City limits

Five years of underwater surveys and excavations have finally produced the
first complete map of ancient Alexandria. Compiled by French archaeologist
Franck Goddio, it shows the exact location of long-drowned Pharaonic palaces,
temples and dockyards. His team, which used electronic surveys and drawings
based on divers’ records to map the submerged coastline, were surprised by what
they found. “Soon after the first electronic surveys of the harbour, we realised
that the topography of the ancient quarters of Alexandria was totally different
from what had been assumed until now,” Goddio says.