Featured Image Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities/ Nick Brundle Photography/Getty
Researchers have discovered a huge tunnel under an ancient Egyptian temple.
During an ongoing excavation, a team of archaeologists came across an underpass 13 metres (43 feet) under the ancient city of Taposiris Magna, west of Egypt’s second-largest city, Alexandria.
The structure has been claimed a 'geometric miracle' by the archaeologists as it could potentially lead the way to Cleopatra's tomb.
Kathleen Martinez, from the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and her team discovered the 2-metre tall sandstone tunnel, which extends a mighty 1,305 metres (4,281 feet).
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The city of Taposiris Magna was founded around 280 BCE by Ptolemy II, who was the son of Alexander the Great's renowned general and an ancestor of Queen Cleopatra.
Martinez's team believe the temple was dedicated to the god Osiris and his goddess Isis. Both Isis and Cleopatra were presumed to have a strong relationship.
The excavation also revealed 'important artefacts' including figurines of Isis and coins depicting Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.
Cleopatra died by suicide following her husband Roman general Mark Antony's suicide and experts believe that they were buried together in a tomb.
Although the purpose of the tunnel is unknown, Martinez believes it to be a 'promising lead.'
'This is the perfect place for the tomb of Cleopatra,' Martinez stated.
'If there’s a one percent chance that the last queen of Egypt could be buried there, it is my duty to search for her. If we discover the tomb, it will be the most important discovery of the 21st century. If we do not discover the tomb, we made major discoveries here, inside the temple and outside the temple.'
Martinez has been carrying out excavations at Taposiris Magna for almost 20 years, and has recently grown confident that Cleopatra's lost tomb is situated there.
Greco-Roman-style mummies have also been found in Martinez's previous digs, facing the temple, which supports her theory that there could be a royal tomb nearby.
Secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Archeology, Dr. Mustafa Waziri, said its architectural design looks 'very similar' to the Tunnel of Eupalinos, a 6th century BC aqueduct in Samos Greece.
Additionally, Waziri explained that parts of the structure were found to be submerged under water from the nearby Mediterranean Sea.
