In a remarkable turn for archaeology and the enduring legend of Cleopatra VII, a sunken port off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast has been uncovered, igniting fresh debate over the possible location of the famed queen’s lost tomb. Announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on September 18, 2025, the discovery was made by an international team of underwater archaeologists, including National Geographic expert Kathleen Martínez and Titanic explorer Bob Ballard. Their findings, revealed in the documentary Cleopatra’s Final Secret—now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu—have captivated both scholars and the public, promising new insights into ancient Egyptian maritime history and the enigmatic last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
The underwater team, working just off the coast about 48 kilometers west of Alexandria, stumbled upon a landscape dotted with towering columns—each more than six meters high—polished stone floors, cemented blocks, ship anchors, and amphorae. According to CNN and National Geographic, all these artifacts date squarely to the era of Cleopatra VII, who was born in Alexandria in 69 BCE, ascended to the throne at 18, and met her end around 30 BCE following her defeat by Octavian at the Battle of Actium.
How did the team arrive at this submerged site? Their journey began at the ancient temple of Taposiris Magna, a sprawling ruin in what is now Borg El Arab. In 2004, Martínez and her crew unearthed a foundation plate at the temple, inscribed in Greek and hieroglyphics, confirming its dedication to the goddess Isis—a deity closely associated with Cleopatra herself. Weeks later, hundreds of bronze coins bearing the queen’s image and name surfaced, further deepening the mystery. But it was the discovery of a 1,305-meter-long tunnel—plunging 13 meters beneath the temple and snaking all the way to the sea—that truly set the stage for the latest revelations.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years. I’m underwater. I’ve never seen anything like it. It clearly looks man-made,” Ballard exclaimed in the documentary, marveling at the sheer scale and preservation of the submerged structures. The port, now covered by coral, sits roughly 2.4 miles from the current coastline, suggesting dramatic shifts in the landscape since antiquity due to earthquakes and rising sea levels—a point underscored by several experts.
Martínez, a criminal lawyer from the Dominican Republic turned archaeologist, has spent two decades searching for Cleopatra’s tomb. She is convinced that Taposiris Magna is a critical hub linked to the queen’s burial. “The discovery of Cleopatra’s tomb will be one of the greatest discoveries of the century. Since ancient Egyptians speak to us through their tombs, I believe she should have access to all this important information they wanted us to know about her, about her time, and about the way of thinking,” Martínez told CNN. She hypothesizes that after Cleopatra’s death, her body—perhaps alongside her political ally and lover, the Roman general Mark Antony—was moved to Taposiris Magna, transported through the tunnel, and interred in a secret location near the newly discovered port.
Not everyone is convinced. The theory that Cleopatra lies at Taposiris Magna remains hotly contested in academic circles. “Cleopatra is a mystery, and also a myth,” Martínez admitted, acknowledging the many questions that still swirl around the queen’s life and death. Professor Paul Cartledge, a historian of the Greco-Roman world at the University of Cambridge, is among the skeptics. “My view is that Cleo was buried in the royal cemetery in Alexandria,” Cartledge wrote in an email to CNN. He added that Augustus, the Roman emperor, would have wanted Cleopatra interred in the city as a symbol of Rome’s new authority over Egypt. But, he noted, “that quarter of Alexandria—due to earthquakes, land-subsidence and sea-level rise—is now irreversibly submerged, and not even Jacques Cousteau himself would be able to locate any Hellenic-Egyptian royal tombs.”
Dr. Jane Draycott, a senior lecturer in ancient history at the University of Glasgow, echoed this caution. She pointed out that, so far, no tombs of Ptolemaic rulers have been definitively identified, and that while the discovery of royal remains—such as King Tutankhamun or England’s King Richard III—can revolutionize historical understanding, such finds are exceedingly rare. “Cleopatra had her own private port in Alexandria, next to her palace, and the literary sources all seem to agree that her tomb was in Alexandria, not Taposiris Magna,” Draycott stated. She also noted the lack of peer-reviewed publications on Martínez’s recent work, which makes it difficult for the scholarly community to fully assess the claims.
Yet, the evidence unearthed at Taposiris Magna is tantalizing. In addition to the coins and tunnel, excavations have revealed 337 coins depicting Cleopatra, pottery, limestone vessels, statues, a bronze ring dedicated to the goddess Hathor, and an amulet inscribed with “The Justice of Ra has shone.” A small statue of a woman wearing a diadem, which Martínez believes could represent Cleopatra, was also found—though, as the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities notes, many archaeologists dispute this identification, suggesting it may instead depict another royal woman.
Egyptian officials have been quick to highlight the broader significance of the find. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized that the sunken port adds a new dimension to Egyptian maritime archaeology, given that the site is not mentioned in any ancient sources. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy described Egypt’s ancient coast as a strategic hub for trade and cultural exchange, pledging continued support for Martínez’s research efforts. “The discovery of the port will enable us, using modern technologies, to understand exactly how Cleopatra died, and perhaps recreate her face,” Fathy remarked, underscoring the potential for new scientific analyses.
With a new three-month excavation season underway, Martínez’s team is now collecting samples from the underwater site to analyze ceramics and artifacts. Each dig, she says, brings her closer to unraveling the mystery of Cleopatra’s final resting place. Whether or not the queen’s tomb lies beneath the waves at Taposiris Magna, the discovery of the sunken port has already reshaped our understanding of ancient Egypt’s maritime prowess and the enduring allure of its most famous queen.
For now, the Mediterranean holds its secrets tightly, but the search for Cleopatra’s tomb continues—propelled by equal parts science, legend, and the relentless curiosity that has always driven the quest to understand history’s most captivating figures.