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Egypt Holidays > Travel News > Alexandria to recover the Lost Treasures of Queen Cleopatra
Alexandria to recover the Lost Treasures of Queen Cleopatra | | 23rd November 2008 |
Over the years, Alexandria has gained recognition both within Egypt and
worldwide because of its landmark monuments and the fascinating historical
secrets of Queen Cleopatra and Alexandra the Great that it holds. Till today,
although much of their lives have been pieced together through various
archeological finds, many gaps in the story of the two's lives remains unknown.
In recognizing the gap between tourist's demand for expansion of the historical
importance of this city, Egypt has undertaken one of their most challenging
projects yet, to uncover the palace of Queen Cleopatra and discover the hidden
treasures within it.
For a long time, it has been known that the Eastern Alexandrian harbor holds the
palace of Queen Cleopatra. Known as the sunken city, because of the
submerged nature of the palace, it lays below the harbor waters. With the rising
popularity of Alexandria as a tourist destination, plans are already underway to
clear water from this part of the harbor and it is hoped that the palace will
eventually be restored to its timeless historical glory.
The plan to recover the two thousand year old palace poses an exciting
challenge and a once in a life time opportunity for archeologists. The discovery of
gold coins with the face of Queen Cleopatra in the water areas surrounding her
temple have led to Zahi Hawass', Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme
Council of Antiquities, and other archeologists' belief that this project will lead to
an even more exciting discovery of the tombs of Cleopatra and her lover General
Mark Anthony. The belief that the two historical figures are hidden in this palace
2 is based on a strong conviction that the two were buried in the temple of
Tabusiris Magna, which archeologists believe is the submerged building in this
harbor area.
The plans to drain the water are expected to be completed by November, after
which archeologists will begin to excavate the site. There have already been
numerous discoveries since the project got underway and already a 120 meter
long underground tunnel, with a number of rooms, has been found. It is hoped
that these rooms may help in solving many of the unknown mysteries of Queen
Cleopatra's life.
Cleopatra, the female icon of the Pharaonic era remains as popular today as she
was in her own time. The queen came to power when she was just eighteen and
became famous for her beauty, controversy in politics and her long spanning love
affairs with Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar. Mark Anthony, who was Julius
Caesar's general, started his love affair with Cleopatra after Caesar's death, and
it is believed that Cleopatra bore him twins. When Mark Anthony killed himself,
after his humiliating defeat in the civil war at the hands of Caesars nephew, heart
broken by the loss of Mark Anthony, Cleopatra committed suicide hoping to
follow her lover to the after life.
The life of Cleopatra is full of mystery and tragedy and it is hoped that the
Egyptian government's bold efforts to reveal these truths will lead to Alexandria
gaining even more popularity amongst tourists and allowing the city to contribute
even more to Egypt's already booming tourism industry. |
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