CAIRO — Alexandria University inaugurated Jan. 1 a new project dubbed “Underwater Heritage” aimed at excavating underwater artifacts in the eastern port of Alexandria in the northern coast of Egypt. The project is led by Emad Khalil, director of the Alexandria Center for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage, and carried out in collaboration with the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO and a number of European partners in support of the project.

President of Alexandria University Abdul Aziz Qanswa said in a statement Jan. 1 that this project will ensure that Egypt's underwater heritage is not lost, describing the project as a qualitative leap in the tourism sector given the treasures and antiquities dating back thousands of years.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Ehab Fahmy, head of the Underwater Antiquities Central Department at the Ministry of Antiquities, said that there are underwater treasures under the eastern port of Alexandria, namely the Royal Quarters dating back to the Ptolemaic period, including royal ports and columns from the palaces during that period. The eastern port stretches over an area starting at the Silsila promontory to the east toward the Citadel of Qaitbay to the west.

Fahmy believes more antiquities will be excavated through the project, which will also guarantee their preservation. He said, “The Alexandria governorate is floating on submerged priceless antiquities, and the excavation works are designed to show how great the Egyptian civilization is and tell the world about such a human heritage, which is not only the property of Egypt but that of humanity.”