Historical Events  People
Cleopatra

Alternate:
Cleopatra's tomb is in a known location in Egypt

Current:
Cleopatra's tomb has never been found

Where is Cleopatra buried?

At one time she was the most powerful woman in the world. Lover of Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar, Cleopatra was Egypt's last Queen.

So you'd have thought being so well-known and documented, the location of her tomb would be certainly known all along. It turns out, however, that's not the case, and in fact despite many false starts her final resting place is a complete mystery.

She died aged only 39 in 30 BC, supposedly allowing herself to be bitten by a cobra, whereas historians now say she poisoned herself using a sharp implement like a knife or hairpin. When she died, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire.

21 year reign

Cleopatra was a descendant of the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Ptolemy I Soter, who was  a companion of Alexander the Great. She was the first ruler to speak both Greek, Egyptian and Latin, which would have been especially useful during her reign since there were constant wars and diplomatic pressures with both the Romans and the Greeks.

Art

Cleopatra's death has been depicted in many works of art throughout history, right up to  modern times with the Hollywood treatment from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

The best the Egyptian authorities can do when placing the tomb of Cleopatra is near or in a temple of Taposiris Magna, southwest of Alexandria.

With such incredible details known of her life, it seems everyone just assumes the location of her tomb must be well known by now. Some Mandela Effects are of this kind, where a fact from history "suddenly" jumps out and hits many people as if it's an abrupt change with a mysterious back story, rather than them just making an incorrect assumption all along without carefully looking into it.