ALEXANDRIA: Underwater archaeologists are recovering more monuments and artifacts from the Nelson Island, located off Abu Qir bay in Alexandria, according to Alaa Mahrous, director of the underwater archaeology department in Alexandria.
Excavations on the small island have been in full swing ever since they were initiated by an Italian team that belongs to the University of Torino in the late 1990s, Mahrous said.
The island was known in ancient chronicles as the Canope Island because it faced what was once the Canope estuary of the Nile – where an important port was built.
It was then named after Admiral Lord Nelson who used the it as a fortress in his battle against the French fleet led by Napoleon in 1798.
As excavations began on the island, the remains of many British soldiers were recovered and reburied in the Common Wealth Cemetery in Alexandria during an official ceremony.
“These remains were one of the traces of the Napoleonic age, but this is only one recent stage in the island’s history, explained Mahrous. “We don’t know if the Italian team will discover more monuments that belong to that period, he said.
“But over the ages the island was used as a fortification against the inroads of invaders who might have thought of encroaching on the Canopian territory, a significant marine port that sank after an earthquake. The Canopians could have used the island as a cemetery, but none of the discoveries support that assumption yet, he added.
Mahrous, however, says that the few mummies that were found on the island belong to the late Pharaonic age rather than the Canopian period.
“But those, recovered along with a number of statues, amulets and pottery, were in very bad condition due to the high level of humidity on the island.
Mahrous also revealed that the last category of findings consisted of military tools and remains of walls dating back to the early Hellenistic age.
“No one knows exactly what the fresh excavations will offer, but we are positive that the island was one of the Canopian city’s major cemeteries. We also have information that during ancient times the size of the island was three times bigger.
Although the island is not expected to offer much in terms of valuable artifacts, the current excavations aim to establish the history of the place and answer questions that remain unresolved.
A one-hour trip from Abu Qir beach on a motor boat, Nelson Island continues to be a favorite daytrip for Alexandrians and visitor of the Mediterranean city.
