Ruins of the sunken city of Canopus found off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt

Ruins of the sunken city of Canopus have been found off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt. During excavations, archaeologists uncovered limestone buildings, an ancient dock, water reservoirs and monumental statues, among them a sphinx bearing images of the pharaoh Ramesses II.

The port of Canopus was one of the key ports of the Nile Delta even before the founding of Alexandria, but by the 8th century it had gone under the waters of Abu Qir Bay owing to earthquakes and rising sea levels.

The Alexandria National Museum has recently opened an exhibition presenting almost 100 artefacts from the lost cities of Canopus and Heracleion. Many of the artefacts on display were discovered by a joint French-Egyptian marine archaeological team, which began work in Abu Qir Bay in the 1990s. Today the Egyptian authorities are considering the idea of creating the world's first underwater museum.