The ancient city of Canopus was known for "all sorts of licentious behavior" before it sank beneath the Bay of Abū Qīr off the coast of Alexandria in the eighth century C.E.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesDivers pulling statues from the Bay of Abū Qīr off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
Divers and archaeologists working off the coast of Alexandria in northern Egypt have recovered a collection of artifacts from a sunken city believed to be part of ancient Canopus. The operation yielded monumental statues, architectural remains, and other relics dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.
The discovery, announced this week by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, sheds new light on a city that flourished more than 2,000 years ago before vanishing beneath the waves.
Unearthing Canopus Beneath The Sea
On August 21, 2025, a crane lifted three large stone works from the shallow seabed in Abū Qīr Bay, just off the coast of Alexandria, where the famous French archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team have led underwater excavations since the 1990s. Canopus was one of Egypt’s most important cities during the Ptolemaic period (305 to 30 B.C.E.), serving as a religious center dedicated to the god Serapis and the site of grand festivals that drew visitors from across the Mediterranean.
The statues included a quartzite sphinx bearing carved tablets of Ramesses II, a granite colossus of an unidentified figure, and a white marble statue of a Roman nobleman. Bronze objects, ritual items, and fragments of temple columns were also unearthed, adding to evidence of the city’s massive sanctuaries.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesThe archaeological team and officials posing for a photo with the statues.
It was also the country’s first underwater operation of this nature in 25 years.
As such, Sherif Fathi, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, called the project a “remarkable milestone” in Egypt’s efforts to preserve its cultural heritage.
A City Lost To Catastrophe
Canopus, along with its sister city Thonis-Heracleion, disappeared into the sea more than a millennium ago after a series of natural disasters. Experts believe earthquakes, rising sea levels, and soil liquefaction caused by the shifting Nile delta gradually sank parts of the coast.
Over time, entire temples and districts collapsed, leaving the city entombed beneath layers of silt until modern exploration brought it back to light.
The underwater excavations have proven difficult. Divers operate in murky waters with visibility often reduced to less than three feet, using advanced sonar and magnetometers to map submerged ruins. The new statues were discovered during surveys of a large temple complex, confirming that Canopus once boasted monumental architecture rivaling that of cities still standing on land.
The recent finds also showcase Canopus’ role as a pilgrimage site. Ancient sources describe the city as famous for its temple to Serapis, a Greco-Egyptian deity established during the Ptolemaic dynasty as a way of unifying Greek and Egyptian religious traditions.
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesTourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi inspecting the statues.
Pilgrims often journeyed to the sanctuary for healing and salvation, and festivals held in Canopus featured musical performances, ritual processions, and lavish offerings.
The newly recovered statues appear to have been deliberately placed within the temple precincts, likely as part of some ceremonial installations. Their preservation in the seabed has allowed archaeologists to study stylistic details that reveal the fusion of Hellenistic and Egyptian artistry characteristic of the era. Some pieces also bear inscriptions that may help clarify the names of donors or their specific functions in temple rituals.
Not everything, however, is being brought to the surface.
“There’s a lot underwater, but what we’re able to bring up is limited, it’s only specific material according to strict criteria,” Fathi told The Guardian. “The rest will remain part of our sunken heritage.”
A Window Into Egypt’s Coastal History
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesMinister Fathi shaking hands with divers who helped recover the statues.
The discovery comes amid renewed efforts by Egypt to highlight its cultural heritage. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has promoted underwater archaeology as a way to expand tourism beyond land-based monuments. Canopus and Thonis-Heracleion, often referred to as “Egypt’s Atlantis,” have captured global attention for decades as divers and researchers continue to reveal entire cityscapes preserved below the waves.
Finds such as these contribute to a broader understanding of how coastal cities in antiquity functioned as cultural crossroads. Canopus thrived through trade and pilgrimage, acting as a gateway between Egypt and the wider Mediterranean world.
Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Said emphasized that the discovery is both an archaeological breakthrough and “a true revival of part of our great history.”
After reading about these new discoveries from ancient Canopus, learn all about the Library of Alexandria and its downfall. Then, discover the lost wonder of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
