Interest in the area started archaeologically in 1961, when Kamel Abu El-Saadat, an amateur diver, discovered a huge statue of a woman wearing the distinctive costume of the Goddess Equal and other artifacts.
In 1992, the European Institute of Underwater Archeological Antiquities undertook a topographical survey of the eastern harbor that led to the discovery of the island of Antiruru and the language known as the Temonium Peninsula, where remains of buildings were found in the area. The mission also revealed various archaeological and architectural elements, such as the Sphinx and the wreck of a sunken ship dating from the Roman era.