According to the Ministry, the discoveries provide new scientific evidence of Marina El Alamein’s role as a major cultural and commercial centre connecting Egypt with the wider Mediterranean world during the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.
New discoveries reveal the city’s historical significance
The archaeological mission uncovered 18 tombs, including 11 rock-cut hypogea with an average depth of eight metres and seven limestone-built surface tombs. Several burial chambers were found sealed with their original stone slabs, remaining untouched since antiquity.
Archaeologists also identified numerous surface burials surrounding the tombs, indicating the social diversity of the city’s ancient population. In addition, excavations revealed a water well that was later converted into a burial structure.
According to the Ministry, the discoveries demonstrate the continued influence of ancient Egyptian funerary traditions during both the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.
Gold artefacts and a granite sarcophagus among key finds
Excavation works also produced an extensive collection of archaeological artefacts, including complete and partially preserved pottery vessels, amphorae, oil lamps, plates, limestone altars, basins and architectural elements associated with the burial complexes.
Among the most significant discoveries is a 2.5-metre granite sarcophagus with its original lid still intact. The sarcophagus contained skeletal remains that are currently being examined by specialists.
Archaeologists also uncovered fragments of a plaster sphinx statue together with 24 gold artefacts, adding further evidence of the site’s historical and cultural importance.
Supporting Egypt’s cultural tourism strategy
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said scientific excavations at Marina El Alamein will continue while preparations are underway to open the archaeological site to visitors.
The authorities expect the site to become a new cultural tourism attraction on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, complementing the region’s established seaside tourism offer and expanding the country’s portfolio of heritage destinations.
Marina El Alamein is widely believed to correspond to the ancient city of Leukaspis, also identified with Antiphrai, described by the Greek geographer Strabo. The settlement flourished from the Hellenistic period through the Byzantine era, reaching its peak during the first three centuries AD.
