Taposiris Magna — Attraction in Matruh

The name Taposiris Magna denotes the name of a city as well as a temple of the same name at the same location established by the Pharaoh Ptolemy II between 280 and 270 BC. According to Plutarch the temple denotes the tomb of Osiris (which is translation of the name). After Alexander conquered Egypt in 332 BC and established his city (called Alexandro and then Alexandria) the city of Taposiris Magna became a center for religious festival of Khoiak. In 1798 after Napoleon landed in Egypt he conducted a survey of the architecture of the city of Alexandria and Taposiris Magna. After the Ottoman Empire took occupation of the city in 1801, the governor Mohammed Ali decided to rebuild the modern city of Alexandria atop the ruins of the old city. In the twentieth century excavations of the site were started under the Italian Governor...

Recently, a team of archaeologists led by Dr Kathleen Martinez of the University of San Domingo, has discovered a rock-cut tunnel beneath Egypt’s ancient Taposiris Magna Temple—and it may lead to the lost tomb of Cleopatra, who was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C.E.

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the find last week, describing the 4,265-feet long and around 6 feet height tunnel, located 43 feet underground, as a "geometric miracle". It is similar to the Tunnel of Eupalinos the  on the Greek Island of Samos, considered one antiquity’s engineering marvels. According to Dr Martinez, even if there is only 1 percent chance for Cleopatra's tomb inside this tunnel, she will find out and this will be greatest discovery of...

Roman temple ruins. Completely unmarked. No sign posts whatsoever. We were completely alone on the temple hilltop. Open entry (no tickets), practically unguarded; except if the local resident from the foot of the hill shows up to offer his services as a guide. Recent news of the discovery of a long underground tunnel leading from the temple towards the sea shore lead to speculation that Cleopatra's grave is or was at the end of the tunnel. Compared to the great pharaonic temples of Upper Egypt (Luxor, Aswan, etc.) the temple ruins are underwhelming. But at the same time they easily stand up in comparison to many Greek and Roman ruins in Greece and Italy,...