Egyptian authorities believe that the city in the Bay of Abukir, where the Nile flows into the Mediterranean, is part of the ancient city of Canopus. The city was an important center during the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman Empire.
Earthquakes and rising sea levels caused the city and the nearby port city of Heraklion to sink into the sea.
On Thursday, statues and other objects were slowly lifted out of the depths, with cheering divers as spectators.
– There is a lot under the water, but what we can salvage is limited, it is only specific material according to strict criteria, said Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi.
The rest will remain as a "sunken heritage", he added.
In addition to parts of buildings, reservoirs and fish farming ponds, images of royalty and parts of a sphinx have been hidden in the depths. An associated harbor with merchant ships, stone anchors and a harbor crane, was used during the Byzantine Empire, according to the department.
