The Lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the tallest man-made structures for almost 1000 years and has survived almost 22 earthquakes! Interesting, isn't it?
In 1994, French archaeologists discovered several ruins in the waters off the coast of Alexandria. Large blocks and artifacts were discovered. These blocks belonged to the Alexandria Lighthouse. Built by the first Ptolemy, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also called the Pharos Lighthouse, was the only ancient wonder with the actual purpose of helping sailors and ships enter the harbor. It was located on the island of Pharos in Egypt and was a wonderful example of ancient architecture. The lighthouse was a source of income and an important milestone for the city.
Story
◈ Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in 332 BC.
◈ After his death, Ptolemy I Soter declared himself as pharaoh. He built a city and commissioned a lighthouse.
◈ Pharos was a small island connected to Alexandria by a causeway called Heptastadion.
◈ Alexander named 17 cities after himself, but Alexandria is the only city that has survived and flourished.
◈ Unfortunately, Alexander was unable to see this beautiful structure in his city since he died in 323 BC.
Construction
◈ The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built between 280 and 247 BC. This is about 12 - 20 years for construction. Ptolemy I died before its completion, so it was opened by his son Ptolemy of Philadelphia.
◈ The construction cost was about 800 talents, which is currently equivalent to 3 million dollars.
◈ The lighthouse was approximately 135 meters high. The lowest part was square, the middle was octagonal, and the top was round.
◈ Limestone blocks were used to build the lighthouse. They were sealed with molten lead to withstand strong waves.
◈ Spiral staircases led to the top.
◈ The huge, crooked mirror reflected light during the day, and at night there was a fire burning at the very top.
◈ The light of the lighthouse could be seen, according to various sources, at a distance of 60 to 100 km.
◈ Unconfirmed sources say that the mirror was also used to identify and burn enemy ships.
◈ 4 statues of the god Triton stood at the four corners on top and a statue of Zeus or Poseidon in the center.
◈ The designer of the lighthouse was Sostratus of Cnidus. Some sources also credit him with sponsorship.
◈ Legend says that Ptolemy did not allow Sostratus to write his name on the walls of the lighthouse. Even then, Sostratus wrote "Sostratus, son of Dectiphon, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of the seas" on the wall, and then put plaster on top and wrote the name of Ptolemy.
Destruction
◈ The lighthouse was heavily damaged during an earthquake in 956, and again in 1303 and 1323.
◈ Although the Lighthouse survived almost 22 earthquakes, it finally collapsed in 1375.
◈ In 1349, the famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta visited Alexandria, but was unable to climb the lighthouse.
◈ In 1480 the remaining stone was used to create the fort of Qite Bay on the same site.
◈ Now there is an Egyptian military fortress on the site of the lighthouse, so researchers cannot get there.
Meaning
◈ The monument has become an ideal model of a lighthouse and has important architectural significance.
◈ The word "Pharos" - lighthouse comes from the Greek word φάρος in many languages such as French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.
◈ The lighthouse of Alexandria is mentioned by Julius Caesar in his works.
◈ The lighthouse remains a civic symbol of the city of Alexandria. His image is used on the flag and seal of the province, as well as on the flag of the University of Alexandria.
One of the most outstanding monuments of the ancient world now lies underwater in ruins. But everyone can swim around the ruins with equipment.
In 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded Alexandria. In 290 BC. Ruler Ptolemy I. ordered the construction of a lighthouse on the small island of Pharos as quickly as possible as a symbol of the city and a coastal landmark.
Pharos was located near the coast of Alexandria - it was connected to the mainland by a huge artificial dam (dam), which was also part of the city harbor. The coast of Egypt is distinguished by the monotony of its landscape - it is dominated by plains and lowlands, and sailors have always needed an additional landmark for successful navigation: a signal light before entering the harbor of Alexandria. Thus, the function of the building on Pharos was determined from the very beginning. Actually, the lighthouse, precisely as a structure with a system of mirrors reflecting sunlight and signal lights on the top, dates back to approximately the 1st century AD. e., which dates back to the times of Roman rule. However, the Alexandria Lighthouse, which served as a coastal sign for sailors, was erected in the 4th century BC.
