They were looking for Cleopatra's tomb and found a tunnel that is a 'geometric miracle'

Beneath a temple in the ruined ancient city of Taposiris Magna on the Egyptian coast, archaeologists discovered a vast and spectacular tunnel that experts called a "geometric miracle."

During ongoing excavations and exploration of the temple, Kathleen Martinez of the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and her colleagues discovered the structure 13 meters underground. The two-meter-high tunnel had been dug through an incredible 1,305 meters of sandstone.

Its design, according to a statement from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, is remarkably similar to the 1,036-meter Eupalinos Tunnel, a sixth-century BC aqueduct. C. on the Greek island of Samos. Often referred to as an engineering marvel, the pipeline was unprecedented in design and construction in its time, Science Alert reports.

The tunnel is dug 13 meters underground (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt).

The Taposiris Magna tunnel is just as impressive. Leaving aside its resemblance to the Eupalinos Tunnel, its purpose is currently unknown.

Martinez, who has worked on Taposiris Magna since 2004 in search of the lost tomb of Cleopatra VII, believes the tunnel could be a promising clue. Previously, excavations have yielded clues that seem to point to the famous queen, the last of the Ptolemies.

A 2300 year old temple

Taposiris Magna was founded around 280 BC. by Ptolemy II, son of Alexander the Great's renowned general and one of Cleopatra's ancestors (she herself ruled from 51 BC until her death by suicide in 30 BC), indicates Science Alert.

The team believes the temple was dedicated to the god Osiris and his queen, the goddess Isis, the deity with whom Cleopatra had a strong association. Coins with the names and likenesses of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great have been found there, as well as figurines of Isis.

The tunnel resembles another older tunnel from ancient Greece that was used to transport water (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities).

In the temple have also been found burial pits containing Greco-Roman burials. It is possible that, if they are found there, Cleopatra and her husband, Mark Antony, have been buried in similar graves.

Researchers weren't sure if the tunnel could lead to these long-lost tombs, but future work could yield more information, Science Alert says.

Alabaster heads were also found at the temple site (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities).

The next stage will be to explore the nearby Mediterranean Sea. Between 320 and 1303 CE, a series of earthquakes struck the coast, causing part of the temple to collapse and it to be swallowed by the waves. In addition, excavations had previously revealed a network of tunnels stretching from Lake Mariout to the Mediterranean.

Whether the tombs are found or not, a thorough excavation of these ruins could give us more insight into the mysterious ancient city. The tunnel has already yielded some treasures: pieces of pottery and a rectangular block of limestone, Science Alert reports.

As the then Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said 13 years ago: "If we discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, it will be the most important discovery of the twenty-first century. If we didn't discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, we made important discoveries here, inside and outside the temple."

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