TAPOSIRIS MAGNA, EGYPT — Beneath the sands of western Alexandria, a mystery that is over 2,000 years old may be on the brink of being solved. After discovering a narrow tunnel 43 feet underground, surrounded by ancient walls and sealed chambers, archaeologists believe they may be closing in on the final resting place of Egypt’s most iconic queen, Cleopatra VII. After decades of speculation and searching, 2025 could be the year the world discovers where the last pharaoh of Egypt lies.
Cleopatra VII is one of the most recognizable figures in ancient history; she has remained popular not just for her legendary beauty but also for her intellect, political strategy, and the enduring mystery of her death and burial. Born in 69 B.C.E. into the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Greek family that ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great, Cleopatra came to power at just 18 years old. What set her apart from her ancestors was her deep connection to Egypt and its people. She was the first in her line to learn the Egyptian language and present herself not only as queen but as a living goddess in the tradition of Isis.
Her reign, from 51 B.C.E. until she died in 30 B.C.E., occurred during one of the most volatile periods in Roman and Egyptian history. Cleopatra ruled in an era dominated by men, and she did so by forming powerful alliances. Her relationships with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony were not just romantic but were calculated moves to preserve Egypt’s independence and strengthen her political position. With Caesar, she bore a son named Caesarion, who she hoped would rule both Rome and Egypt one day. With Antony, she envisioned a joint Eastern empire that would rival Rome’s dominance.
Despite her efforts, Cleopatra’s fate was sealed after Antony’s defeat by Octavian (the future Augustus Caesar) at the Battle of Actium. Facing capture and humiliation, both she and Antony died by suicide. According to tradition, she allowed an asp, a venomous snake, to bite her. With her death, Egypt fell fully under Roman control, ending centuries of pharaonic rule.
Yet, Cleopatra’s story didn’t end there. Over the next two millennia, she became a mythic figure who was celebrated, criticized, romanticized, and reimagined. From Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra to modern-day films, her image has shifted depending on who tells her story. In some accounts, she is portrayed as a seductress who brought down two great Roman men; in others, she’s a brilliant ruler whose legacy was distorted by the men who wrote history.
The temple complex at Taposiris Magna was founded by Pharaoh Ptolemy II in the 3rd century B.C.E. and was dedicated to Osiris, the god of the afterlife. Situated near the Mediterranean coast, it was once a thriving center of worship and pilgrimage. While it has suffered from centuries of earthquakes, looting, and erosion, it still holds secrets buried beneath its crumbling columns. For Dr. Kathleen Martinez and her team, those secrets may include one of the most coveted discoveries in archaeological history: the tomb of Cleopatra VII.
Martinez, a criminal lawyer-turned-archaeologist from the Dominican Republic, has pursued Cleopatra’s lost tomb with an unwavering determination since 2005. While many scholars believe Cleopatra was buried in Alexandria, Martinez has championed the idea that the queen chose to be buried in a sacred temple outside the capital. She argues that Cleopatra, a devoted follower of the cult of Isis, would have sought a resting place imbued with spiritual meaning and divine symbolism. Taposiris Magna, with its strong connections to both Isis and Osiris, fits that vision.
Excavations at the site have uncovered a wealth of artifacts that suggest royal and religious significance. Among the most tantalizing finds are two mummies believed to be of high status, buried with golden tongues, a ritual meant to enable the dead to speak in the afterlife. While the mummies have not yet been definitively linked to Cleopatra or Antony, their presence hints at other elite burials in the area. Additionally, statues of the goddess Isis, inscriptions in ancient Greek, and coins bearing Cleopatra’s profile found at the site further fuel speculation that the queen’s tomb may lie nearby.
The 1,300-meter tunnel discovered in 2022 has since become the focal point of the excavation. Carved into the bedrock and stretching beneath the temple complex, it evokes comparisons to the architectural marvels of Ancient Egypt and Greece. Within the tunnel, chambers sealed for over two millennia may hold the key to this enduring mystery. Ground-penetrating radar and modern scanning technologies have revealed anomalies, potential hidden rooms, that Martinez believes could be burial chambers.
If these chambers are opened and found to contain the remains of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, it would not only confirm their final resting place but also offer a profound opportunity to reexamine their lives through a new, unfiltered lens. For centuries, Cleopatra’s story has been filtered through Roman propaganda: writers such as Plutarch and Dio Cassius portrayed her as a seductress who used her beauty to manipulate powerful men, a depiction that has endured in literature, art, and film. Yet modern historians have pushed back against these narratives, emphasizing Cleopatra’s intellect, fluency in multiple languages, and deep understanding of economics, diplomacy, and religion.
A tomb bearing inscriptions, personal belongings, or even the preserved body of the queen could help rewrite that history. It might reveal how she saw herself not as a footnote in Rome’s imperial story, but as a sovereign leader of one of the ancient world’s most enduring civilizations. A glimpse into her burial practices could shed light on how she wanted to be remembered: as a pharaoh, a goddess, a mother, a strategist, and a cultural bridge between East and West.
Beyond its historical implications, such a discovery would carry immense cultural significance for modern Egypt and the broader world. Cleopatra’s legacy, while shaped in part by foreign accounts, is also a vital part of Egyptian identity. Her reign marked the end of Pharaonic Egypt, a civilization that had been in existence for more than three thousand years. To find her tomb would be to close a monumental chapter in human history, connecting the modern world directly to one of its most storied pasts.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has closely followed the excavation’s progress, seeing in it both scholarly promise and touristic potential. A confirmed discovery of Cleopatra’s tomb would spark global fascination and renewed interest in ancient Egypt, drawing scholars, tourists, and media from around the world. But more than that, it would bring Cleopatra out from under the weight of legend and restore her to the world as a real, complex, and powerful woman of history.
Despite the excitement, the work remains painstaking. Each layer of sediment, each carved stone, each broken artifact must be documented, preserved, and studied with care. The archaeologists working at Taposiris Magna are mindful that they are not just digging for treasure; they are uncovering a story, one that deserves to be told with dignity and accuracy. While the tomb has yet to be definitively found, the discoveries made so far have already deepened our understanding of the Ptolemaic period and Cleopatra’s cultural world.
As 2025 unfolds, anticipation continues to build. The possibility that Cleopatra’s final burial place might soon be revealed has captivated historians, Egyptologists, and the public eye. Whether hidden in the deepest chamber beneath Taposiris Magna or yet undiscovered elsewhere, the queen’s legacy endures. In her life, Cleopatra commanded empires, defied conventions, and shaped the course of history. In death, she remains just as powerful, continuing to inspire the relentless search for truth beneath the sands of time.
For centuries, Cleopatra’s story has been filtered through Roman propaganda: writers such as Plutarch and Dio Cassius portrayed her as a seductress who used her beauty to manipulate powerful men, a depiction that has endured in literature, art, and film.