She’s remembered as one of the most powerful and seductive queens in history. Now, explorers say they’re closer than ever to finding Cleopatra’s lost tomb – and it could be underwater.
She remains etched in history as one of the most powerful and seductive queens the world has ever known. Now, more than two millennia after her death, explorers claim they are closer than ever to finding Cleopatra’s long-lost tomb – and it could be underwater. Archaeologists have uncovered a sunken port just two miles off the coast of Alexandria, the ancient capital of Egypt. Submerged 40 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean, this drowned gateway may hold the trail to the tomb of Cleopatra and her fabled lover, Mark Antony.
Cleopatra, who ruled Egypt from 51 BC to 30 BC, was famed for her beauty, intelligence, and her ability to bend the most powerful men of Rome to her will. Among her legendary lovers were Julius Caesar and his successor Mark Antony, with whom she met a tragic end. Both took their own lives after their defeat, and legend says they were buried together. Yet their final resting place has remained shrouded in mystery for over 2,000 years.
The newly found offshore port, once linked to the ancient city of Taposiris Magna — home to a grand temple dedicated to Osiris, the god of the afterlife — could provide the most crucial clue yet. Taposiris Magna, meaning “the great tomb of Osiris,” sits 30 miles west of Alexandria and has long been a focal point of the search for Cleopatra’s grave.
The discovery was made by explorer Kathleen Martínez, who has hunted for Cleopatra’s tomb since 2005, alongside famed Titanic discoverer Bob Ballard. The port reveals remnants of columns, polished stone floors, and amphorae used for wine — clear evidence of vibrant activity in antiquity.
“This could be the key,” Martínez noted, describing the find as a pivotal piece of the puzzle. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which confirmed the discovery, referred to it as proof of “ancient marine activity.”
For Martínez, the hunt has been a decades-long obsession. “After 2,000 years nobody has ever been there,” she told National Geographic. “We are the first ones.”
Her conviction stems from earlier discoveries at Taposiris Magna, including a massive 4,300-foot tunnel carved through solid rock. Within it, she unearthed pottery and jars from Cleopatra’s era. Strikingly, the tunnel leads directly toward the newly uncovered port — a sign, Martínez believes, of a hidden funerary network designed to conceal the queen’s burial.
She is convinced Cleopatra orchestrated her own eternal sanctuary, hiding her body and Antony’s in a place Romans would never suspect. “Nobody can tell me that Cleopatra is not at Taposiris Magna,” Martínez insisted. “To say that you have to excavate the whole area and not find her.”
The queen, who died at just 39, was Egypt’s last pharaoh. Her reign ended with Rome’s dominance, but her legacy endures — a woman who wielded her wit and allure to seduce emperors, while entwining herself with the myth of Isis and Osiris, embodying divine love and resurrection.
National Geographic will premiere the documentary Cleopatra’s Final Secret on Thursday, September 25, offering an exclusive look at the dives, with streaming to follow on Disney+ and Hulu.
(This article has been curated with the help of AI)