Cleopatra’s tomb may lie in ‘geometric miracle’ tunnel, say archaeologists

THE location of Queen Cleopatra’s remains, hidden since her death in 30BC, has long transfixed archaeologists.

An expert leading a dig in Egypt believes she may have finally found her tomb after uncovering a tunnel measuring six feet high that stretches for almost a mile.

The tunnel, described by authorities as a “geometric miracle”, is beneath the Taposiris Magna Temple [Great Tomb of Osiris], close to the ancient city of Alexandria.

Kathleen Martinez, a self-taught archaeologist at the University of San Domingo in the Dominican Republic, said that if her theory about the burial site was true then it would be the “most important discovery of the 21st century”.

“As a result of 10 years of study of Cleopatra’s historical character, I needed to come to Egypt to the field to see the remains of this temple to be sure that these remains have the possibility of being the lost tomb of Cleopatra,” she said in a video interview with the Heritage Key website.

“After studying the area I realised it was the perfect place for Cleopatra’s tomb. If there is a one per cent of a chance that the last Queen of Egypt could be buried there, it is my duty to search for her,” she said.

The Egyptian authorities have extended her permit to continue digging. Her theory is based on the discovery of Greco-roman architecture and coins in the area, as well as a cemetery, which she says raises the possibility that a royal tomb is nearby. The team also found beheaded statues, including one of the Goddess Isis.

Cleopatra ruled as the Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51-30 BC and died by suicide.