The huge tunnel was discovered by an Egyptian-Dominican archaeological research team from the University of Santo Domingo in the area of the Temple of Tapozeris Magna, just west of Alexandria, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced last week. Located about 40 feet underground, the tunnel is about 6.5 feet high from ceiling to floor and is nearly a mile long at 4,281 feet, according to Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archaeology. The tunnel is about 6.5 feet high from ceiling to floor and is nearly a mile long at 4,281 feet. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities A preliminary study of the tunnel shows that it is similar in construction to the Jubilinos tunnel in Greece, but larger. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities A preliminary study of the tunnel shows that it is similar in construction to the Jubilinos tunnel in Greece, but larger. Previous excavations at the temple site led to the discovery of coins bearing the names of both Queen Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, as well as statues of the Egyptian goddess Isis, according to the ministry’s post. Some believe the tunnel could lead to the unknown tomb of Cleopatra, who lived between 69 B.C. and 30 BC and was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt before the Roman Empire took over. “Investigations of her burial place over time have been largely based on references to classical sources, e.g. Plutarch, Cassius Dio, Claire Gilmour, Ph.D. candidate in anthropology and archeology at the University of Bristol, she told Newsweek. “And modern research has turned mainly between Alexandria as the capital at the time of Cleopatra VII (including underwater research as part of the city is submerged) and Taposiris Magna, which could have been chosen for its links with the goddess Isis , with which Cleopatra became closely associated with herself,” Gilmour said. Cleopatra is perhaps best known for her ill-fated romance with the Roman politician and general Mark Antony, the inspiration for William Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony and Cleopatra. A lost tunnel that may lead to an ancient Egyptian tomb of Cleopatra has been discovered by an Egyptian-Dominican archaeological research team. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Cleopatra, who lived between 69 BC. and 30 BC, he was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt before the Roman Empire took over. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities He is infamously believed to have killed himself in Alexandria to avoid being paraded to Rome as a war prize. Roland Enmarch, a senior lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, told Newsweek that Taposiris Magna where the tunnel was discovered was an important religious site, founded in the 3rd century BC. about 30 miles west of Alexandria. “The recently announced massive underground tunnel is an exciting discovery, although its exact function has yet to be clarified,” Enmarch told the magazine. “It would be fascinating, but also rather strange, if the famous queen Cleopatra was buried in Taposiris Magna.” Cleopatra is perhaps best known for her with the Roman statesman and general Mark Antony. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Enmarch said that Cleopatra’s family had already built their tombs in Alexandria and that she was probably hiding there when she killed herself. “The ancient sources also tell us that she asked to be buried next to Mark Anthony and that Octavian granted her wish,” Enmarch said. The implication is that they were buried in the tomb that Cleopatra had built for them in Alexandria.”
