Overview

• Divers and cranes on Thursday retrieved statues, coins and architectural fragments from Abu Qir Bay in a media-observed operation.
• Egyptian authorities say the area may extend the ancient city of Canopus from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, with many statues missing heads or feet consistent with sudden submersion.
• Notable finds include a sphinx bearing Ramesses II’s cartouche, headless Ptolemaic figures, a marble Roman nobleman, and maritime remains clustered near a 125‑meter dock.
• Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said recovery was selective under the 2001 UNESCO convention, with most remains left in situ in what officials describe as the first such operation since Egypt joined.
• Recovered pieces are under restoration for the Secrets of the Sunken City exhibition at the Alexandria National Museum, with further study pending and options under review for a dedicated gallery or an underwater museum, as the discovery also highlights Alexandria’s coastal vulnerability.