The Alexandria Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, also has another name - Faros. It owes its second name to its location - the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the city of Alexandria, which is located in Egypt.
In turn, Alexandria got its name because of the name of the conqueror of ancient Egyptian lands - Alexander the Great.
He approached the choice of a place to build a new city quite carefully. At first glance it may seem strange that the settlement area was determined by Macedon to be 20 miles from the south of the Nile Delta. If he had built it in the delta, the city would have been at the intersection of two waterways important for that area.
These roads were both the sea and the Nile River. But the fact that Alexandria was founded to the south of the delta had a strong justification - in this place the river waters could not clog the harbor with sand and silt that were harmful to it. Alexander the Great had high hopes for the city under construction. His plans included turning the city into a reputable trading center, because he successfully located it at the intersection of land, river and sea routes of communication of several continents. But such a significant city for the country's economy needed a harbor.
Its arrangement required the implementation of many complex engineering and construction solutions. An important need was the construction of a dam that could connect the sea coast with Pharos, and a pier that would protect the harbor from sand and silt. Thus, Alexandria received two harbors at once. One harbor was supposed to receive merchant ships sailing from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other - ships coming along the Nile River.
Alexander the Great's dream of transforming a simple city into a thriving trade center came true after his death, when Ptolemy I Soter came to power. It was under him that Alexandria became the richest port city, but its harbor was dangerous for sailors. As both shipping and maritime trade continually developed, the need for a lighthouse became increasingly felt.
The tasks assigned to this structure were to secure the navigation of ships in coastal waters. And such care would lead to an increase in sales, since all trade was conducted through the port. But due to the monotonous landscape of the coast, the sailors needed an additional landmark, and they would have been quite happy with a signal light illuminating the entrance to the harbor. According to historians, Alexander the Great had other hopes for the construction of the lighthouse - to provide the city with security from attacks by the Ptolemies, who could attack from the sea. Therefore, to detect enemies who could be located at a considerable distance from the shore, a lookout post of impressive size was needed.
Difficulties in the construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse
Naturally, the construction of such a solid structure required a lot of resources: financial, labor and intellectual. But they were not easy to find during that turbulent time for Alexandria. But nevertheless, a favorable economic situation for the construction of the lighthouse arose due to the fact that Ptolemy, who conquered Syria with the title of king, brought countless Jews to his country and made them slaves. Thus, the lack of labor resources necessary for the construction of the lighthouse was filled. No less important historical events then were the signing of a peace agreement by Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius Poliorcetes (299 BC) and the death of Antigonus, the enemy of Ptolemy, whose kingdom was given to the diadochi.
Construction of the lighthouse began in 285 BC, and all work was supervised by the architect Sostratus of Knidus. Wanting to immortalize his name in history, Sostratus carved an inscription on the marble wall of the lighthouse indicating that he was building this structure for the sake of sailors. Then he hid it under a layer of plaster, and on it he glorified King Ptolemy. However, fate would have it that humanity would learn the name of the master - gradually the plaster fell off and revealed the secret of the great engineer.
Design features of the Alexandria lighthouse
The Pharos structure, intended to illuminate the harbor, had three tiers, the first of which was represented by a square with sides of 30.5 m. All four faces of the lower square tier were facing all cardinal directions. It reached a height of 60 m, and its corners were decorated with statues of tritons. The purpose of this room was to accommodate workers and guards, as well as to arrange storerooms for storing provisions and fuel.
The middle tier of the Alexandria lighthouse was built in the form of an octagon, the edges of which were oriented towards the wind directions. The upper part of this tier was decorated with statues, and some of them were weather vanes.
The third tier, made in the shape of a cylinder, was a lantern. It was surrounded by 8 columns and covered with a dome-cone. And on its top they erected a 7-meter statue of Isis-Faria, who was considered the guardian of seafarers (some sources claim that it was a sculpture of Poseidon, the king of the seas). Thanks to the complexity of the system of metal mirrors, the light of the fire lit on top of the lighthouse was intensified, and the guards monitored the sea area.
