President Hosni Mubarak and his German counterpart Hoerst Koehler opened in Berlin on Thursday Egypt's Sunken Treasures Exhibition.

The opening was attended by various top officials, public figures and personalities interested in Egyptology.

Mrs. Mubarak, Mrs. Koehler and Higher Council of Antiquities Chairman Zahi Hawas were present at the inauguration ceremony.

Some 489 breathtaking artifacts retrieved from the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria are being exhibited in 18 halls and more than 100 display cases.

Some of the halls are provided with audio-visual technologies and visual effects to invoke the Mediterranean ambience from which the antiquities were retrieved.

The artifacts, with few exceptions, have never been shown in public and are being displayed for the first time. They will give insight into 1,500 years of Egyptian history (700 BC to 800 AD) .

"Egypt's Sunken Treasure" has already aroused worldwide interest, and the professional archaeologists as well anxiously await the opportunity to examine the sensational archaeological finds.

Exhibition website in Berlin