Russian experts have found several rifles and pistols dating back to the 18th century in the Mediterranean near the port of Alexandria, according to Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damati.

The discovery was made during an underwater search for sunken ships in an area north of Pharos island in Anfushi Bay.

Preliminary examination of the firearms identified their provenance as a ship of the French military campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte that was defeated in May 1798 by a British fleet at the western entrance to the port of Alexandria.

In June 1999, Egyptian and French scientists launched a large-scale operation to recover the remains of Napoleon’s fleet, sunk in 1798 in Aboukir Bay, a few kilometres east of the port of Alexandria.

Though the history of the naval battle of Aboukir Bay is perfectly documented, the whereabouts of the sunken French ships remained unknown for 200 years, until a team of underwater researchers found them in 1998.