Underwater Cultural Heritage
The ocean depths hold a vast underwater cultural heritage (UCH), that reveals our maritime history and cultural exchange. UNESCO defines UCH as “all traces of human existence of a cultural, historical or archaeological character that has remained partially or completely under water, periodically or continuously, for at least 100 years.” Including sites, buildings, artifacts, ships, and aircraft or any part thereof and their cargo, human remains, and objects of a prehistoric character as well as their archaeological and natural underwater context.
However, UCH is threatened by looting, urbanization, and commercial exploitation, and also weakened by global warming, and pollution. UCH isn't just about the past; it holds immense value for the present. Shipwrecks, for instance, are a cornerstone of diving tourism, attracting enthusiasts worldwide. But to ensure this economic benefit continues, sustainable management is crucial. We must protect these sites for future generations while enabling responsible divers to explore their wonders.
The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage of 2001 aims to enhance the ability of countries to care for, study, and protect their UCH, ensuring its preservation and sustainability for the benefit of current and future generations.
Therefore, the Chamber of Diving and Water Sports cooperates to protect and preserve the underwater cultural heritage in Egypt with:
Since the 1990s, the field of underwater antiquities has witnessed great interest from foreign missions and scientific entities. There was an urgent need to establish a specialized administration for underwater antiquities in 1996, whose primary mission is to manage the underwater cultural heritage in all Egyptian water bodies in terms of research, discovery, preservation, documentation, protection, and display, and Alexandria was chosen as its headquarters.
Among the most important sites undertaken by the Department of Underwater Antiquities are Maamoura, Wadi Al-Jarf, Muhammadiyat, Fayoum, and Aswan.
In addition to its supervision and participation with various missions in many very important sites, such as the sites of Al-Fanar and the Royal Quarter in Alexandria, the city of Heraklion in Abu Qir Bay, and the Saadana shipwreck in the Red Sea.
Know more about the Department of Underwater Antiquities through their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087128170360
In 2009, Alexandria University, in cooperation with the University of Southampton in England and several other European institutions, and with funding from the European Union’s Tempus Programme, established the Alexandria Centre for Maritime Archaeology & Underwater Cultural Heritage (CMAUCH), which is an academic education and research center, which grants postgraduate diploma and master’s degrees in Arts in marine archaeology. The center also provides training in various aspects related to underwater cultural heritage. In addition, the CMAUCH is carrying out underwater archaeological research projects in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Over the past decade, more than seventy specialized researchers have graduated from the Center, including students from Tunisia, Libya, Serbia, and the United States of America. Furthermore, the Center provides training workshops for archaeological researchers and representatives of bodies concerned with this field, including naval officers, museologists, oceanographers, tourism specialists, and others.
The CMAUCH represents Alexandria University in the UNESCO network for twinning universities. The Center also includes the UNESCO Scientific Chair in the field of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which is the only UNESCO Chair at Alexandria University, and the second in the world in this field.
Know more about the CMAUCH here: http://www.cmauch.org/
Marine Antiquities and Underwater Culture Heritage
by Dr. Emad Khalil
This book deals with several topics related to marine and sunken antiquities in Egypt and the world while presenting the most important research projects and international agreements related to this field.
The Adventure of Bahar and Nejma
This interactive children's story aged 10 and up, introduces kids to the concept of underwater cultural heritage in a fun and engaging way.
Discover Underwater Culture Heritage By Dr. Emad Khalil
In this training course, you will learn about the science of archeology and underwater cultural heritage in Egypt. Then, you will take a close tour of underwater archaeology museums worldwide, the technology's role in preserving them, and the correct actions you should take while discovering underwater monuments. Finally, you will know all about capability building in this field.
The Thistlegorm Project is an ongoing underwater archaeological survey project recording the remains of the SS Thistlegorm in the Red Sea using cutting-edge digital techniques, to raise awareness of the wreck and to help ensure its preservation for future generations.
Explore the underwater wonders of the Marsa Bagoush Site in the Mediterranean and the Saadana Island Shipwreck in the Red Sea with this immersive virtual diving app. Download the app and enjoy discovering the archaeological finds.
Since 2019, the CDWS has been keen to participate with the CMAUCH and UNESCO in many events to highlight the importance of underwater shipwrecks and the necessity of finding solutions and programs to preserve them as they are among the most important factors of attraction for diving tourism. The CDWS also participated in May 2022 in the filed project titled “Documenting Heritage Shipwrecks in the Red Sea,” and is working with relevant authorities and parties to develop programs to preserve the underwater cultural heritage.