As for the fuel needed to keep the lighthouse burning, it was transported along a spiral ramp in carts pulled by mules. To facilitate delivery, a dam was built between the mainland and Pharos. If the workers did not do this, the fuel would have to be transported by boat. Subsequently, the dam, washed up by the sea, became an isthmus that currently separates the western and eastern harbors.
The Alexandria lighthouse was not only a lamp - it was also a fortified fortress guarding the sea route to the city. Due to the presence of a large military garrison, the lighthouse building also had an underground part necessary for drinking water supplies. To enhance security, the entire structure was surrounded by powerful walls with watchtowers and loopholes.
In general, the three-tier lighthouse tower reached a height of up to 120 m and was considered the tallest structure in the world. Those travelers who saw such an unusual structure subsequently enthusiastically described the unusual statues that served as decoration for the lighthouse tower. One sculpture pointed to the sun with its hand, but lowered it only when it went beyond the horizon, the other served as a clock and reported the current time hourly. And the third sculpture helped to find out the direction of the wind.
The fate of the Alexandria lighthouse
After standing for almost a thousand years, the lighthouse of Alexandria began to collapse. This happened in 796 AD. due to a powerful earthquake, the upper part of the structure simply collapsed. From the huge 120-meter building of the lighthouse, only ruins remained, but even those reached a height of about 30 m. Somewhat later, the ruins of the lighthouse were useful for the construction of a military fort, which was rebuilt several times. So the Faros lighthouse turned into Fort Kite Bay - it received this name in honor of the Sultan who built it. Inside the fort there is a historical museum, in one of its parts there is a museum of marine biology, and opposite the fort building there are the Aquariums of the Museum of Hydrobiology.
Plans for the restoration of the Alexandria Lighthouse
From the once majestic Alexandria Lighthouse, only its base remains, but it is also completely built into a medieval fortress. Today it is used as a base for the Egyptian fleet. The Egyptians are planning to carry out work to recreate the lost wonder of the world, and some countries that are members of the European Union want to join this venture. Italy, France, Greece and Germany are planning to include the construction of a lighthouse in a project called "Medistone". Its main objectives are the reconstruction and preservation of African architectural monuments dating back to the Ptolemaic era. Experts estimated the project at $40 million - this is exactly how much will be required for the construction of a business center, a hotel, a diving club, a chain of restaurants and a museum dedicated to the Alexandria Lighthouse.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the oldest engineering structures of mankind. It was built between 280 and 247 BC. e. on the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the ancient city of Alexandria (the territory of modern Egypt). It was thanks to the name of this island that the lighthouse was also known as the Faros lighthouse.
The height of this grandiose structure, according to various historians, was approximately 120-140 meters. For many centuries, it remained one of the tallest structures on our planet, second only to the pyramids at Giza.
Beginning of lighthouse construction
The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, was conveniently located at the intersection of numerous trade routes. The city developed rapidly, more and more ships entered its harbor, and the construction of a lighthouse became an urgent necessity.
Some historians believe that, in addition to the usual function of ensuring the safety of sailors, the lighthouse could have a related, no less important function. In those days, the rulers of Alexandria feared a possible attack from the sea, and such a colossal structure as the Alexandria Lighthouse could serve as an excellent observation post.
Initially, the lighthouse was not equipped with a complex system of signal lights; it was built several hundred years later. At first, signals were given to ships using smoke from a fire, and therefore the lighthouse was effective only during the daytime.
The unusual design of the Alexandria lighthouse
Such a large-scale construction was a grandiose and very ambitious project for those times. However, the construction of the lighthouse was completed in a very short time - it lasted no more than 20 years.
For the construction of the lighthouse, a dam was quickly built between the mainland and the island of Pharos, through which the necessary materials were delivered.
It is simply impossible to talk briefly about the Alexandria Lighthouse. The huge structure was built from solid marble blocks, connected to each other for greater strength with lead brackets.
The lower, largest level of the lighthouse was built in the shape of a square with sides approximately 30 meters long. The corners of the base were designed strictly according to the cardinal directions. The premises located on the first level were intended for storing necessary supplies and housing numerous guards and lighthouse workers.
A reservoir was built at the underground level, the supply of drinking water of which should have been sufficient in case of even a prolonged siege of the city.
