Ramesses II Sphinx and Ancient Statues Resurface from the Mediterranean: Egypt Recovers Antiquities After 25 Years.

In a historic event under the banner of the Underwater Cultural Heritage activities, Egypt witnessed the recovery of three massive antiquities from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea at Abu Qir. The moment was attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, the Commander of the Navy, and the Commander of the Northern Military Region, amid wide local and international media coverage.

Also in attendance were Professor Yomna El-Bahar, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Eng. Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, and Dr. Ahmed Rahima, Assistant Minister for Human Resource Development and General Supervisor of the Central Training Unit, in conjunction with a distinguished group of ambassadors and consuls representing foreign countries in Egypt.

The recovery operation brought to light three striking antiquities:

• A colossal quartz sphinx statue inscribed with the cartouche of King Ramesses II.

• A granite statue of an unidentified individual from the late Ptolemaic period, broken at the neck and knees.

• A white marble statue of a Roman nobleman.

Minister Sherif Fathy, in his address, extended his deepest thanks to all those involved in this remarkable discovery. He commended the efforts involved in unveiling these rare pieces from the seabed to the sunlight and paid tribute to the uninterrupted support that antiquities receive from Egypt’s political leadership. He reaffirmed that the state’s interest in preserving antiquities is a foundation in preserving Egyptian identity and Egypt’s unparalleled cultural heritage.

The Minister expressed his sincere gratitude to the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the Engineering Authority for their successful collaboration and unwavering support in making this historic recovery a success. He assured that Egypt is strictly bound by UNESCO’s Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, noting that whereas some pieces are kept in situ at the bottom of the sea for the purpose of preserving their historical significance, others are removed strictly in accordance with rigorous scientific criteria and protection regulations.

He concluded his address by saying that this ceremony is a firm indicator for the world that Egypt is a great country that is more than capable of retaining the ancient legacy and establishing a firm place on the world tourism list. His Excellency remembered that Egypt welcomed 15.8 million tourists last year, and all efforts are towards welcoming much higher number in the near future. Navy Commander Major General Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed started his speech by welcoming Minister Sherif Fathy and distinguished guests as a token of pride in Alexandria’s glorious history. He assured that the announcement of a discovery of ancient antiquities in Abu Qir is not merely the discovery of unusual antiquities, but, in effect, the true retrieving of a significant component of Egypt’s glorious history—a befitting contribution to Egypt’s civilizational heritage, lasting in nature.

He connected pride in the past with pride in the present, referring to the Egyptian Leader’s interest in Alexandria, as embodied in crucial national projects such as the Alexandria Metro (Abu Qir train) and Abu Qir Port, both crucial in building infrastructure and Alexandria’s sustainable development. The Commander of the Navy concluded by proudly thanking archaeologists, scholars, and excavations teams for all efforts in restoring and safeguarding Egypt’s heritage for future generations.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, underscored the supreme importance of Abu Qir as an archaeological location, as a living testament to Egypt’s grandeur, history, and civilization, as well as that today’s rescue is the first in 25 years, after Egypt had signed the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Submerged Cultural Heritage.

It has also become known that the findings are part of a wider-scale national project for developing Abu Qir Bay, as Supreme Council of Antiquities inspectors successfully operated under the sea and discovered static and moveable objects submerged for centuries—their probable cause being geological shifts or seismic shocks that had submerged them in the Mediterranean.

He said that more findings are forthcoming, including an ancient shipwreck that is being analyzed at present, and is to be made public after full-scale excavation and scientific study.

Excavations and surveys have indicated that the location is that of a highly provisioned Roman-age city, featuring temples, buildings, cisterns, fishponds, a port, and ancient quays—which implies that it served as the western extension of the legendary city of Canopus, whose part was earlier excavated to the east of the location. Records affirm a sequence of uninterrupted occupation across various epochs: Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic.

The archaeological excavations in Abu Qir have also brought to light a series of exceptional findings: amphorae with trade seals and stamped dates of production; the wreckage of a merchant ship carrying walnuts, almonds, and nuts, that had a balance scale of copper; royal statues; sphinx statues; ushabtis in groups; stone anchors; Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic period coins; pottery and ceramic containers; fish-breeding pits; and a colossal 125-meter-long ancient quay. These discoveries as a whole solidify Abu Qir among Egypt’s most remarkable underwater archaeological landscapes, still unveiling new pages from the book of “Egypt’s Sunken Cities” hidden under the waves in the Mediterranean.