Alexandria's Proposed Underwater Museum

An Underwater Archaeology Museum?


One aspect of archaeology that we don’t often hear about in the land-locked state of Iowa is underwater archaeology. A few weeks ago in the weekly online publication from Cairo, Al-Ahram, there was an article speculating about the possible development of an underwater archaeology museum in Alexandria. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about this project: UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, held an expert meeting back in 2006 to discuss the project’s feasibility. Prior to that, the idea was discussed at an UNESCO international workshop held in 1998 on Submarine Archaeology and Coastal Management. The overall consensus of these endeavors seem to be that the construction of an underwater archaeology museum in Alexandria has great potential to boost the economy of the area, provide access to great cultural treasures, and promote further research in the area. This is an exciting move for museums in general because it would expand the realm of museum’s public education to beneath the sea. To my knowledge no one has ever attempted to build an archaeological museum under water before so there is no past precedent. That means it could be quite a while before we see the proposed museum because the feasibility study being funded by UNESCO will have to take every aspect of the design, construction, and implementation into consideration before moving forward.

(Jacques Rougerie Architect – Illustration)



What is so special about Alexandria?


The bay of Alexandria, the proposed site of the underwater museum, is unusually rich in artifacts because so much of the city has collapsed into the ocean because of earthquakes since the 4thcentury AD. Alexander the Great first founded the city of Alexandria in 331 BCE as the capital of Egypt. The archaeological history of the site goes back even farther because prior to this there had been a smaller settlement on the site. Many of the important archaeological finds relating to Alexandria have been at the bottom of the harbor. Most notably is the palace of Cleopatra, which was consumed by the sea as the result of ancient earthquakes, has been discovered on the harbor floor. Also on the floor of Alexandria’s harbor are pieces of what may be Pharos, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. These archaeological remains include statues, pieces of buildings and streets, jewelry, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. Much of the ancient city actually crumbled into the sea and has only recently been rediscovered by archaeologists.

(Stéphane Compoint\ Smithsonian.com)


Wouldn't it just be easier to bring artifacts to the surface?


In 2001 UNESCO had a convention on the preservation of underwater cultural heritage. At this convention it was decided that for discoveries of underwater cultural heritage, “all traces of human existence having a cultural, historical or archaeological character which have been partially or totally under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years,” states’ parties should explore preservation in situ as the first plan of action. Due to this decision many artifacts discovered by underwater archaeology often remain in situ unless doing so would be detrimental to their state of preservation. If these objects must remain underwater then the general public will likely never be able to see them. Design of the Times”, one of the many news articles covering UNESCO’s decision to support the feasibility study for the museum says that the idea behind the museum is: “if the artifacts won't go to the museum, let the museum go to the artifacts.”


What else is going on beneath the waves?


The architect for the proposed Alexandria underwater museum, Jacques Rougerie, has several other underwater designs posted on his website. His designs are for everything from underwater living spaces for scientists who want to study underwater ecosystems to underwater cultural centers like the proposed museum. Although I couldn’t find any other news stories about his other underwater architectural projects, this does seem to be a growing trend in the tourism industry. There are efforts being made to create an underwater resort in Fiji, to open in early 2010, called Poseidon Underwater Resort.

(Peter Bollinger)


Another underwater resort is being designed in Dubai called Crescent Hyropolis Resort.

(Crescent-Hydropolis)

(/http://archrecord.construction.com/news/OnTheBoards/0708underwater.asp)


The tourism industry is always looking for new ways to attract visitors. In some ways museums are much the same, although usually not with quite as much funding. For a city like Alexandria that already attracts a large number of tourists annually with more than 11 million tourists visiting Egypt each year, the only way to keep boosting numbers and attracting new visitors is to keep up with the technological advances of the tourism industry. In this case architectural breakthroughs in underwater architecture are allowing for structures to be built underwater for the general public. However, this is still a relatively new direction and is still much more expensive than building on land so any tourism endeavors in the underwater sector will remain pricy for visitors for quite some time – this will likely include admission to the underwater archaeology museum in Alexandria as well when and if it opens.

For more information about the history of Alexandria, the proposed building of the underwater museum, or UNESCO’s involvement here are some links:

UNESCO 2006 News release

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36741&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

UNESCO meeting 2006

http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=36833&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html

Raising Alexandria Article

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/alexandria.html?c=y&page=1

National Geographic News – Underwater Museum Planned for Egypt’s Alexandria

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080916-underwater-museum.html

UNESCO Moscow Office - UNESCO Assists Underwater Museum Project in Alexandria

http://www.unesco.ru/eng/articles/2004/Edward08092008110529.php



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