CAIRO: A mission launched by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology is currently carrying out a feasibility study for the construction of the first underwater museum for Egyptian antiquities on the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria.
The museum is designed by French architect Jacques Rougerie, after wining the UNESCO-supervised international competition held to select the design.
The competition featured works four of the world s most prominent architects, according to Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The feasibility study will be carried out under the supervision of the UNESCO and will be presented to the Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny upon completion next September.
According to Hosny, the underwater museum will be of equal value to the city s once Great Lighthouse, identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon.
The museum will be comprised of two main parts, one above sea level and another completely submerged underwater.
Walking through the glass-windowed museum will be like strolling down the journey of the ancient city and discovering its secrets, said Hosny.