The second level of the building was made in the shape of an octagon. Its edges were oriented in exact accordance with the wind rose. It was decorated with unusual bronze statues, some of which were movable.
The third, main level of the lighthouse was built in the shape of a cylinder and topped with a large dome. The top of the dome was decorated with a bronze sculpture no less than 7 meters high. Historians still have not come to a consensus whether this was an image of the god of the seas, Poseidon, or a statue of Isis-Faria, the patroness of sailors.
How was the third level of the lighthouse arranged?
For that time, the true miracle of the Alexandria Lighthouse was the complex system of huge bronze mirrors. The light from the fire, which was constantly burning on the upper platform of the lighthouse, was reflected and greatly amplified by these metal plates. In ancient chronicles they wrote that the shining light coming from the Alexandria lighthouse was capable of burning enemy ships far out to sea.
Of course, this was an exaggeration of inexperienced guests of the city who first saw this ancient wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Although in fact the light of the lighthouse was visible for more than 60 kilometers, and for ancient times this was a huge achievement.
A very interesting engineering solution for that time was the construction of a spiral staircase-ramp inside the lighthouse, along which the necessary firewood and combustible materials were delivered to the upper tier. Enormous amounts of fuel were required to operate smoothly, so mule-drawn carts were constantly going up and down an inclined staircase.
The architect who built the miracle
At the time of the construction of the lighthouse, the king of Alexandria was Ptolemy I Soter, a talented ruler, under whom the city turned into a thriving trading port. Having decided to build a lighthouse in the harbor, he invited one of the talented architects of that time, Sostratus of Knidos, to work on it.
In ancient times, the only name that could be immortalized on a built structure was the name of the ruler. But the architect who built the lighthouse was very proud of his creation and wanted to preserve for posterity the knowledge of who really was the author of the miracle.
Risking the wrath of the ruler, he carved the inscription on one of the stone walls of the first level of the lighthouse: “Sostratus of Cnidia, son of Dextiphanes, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of seafarers.” Then the inscription was covered with layers of plaster and the required praises addressed to the king were carved on top of it.
Several centuries after construction, pieces of plaster gradually fell off, and an inscription appeared, preserving in stone the name of the man who built one of the seven wonders of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
First of its kind
In ancient times, different countries often used the flame and smoke of fires as a warning system or to transmit danger signals, but the Lighthouse of Alexandria became the first specialized structure of its kind in the whole world. In Alexandria they called it Pharos, after the name of the island, and all the lighthouses that were built after it also began to be called faros. This is reflected in our language, where the word “headlight” means a source of directional light.
The ancient description of the Alexandria Lighthouse contains information about unusual “living” sculptures and statues, which can be called the first simple automata. They turned, made sounds, and performed simple actions. But these were not chaotic movements at all, one of the statues pointed its hand at the Sun, and when the Sun set, the hand automatically lowered. Another figure had a clock mechanism built into it, which marked the beginning of a new hour with a melodious ringing. The third statue was used as a weather vane, showing the direction and strength of the wind.
The brief description of the Lighthouse of Alexandria by his contemporaries failed to convey the secrets of the structure of these statues or the approximate diagram of the ramp along which fuel was delivered. Most of these secrets are lost forever.
Lighthouse destruction
The light from the fire of this unique structure showed the way to sailors for many centuries. But gradually, during the decline of the Roman Empire, the lighthouse also began to decline. Less and less money was invested in maintaining it in working condition, and the harbor of Alexandria was gradually becoming smaller due to the large amount of sand and silt.
In addition, the area where the Alexandria Lighthouse was built was seismically active. A series of strong earthquakes caused serious damage to it, and the disaster of 1326 finally destroyed the seventh wonder of the world.
Alternative version of destruction
In addition to the theory that explains the decline of the colossal structure due to insufficient funding and natural disasters, there is another interesting hypothesis about the reasons for the destruction of the lighthouse.
According to this theory, the enormous military importance that the lighthouse had for the defenders of Egypt was to blame. After the country was captured by the Arabs, Christian countries, and most notably the Byzantine Empire, hoped to recapture the people of Egypt. But these plans were greatly hampered by the Arab observation post located at the lighthouse.
