I had been convinced since 2002 that we should not take any major artifacts out of the water, but rather leave them there to be placed in the Underwater Museum we are planning. Also, it is difficult to remove these large pieces from the water, and it takes a lot of work and care to remove the salt from artifacts. But recently I was convinced to raise this piece by the head of the Greek mission, Dr. Harry Tzalas, who directed underwater excavations in the area in 1998. His team discovered 400 ancient artifacts and architectural elements. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Abu Saadat, an Egyptian diver who surveyed Chabty in 1960. He was not an archaeologist, so he was not able to recognize many artifacts, but his survey work contributed to the archaeology of the area. 

 

The Greek expedition was able to recognize the artifacts, and they worked in cooperation with the Department of Underwater Antiquities of Alexandria at the coastal area of Chatby. The two most important of the 400 the Greek mission found are the 9-ton pylon tower, and the 15-ton threshold of a door. Both are made of granite and are of great historical importance in reconstructing the great city of ancient Alexandria. Ancient authors such as Plutarch and Strabo write about Cleopatra’s palace being located in this area, with her mausoleum and a temple of Isis right next to it. It seems likely that this pylon tower was for that temple of Isis, since it was the only temple in the area, and the threshold, which was found very near to it, could be for the door of Cleopatra’s tomb.

 

On Thursday, while we raised the pylon tower, the weather was very windy and a lot of sand was blowing around, giving it a real feeling of adventure. In order to facilitate the removal, the tower had been moved from its original location closer to the wall, near the citadel of Qaitbey. A crane lifted the piece from the water and set it on the ground, in front of myself, Farouk Hosni, the Minister of Culture, and over 300 members of the media from all over the world. It was then loaded onto a flatbed truck for transportation to the site of Kom el-Dikka, the Roman amphitheatre in Alexandria. While it was being moved, we held a press conference at the citadel of Qaitbey, where everyone was interested to know about this important piece of history.

 

When the pylon tower arrived at Kom el-Dikka, it was placed in a basin of fresh water, where it will be stored for three months for cleaning and conservation. We hope over the summer to be able to take out of the water the threshold stone of red granite.