Egypt

Ancient port city to be opened to the public

Yahoo! News

With photos.

Today, it's a sprawl of luxury vacation homes where Egypt's wealthy play on the white beaches of the Mediterranean coast. But 2,000 years ago, this was a thriving Greco-Roman port city, boasting villas of merchants grown rich on the wheat and olive trade.

The ancient city, known as Leukaspis or Antiphrae, was hidden for centuries after it was nearly wiped out by a fourth century tsunami that devastated the region.

More recently, it was nearly buried under the modern resort of Marina in a development craze that turned this coast into the summer playground for Egypt's elite.

Nearly 25 years after its discovery, Egyptian authorities are preparing to open ancient Leukaspis' tombs, villas and city streets to visitors — a rare example of a Classical era city in a country better known for its pyramids and Pharaonic temples.

"Visitors can go to understand how people lived back then, how they built their graves, lived in villas or traded in the main agora (square)," said Ahmed Amin, the local inspector for the antiquities department. "Everyone's heard of the resort Marina, now they will know the historic Marina."

Press TV

With photo.

Egypt is planning to open the ancient city of Leukaspis, a 2,000-year-old Greco-Roman port city buried under the northern modern resort of Marina.

Also known as Antiphrae, the city was hidden for centuries after it was nearly wiped out by a tsunami that devastated the region in the fourth century.

Egyptian authorities have now decided to open the site with all its two-story villas and zigzagg streets nearly 25 years after its discovery, AP reported.

"Visitors can go to understand how people lived back then, how they built their graves, lived in villas or traded in the main agora (square)," said the local inspector for Egypt's antiquities department Ahmed Amin.

The ancient tombs and houses of Leukaspis were found when Chinese engineers were building roads for the Marina resort in 1986.

- More Re Concerns Over Development In The Faiyum
Reuters (Patrick Werr) Egypt's popular uprising may have arrived just in time to save a Neolithic site that holds the country's oldest evidence of agriculture and could yield vital clues to the rise of Pharaonic civilisation. The site lies in...

- Egypt Must Wake Up To Respect And Protect Its Treasures
The National (Hadeel al Shalchi) Egypt is an open-air museum. Every few months a news release pops up in newsroom inboxes announcing the discovery of an ancient tomb, statue or even complete cities. The latest was the discovery of a Greco-Roman underwater...

- More Re Marina El-alamein
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref) Holidaymakers to Egypt's northern coast will have more to entertain them than sun, sand and sea later this summer. Starting in mid-September they can end a day spent on the beach by taking a virtual trip back to the...

- Out With The Old
Egypt Today (Nadine El Sayed) This is Egypt Today's cover story. Very sad. Heliopolis has long been known for its garden charm and well-coordinated architecture. Now, just five years after the suburb’s centennial, investor interest and real estate...

- The Classical City
Upon Egypt's Mediterranean shore lay the ruins of ancient Leukaspis a town of about 15 000 that was washed away in a tsunami caused by a massive earthquake near Crete in 365 AD. The area is now home to luxury estates for Egypt's wealthy as well...

Egypt