Therefore, a rumor was spread that somewhere in the building in ancient times the treasures of the Ptolemies were hidden. Believing, the Arabs began to dismantle the lighthouse in an attempt to get to the gold, and in the process damaged the mirror system.
After this, the damaged lighthouse continued to function for another 500 years, gradually deteriorating. Then it was finally dismantled, and a defensive fortress was erected in its place.
Possibility of recovery
The very first attempt to restore the Alexandria Lighthouse was made by the Arabs in the 14th century AD. e., but it was possible to build only a 30-meter semblance of a lighthouse. Then construction stopped, and only 100 years later the ruler of Egypt, Qait Bey, built a fortress in its place to protect Alexandria from the sea. At the base of this fortress, part of the foundation of the ancient lighthouse and almost all of its underground structures and reservoir remained. This fortress still exists today.
Often, enthusiastic historians consider the possibility of recreating this famous building in its original state. But there is one problem - there is practically no reliable description of the Alexandria Lighthouse or its detailed images, on the basis of which it would be possible to accurately restore its appearance.
Touch history
For the first time, some fragments of the lighthouse were discovered by archaeologists at the bottom of the sea in 1994. Since then, an expedition of the European Institute of Underwater Archeology has discovered an entire quarter of ancient Alexandria at the bottom of the harbor, the existence of which scientists had not previously guessed. The remains of many ancient structures remain underwater. There is even a hypothesis that one of the found buildings may be the palace of the famous Queen Cleopatra.
The Egyptian government approved a large-scale reconstruction of the ancient lighthouse in 2015. In the place where it was built in ancient times, they plan to build a multi-story copy of the great lighthouse. Interestingly, the project involves the construction of an underwater glass hall at a depth of 3 meters, so that all lovers of ancient history can see the ruins of the ancient royal quarter.
The first (lower) tier of the lighthouse with a square base resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed in the corners. The towers were oriented to the cardinal points. The height of the tier reached approximately sixty meters. The flat roof of the lower tier served as the basis for the second tier. Statues of tritons were also installed on the roof here. Inside the first tier there was a garrison guarding the lighthouse and maintenance personnel, as well as the necessary equipment and supplies of water and food in case of a siege.
II (middle) tier
The second (middle) tier with an octagonal base rose another forty meters. A ramp was presumably built inside the second tier, along which fuel for the signal fire was raised to the third (upper) tier.
III (upper) tier
On the third cylindrical tier, columns were installed to support the dome of the lighthouse. On the site among the columns a signal fire was lit. The light of the signal light was reflected and amplified by a whole system of polished bronze plates.
A huge golden statue of Poseidon was installed on the dome of the lighthouse. It seemed that Poseidon guarded Faros lighthouse, peering intently into their sea expanses.
After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, a city was founded, named Alexandria in his honor. The city began to actively develop and prosper and became a major center of maritime trade. Soon, an urgent need arose for the construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse.
Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts
The island of Pharos, located 1290 meters from Alexandria, was chosen as the location for the lighthouse. The construction of the Pharos lighthouse, which later became the seventh wonder of the world, was led by the architect Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes from Cnidus.
To ensure the supply of building materials to the island, a dam was built. The construction itself was completed at lightning speed by the standards of the ancient world, taking only six years (285-279 BC). The new building immediately “knocked out” the walls of Babylon from the list of classical wonders of the world, and took pride of place there to this day. The height of the Alexandria Lighthouse, according to contemporaries, reached 120 meters. The light projected from the tower of the Alexandria Lighthouse was visible up to 48 kilometers away.
The lighthouse had three tiers.
The first tier had a square shape with sides of 30.5 meters, oriented to the cardinal points. The total height of this tier was 60 meters. The corners of the tier were occupied by statues of tritons. The room itself was intended to house workers and guards, storerooms for fuel and food.
The middle tier of the Faros lighthouse had an octagonal shape with edges oriented according to the prevailing winds here. The upper part of the tier was decorated with statues, some of which functioned as weather vanes.
