, out to the Meditterranean.
Pieces of pottery and a rectangular block of limestone have already been found in the tunnel of Taosiris Magna.
The Minister for Antiquities Zahi Hawass stated in 2009 that discovering the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony would be ‘ the most important discovery of the 21st century’.
No pressure, then.
