A mysterious tunnel that ’s not been seen for centuries has of late been rediscovered beneath a prodigious ancient Egyptian temple dedicated to the god Osiris . Rather sensationally , there has been some dotty venture that this is the tunnel that conduce to the long - lost tomb of Mark Antony and Cleopatra .
While those bold claims may be overstated , it ’s not the first time archaeologist have suggested this ancient metropolis could be home to this seek - after grave .
The 1,305 - cadence ( 4,281 - foot ) foresighted tunnel was discovered at the Taposiris Magna Osiris Temple in Alexandria on the Egyptian coast , carve into the rock at a depth of around 13 metre ( 42 foot ) below the ground ’s surface .
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It’s thought the tunnel was collapsed by an earthquake centuries ago. Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
It was recently discovered by a Dominican - Egyptian archaeological mission of the University of San Domingo , according to anannouncementby the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities .
Describing the find as an “ engineering miracle , ” read/write head of the excavation Dr Kathleen Martins said the architectural plan of the burrow is very similar to the intention of the Tunnel of Eupalinos in Greece , an ancient 1,036 - metre ( 3,399 - foot ) burrow that ran through Mount Kastro as an aqueduct before it collapse .
Research has shown that this orbit of Egypt ’s coastline was fall upon by at least 23 earthquakes between 320 CE and 1303 CE , which the archeologists believe top to the collapse of the tunnel .
Dr Martins and her team have been exploring the ruins around Taposiris Magna for several yr now . The land site lie in of the ruins of an ancient Egyptian city with the corpse of a temple to Osiris as a centerpiece .
Since 2009 , there has been some speculation that Taposiris Magna hold the tomb of Mark Antony andCleopatra VII , the last crowned head of the Ptolemaic Kingdom who rule Egypt from 51 BCE to 30 BCE . Their human relationship was made illustrious by the William Shakespeare tragedy and , grant to the Greco - Roman historian Plutarch , the two doomed lovers were buried together ,
In 2009,a series of artifactsat the Temple of Taposiris Magna suggest the distich ’s tomb was near . This included coins donning Cleopatra ’s name and role of a masquerade party they believed may have depict Mark Antony . Dr Martinshas since affirmedthat she believes Antony and Cleopatra are buried in the same grave , which is perhaps located near the Temple of Taposiris Magna .
As tempting as it may be to speculate , it ’s unbelievable that this burrow leads to the long - lost grave . However , it ’s a possibility that further archeologic work on Taposiris Magna may indeed someday break the location of this hugely significant burial site .
