Ancient harbor swallowed by the sea found near Cleopatra’s temple in Egypt
Egyptian archaeologists uncover a submerged harbor at Taposiris Magna, linking maritime activity to Cleopatra VII’s era and the temple’s religious site.
An underwater harbor linked to the Temple of Taposiris Magna has been uncovered off Egypt’s coast near Alexandria, offering new insight into the region’s maritime activity during the Ptolemaic and late Hellenistic periods. The discovery was announced Sept. 18 by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and centers on a harbor connected to Cleopatra VII’s temple complex at Taposiris Magna, about 30 miles west of Alexandria. The temple itself was built in the 3rd century B.C. and dedicated to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the afterlife, and archaeology at the site has long suggested a convergence of religious significance and commercial activity.
Survey data and bathymetric scans indicate the harbor was directly connected to the temple and opened toward the Mediterranean Sea. The harbor area is now submerged and protected by coral reefs, with researchers recovering stone and metal anchors of various sizes and large numbers of amphorae dating to the Ptolemaic period. Officials say the ancient shoreline lies roughly 4 kilometers from today’s coast, underscoring how coastal dynamics have shifted over millennia.
The find adds a new dimension to our understanding of Taposiris Magna, a site where Egyptian authorities have long tied royal-era artifacts to Cleopatra’s rule. The ministry’s statement notes that the harbor was protected by coral reefs and that the discovery helps situate economic and religious structures within a broader maritime framework of the era. Cleopatra, while often depicted unfavorably in Roman accounts, promoted the cults of Isis and Osiris, and artifacts related to her reign have been found at the site. Officials emphasize that the harbor’s existence supports Egypt’s historic role as a hub of Mediterranean maritime activity spanning thousands of years.
The current discovery follows a related excavation at the same site last year, which yielded foundation deposits and a range of artifacts, including funerary and ritual objects. In prior work, archaeologists recovered 337 coins—many bearing Cleopatra’s image—along with oil lamps, an amulet and vessels used for storing food and cosmetics. Those finds helped indicate that the temple walls dated to the 1st century B.C., with traces of an even older Greek temple from the 4th century B.C. destroyed between the 2nd century B.C. and the start of the Roman era. The ministry described the harbor discovery as a significant scientific contribution to Egyptian maritime archaeology, especially since ancient sources had not previously mentioned it.
The uncovering of the harbor complements a broader pattern of new finds across Egypt. In Tell el-Fara’in, researchers have recently exposed multistory buildings from a lost Egyptian city, while in August excavations at Kharga Oasis revealed two churches and a mural of Jesus at an ancient settlement roughly 350 miles southwest of Cairo. Such discoveries are helping archaeologists piece together long-hidden chapters of Egypt’s past and refine models of how coastal and interior settlements interacted over millennia.
The ministry notes that ongoing work at Taposiris Magna aims to clarify how the harbor functioned within the temple complex, including whether it served ceremonial, trade, or ritual purposes connected to Osiris and Isis. Researchers also plan to refine dating of the harbor’s structures and to map how environmental shifts over centuries shaped the coastline. The findings reinforce Egypt’s standing as a center of maritime activity and religious life for thousands of years, offering a tangible link between the temple’s sacred role and the economic networks that sustained it.
The relationship between Cleopatra’s era and the temple complex remains a focus of ongoing study. The submerged harbor underscores a sophisticated maritime economy and suggests that the temple functioned as more than a religious center—it likely connected to broader networks of exchange and provisioning in the Mediterranean world. As archaeologists continue to excavate, they will test hypotheses about how the harbor influenced temple rituals, pilgrimages, and the distribution of goods associated with the Osiris cult. The team cautions that further fieldwork is needed to untangle the precise role of the harbor within Cleopatra’s broader political and religious landscape.
