Overview

• Divers and cranes retrieved statues, Roman coins and architectural fragments from Abu Qir Bay on Thursday.
• Finds include sphinxes and royal figures, notably one bearing Ramesses II’s cartouche, plus a marble Roman nobleman and headless Ptolemaic statues.
• Authorities say the site may represent an extension of the ancient city of Canopus from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.
• The operation followed UNESCO‑aligned limits described as Egypt’s first such retrieval under those rules, with most remains kept underwater for protection.
• Selected pieces are being restored for the Secrets of the Sunken City show at the Alexandria National Museum, as larger structures stay in situ and officials flag Alexandria’s subsidence and sea‑level risks.