Clue to Cleopatra's Tomb Could Have Been Found After 20 Year Search

After a 20-year search, an archaeologist from the Dominican Republic believes she may have finally found the site of Cleopatra's tomb, RadarOnline.com can report.

The Egyptian pharaoh and her lover, Mark Antony, both died by suicide and were buried together more than 2,000 years ago. But the locations of their final resting place have remained a mystery.

Now, in a new National Geographic special, archaeologist Kathleen Martínez and her team have found a sunken port deep in the Mediterranean Sea, about two miles off the coast of Alexandria.

The offshore port was once connected to Taposiris Magna, a temple complex about 30 miles west of Alexandria in the Egyptian coastal town of Borg El Arab.

The finding, announced Thursday, September 18, by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Archaeological Works, suggests that Taposiris Magna was not only an important religious center but also a maritime trading hub.

"That makes the temple really important," Martínez told National Geographic, adding that it "had all the conditions to be chosen for Cleopatra to be buried with Mark Antony."

The explorers also unearthed a trove of artifacts and structures in the area that would date back to Cleopatra's reign.

In an effort to further explore the area, Martinez brought in the big guns – namely, marine archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer at Large Bob Ballard, the man who famously discovered the Titanic.

Their search and discovery were all recorded for the upcoming documentary special, Cleopatra’s Final Secret, which premieres September 25 at 10/9c on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

Searchers discovered various pieces of pottery and distinct man-made underwater structures, including a highly polished floor.

Martinez marveled: "This is one of those moments when you feel so alive."

Later, while talking to Ballard on the phone, she relayed: "The divers are down – they've discovered a port! After 2,000 years, nobody has ever been there. We are the first ones."

Cleopatra has become a pop culture icon since the Victorian era. She has been the subject of many works, including operas, paintings, poetry, sculptures, and theatrical dramas.

The goddess was famously played by movie legend Elizabeth Taylor in the 1958 self-titled epic Cleopatra.

Martínez believes Cleopatra was taken to Taposiris Magna after her death, and then carried through an underground tunnel to the direction of the port. There she was finally laid to rest.

However, the explorer also admits the tomb could be somewhere among the ruins of the temple itself. That has long been the assumption of locals in the area and other excavators.

Whatever the case, and wherever Cleopatra may be buried, after a 20-year search, Martinez has no plans to pull up shop until she finds the definitive answer.

"Nobody can tell me that Cleopatra is not at Taposiris Magna," she said emphatically. "To say that you have to excavate the whole area and not find her."