Underwater Archaeology in Egypt and the Protection of its Underwater Cultural Heritage

Abstract

After many years of individual attempts to explore the underwater cultural heritage (UCH) of Egypt, the Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA) established a department specializing in the field during the last decade of the twentieth century. The collaboration between this department and foreign missions led to the discoveries of a number of underwater sites and projects focusing on their protection, including mitigation work. This article presents the most important discoveries and displays the efforts of the SCA in the management of the UCH.