The upper tier of a cylindrical shape played the role of a lantern. It was surrounded by eight columns covered with a cone dome. The top of the dome of the Faros lighthouse was decorated with a seven-meter statue of Isis-Faria (guardian of seafarers). The powerful lamp was projected using a system of concave metal mirrors. There has been a long-standing debate about the delivery of fuel to the top of the Alexandria Lighthouse. Some suggest that delivery was carried out using lifting mechanisms along an internal shaft, while others say that the ascent was carried out using mules along a spiral ramp.
The lighthouse also had an underground part where supplies of drinking water for the garrison were located. It is worth mentioning that the lighthouse also served as a fortress guarding the sea route to Alexandria. The Faros lighthouse itself was even surrounded by a powerful fence with bastions and loopholes.
In the 14th century, the wonder of the world, the Faros lighthouse, was destroyed by an earthquake. Currently, the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world is evidenced only by images on Roman coins and the remains of ruins. For example, research in 1996 made it possible to find the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse at the bottom of the sea.
Lighthouse on Roman coins
A hundred years after the destruction, Sultan Qait Bey built a fort in its place. And now there are initiators who want to reconstruct the Faros Lighthouse, in the place where it was originally located - on the island of Faros. But the Egyptian authorities do not yet want to consider these projects, and the Qait Bay fortress continues to guard the site of the former great structure of antiquity.
Kite Bay Fortress
One of the Seven Wonders of the World is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, a structure built on the island of Pharos in the third century BC. The building is located near the famous Alexandria, which is why it was given this name. Another option could be the phrase “Faros Lighthouse” - from the name of the island on which it is located.
Purpose
The first wonder of the world - the Alexandria Lighthouse - was originally intended to help lost sailors who wanted to get to the shore, safely overcoming the underwater reefs. At night, the path was illuminated by flames and signal rays of light emanating from a huge fire, and during the day by columns of smoke emanating from a fire located at the very top of this sea tower. The lighthouse of Alexandria served faithfully for almost a thousand years, but was very badly damaged by an earthquake in 796. After this earthquake, five more very powerful and long-lasting tremors were recorded in history, which finally disabled this magnificent creation of human hands. Of course, they tried to reconstruct it more than once, but all attempts only led to the fact that what remained of it was a small fortress, which was built by Sultan Qait Bey in the 15th century. It is this fortress that can be seen today. She is all that remains of this magnificent creation of man.
Story
Let's delve a little deeper into history and find out how this wonder of the world was built, because it is really fascinating and interesting. How much has happened, what are the features of the construction and its purpose - we will tell you about all this below, just don’t be lazy to read.
Where is the Alexandria Lighthouse located?
The lighthouse was built on a small island called Faros, which is located off the coast of Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. The whole history of this lighthouse is initially associated with the name of the great conqueror Alexander the Great. It was he who was the creator of the first wonder of the world - a thing that all humanity is proud of. On this island, Alexander the Great decided to establish a large port, which he actually did in 332 BC during his visit to Egypt. The structure received two names: the first - in honor of the one who decided to build it, the second - in honor of the name of the island on which it is located. In addition to such a famous lighthouse, the conqueror decided to build a city of the same name - one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean Sea. It should be noted that throughout his life, Alexander the Great built about eighteen policies with the name “Alexandria,” but this particular one went down in history and is known to this day. The city was built first, and only then its main attraction. Initially, the construction of the lighthouse was supposed to take 20 years, but that was not the case. The whole process took only 5 years, but despite this, the construction saw the world only in 283 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great - during the government of Ptolemy II - the king of Egypt.
Construction Features
I decided to approach the construction issue very carefully. According to some sources, he spent more than two years choosing a place to build a port. The conqueror did not want to create a city in the Nile, for which he found a very good replacement. The construction site was set up twenty miles to the south, not far from the drying up Lake Mareotis. Previously, there was a platform for the Egyptian city of Rakotis, which in turn made the entire construction process a little easier. The whole benefit of the location was that the port was able to receive ships from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River, which was very profitable and diplomatic. This not only increased the conqueror's profits, but also helped him and his followers build strong ties with both the merchants and sailors of the time. The city was created during the lifetime of Macedonian, but the Lighthouse of Alexandria was developed by Ptolemy the first Soter. It was he who finalized the design and brought it to life.
