Cleopatra’s Kingdom Off The Coast Of Alexandria

Cleopatra’s Kingdom Off The Coast Of Alexandria, Egypt

Christoph Gerigk / Franck Goddio / Hilti FoundationA team of divers from Franck Goddi’s team observing underwater sphinx statues, and a statue of Osiris-Canopus.

Lost for 1,600 years, the royal palace of Cleopatra was discovered off the shores of Alexandria. A team of marine archaeologists, led by Franck Goddio, began excavating the sunken city in 1998.

When the last Queen of Egypt was alive, she’d kept a great palace on the island of Antirhodos. The island was said to have been a land of luxury, and any sailor who docked on its shores would be greeted by a great column of pillars, each adorned with a crown, leading their way to the queen’s massive, beautiful palace.

Cleopatra’s palace was surrounded by sphinxes and statues of goddesses — a pleasure island so beautiful that it was said to rival Rhodes, the greatest of the Greek islands.

But 400 years after she died, Cleopatra’s palace was wracked by earthquakes and tsunamis that submerged the entire island under the sea. And there, buried underwater, it lay hidden for 1,600 years.

When it was finally uncovered just over two decades ago, some of the most incredible artifacts were still intact. Marine archaeologists found the red granite columns that had once welcomed new visitors, great statues and art, and even the foundation of Cleopatra’s lost palace.

Today, much of what remained of Cleopatra’s ancient palace has been recovered from the ocean. In all, more than 20,000 relics and ancient artifacts were excavated, most of which now sit on display in various museums.

As for the city itself, the Egyptian government plans to bring the sunken city back to life — in a way. The plan is not, of course, to raise the city from the ocean floor and turn it into a livable city. Rather, they announced plans to construct an underwater museum of sorts, allowing visitors to the city to tour the ancient palace of Egypt’s last queen, though since that announcement in 2015, that plan has yet to come to fruition.

Still, should it ever come to be, it would be a unique opportunity to view, essentially, a “real-life Atlantis” — an ancient city that once represented the peak of ancient civilization.