May 22, 2006, 14:15 GMT
Cairo - Egypt's minister of culture approved Monday the start of excavations off the Mediterranean coast in Damietta, north of Cairo, to search for sunken monuments.
Zahi Hawwas, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, said the excavation team had discovered the remains of a submerged Roman city, 35 kilometres east of the Suez Canal.
The underwater city includes residential units, public baths and the remains of a Roman fort and a number of clay pieces, bronze pots and coins dating back to that period, Hawwas said.
The team also discovered four towers of a sunken citadel that was partly excavated in 1910 in al-Mohamadeyat, which is now partly submerged, he added.
Hawwas said the excavations might potentially lead to the discovery of sunken ships used in trade between Egyptian and other Mediterranean port cities.
Mohammed Abdel Maqsoud, supervisor of the sunken monuments, said excavations that commenced last month are expected to turn northern Sinai into a tourist attraction. They would also help draw ancient fortresses along the Sinai coast linking Egypt and Palestine.
The site streamlines the features of the first submerged Roman military fort consisting of red-brick, three-metre towers underwater, he added.
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