Alexandrian lighthouse. Photo
Looking at the image, we will see that the lighthouse consists of several “layers”. Three large marble towers stand on the base of huge stone blocks, weighing several hundred thousand tons in total. The first tower has the shape of a huge rectangle. Inside there are rooms intended for housing soldiers and port workers. On top was a smaller octagonal tower. The spiral ramp was a transition to the upper cylindrical tower, inside of which there was a large fire, which served as a light source. The entire structure weighed several million thousand tons, not including the decorations and instruments inside it. Because of this, the soil began to subsidence, which caused serious problems and required additional fortifications and construction work.
Start of fire
Despite the fact that the Pharos lighthouse was built during 285 - 283 BC, it began to work only at the beginning of the first century BC. It was then that the entire system of signal lights was developed, working thanks to large bronze disks that direct the light into the sea. In parallel with this, a composition of gunpowder was invented that emitted a huge amount of smoke - a way to indicate the way during the day.
Height and range of outgoing light
The total height of the Alexandria lighthouse is from 120 to 140 meters (the difference is the difference in ground height). Thanks to this arrangement, the light from the fire was visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers in bright weather (there is evidence that in calm weather the light was visible 100 kilometers or more) and up to 45-50 kilometers during a thunderstorm. The direction of the rays was due to a special formation in several rows. The first row was a tetrahedral prism, the height of which reached 60-65 meters, with a square base with an area of 900 square meters. Equipment and everything necessary to supply fuel and maintain the “eternal” fire were stored here. The basis for the middle part was a large flat lid, the corners of which were decorated with large statues of Tritons. This room was an octagonal tower made of white marble 40 meters high. The third part of the lighthouse is built of eight columns; on top of them there is a large dome, which is decorated with a large eight-meter bronze statue of Poseidon. Another name for the statue is Zeus the Savior.
"Eternal flame"
Maintaining the fire was a difficult task. More than a ton of fuel was required every day so that the fire could burn with the necessary strength. Wood, which was the main material, was delivered in specially equipped carts along a spiral ramp. The carts were pulled by mules, which required more than a hundred for one lift. In order for the light from the fire to spread as far as possible, huge bronze sheets were placed behind the flame, at the foot of each column, with the help of which they directed the light.
Additional purpose
According to some manuscripts and surviving documents, the Alexandria Lighthouse served not only as a source of light for lost sailors. For soldiers it became an observation post, for scientists - an astronomical observatory. Accounts say that there was a large amount of very interesting technical equipment - clocks of all shapes and sizes, a weather vane, as well as many astronomical and geographical instruments. Other sources speak of the presence of a huge library and a school where elementary disciplines were taught, but this does not have any significant evidence.
Death
The death of the lighthouse occurred not only due to several powerful earthquakes, but also due to the fact that the bay almost ceased to be used, since it was very silted. After the port became unusable, the bronze plates used to direct the light into the sea were melted down into coins and jewelry. But this was not the end. The complete destruction of the lighthouse occurred in the 15th century during one of the most powerful earthquakes ever to occur off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. After this, the remains were restored several times and served as a fortress, as well as a home for the few inhabitants of the island.
In modern world
Today, the Faros Lighthouse, a photo of which can be very easily found, is one of the few architectural monuments lost in history and time. This is something that still interests both scientists and ordinary people who like centuries-old things, because many events, literary works and scientific discoveries that are important for the entire development of the world are associated with it. Alas, not much remains of the 7 Wonders of the World. The Alexandria Lighthouse, or rather only part of it, is one of those buildings that humanity can be proud of. True, all that remains of it is just the lower tier, which served as a warehouse and place of residence for the military and workers. Thanks to many reconstructions, the structure was not completely destroyed. It was converted into something like a small castle-fortress, inside which the remaining inhabitants of the island lived. This is exactly what you can see when you visit the island of Faros, which is quite popular among tourists. After a complete construction and cosmetic renovation, the lighthouse has a more modern appearance, making it a modern building with a centuries-old history.
Future plans
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the sites protected by UNESCO. Thanks to this, various repairs are carried out annually in order to protect the fortress from destruction. There was even a time when they talked about completely restoring its previous appearance, but this was never done, because then the lighthouse would have lost its status as one of the wonders of the world. But you should definitely see it if you are interested in history.