The lighthouse was created by the architect Sostratus of Cnidia. Proud of his creation, he wanted to leave his name on the foundation of the structure, but Ptolemy II, who inherited the throne after his father Ptolemy Soter, forbade him to perform this free act. The pharaoh wanted only his royal name to be engraved on the stones, and that he be revered as the creator of the Alexandria lighthouse. Sostrato, being an intelligent man, did not argue, but simply found a way to circumvent the ruler’s order. First, he knocked out the following inscription on the stone wall: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphon, a Cnidian, dedicated to the savior gods for the health of seafarers!”, after which he covered it with a layer of plaster, and wrote the name of Ptolemy on top. Centuries passed, and the plaster became cracked and crumbled, revealing to the world the name of the true builder of the lighthouse.
Construction dragged on for 20 years, but in the end the Lighthouse of Alexandria became the world's first lighthouse, and the tallest structure of the ancient world, not counting the Great Pyramids of Giza. Soon the news of the Miracle spread throughout the world and the lighthouse began to be called by the name of the island of Faros or simply Pharos. Afterwards, the word “faros”, as a designation for a lighthouse, became established in many languages (Spanish, Romanian, French)
In the 10th century, two detailed descriptions of the Alexandria lighthouse were compiled: by travelers Idrisi and Yusuf el-Shaikh. According to them, the height of the building was 300 cubits. Since such a measure of length as a “cubit” had different sizes among different peoples, when translated into modern parameters, the height of the lighthouse ranges from 450 to 600 feet. Although I think the first number is more true. 
The lighthouse on Pharos was not at all like most modern structures of this type - thin single towers, but rather resembled a futuristic skyscraper. It was a three-story (three-tiered) tower, whose walls were made of marble blocks held together with lead-laced mortar.
The first floor was over 200 feet high and 100 feet long. Thus, the lowest tier of the lighthouse resembled a massive parallelepiped. Inside, along its walls, there was an inclined entrance along which a horse-drawn cart could climb up.
The second tier was built in the shape of an octagonal tower, and the top floor of the lighthouse resembled a cylinder topped with a dome resting on columns. The top of the dome was decorated with a huge statue of the god Poseidon, the ruler of the seas. There was always a fire burning on the platform below him. It is said that the light of this lighthouse could be seen from ships at a distance of 35 miles (56 km).
At the very bottom of the lighthouse there were many service rooms where equipment was stored, and inside the two upper floors there was a shaft with a lifting mechanism that allowed fuel for the fire to be delivered to the very top.
In addition to this mechanism, a spiral staircase led along the walls to the top of the lighthouse, along which visitors and staff climbed to the platform where the signal fire burned. According to sources, a massive concave mirror, probably made of polished metal, was also installed there. It was used to reflect and enhance the light of a fire. They say that at night the ships were guided to the harbor by a bright reflected light, and during the day by a huge smoke column visible from afar.
Some legends say that the mirror at the Pharos lighthouse could also be used as a weapon: supposedly it was capable of focusing the sun's rays in such a way that it burned enemy ships as soon as they appeared in the field of view. Other legends say that it was possible to see Constantinople on the other side of the sea, using this mirror as a magnifying glass. Both stories seem too implausible.
The most complete description of it was left by the Arab traveler Abu Haggag Yusuf ibn Mohammed el-Andalussi, who visited Pharos in 1166. His notes read: " The Alexandria Lighthouse is located at the very edge of the island. Its plinth has a square base, the length of the sides is approximately 8.5 meters, while the northern and western sides are washed by the sea. The height of the eastern and southern walls of the basement reaches 6.5 meters. However, the height of the walls facing the sea is much greater, they are more vertical and resemble a steep mountain slope. The stonework of the lighthouse here is especially strong. I must say that the part of the building that I described above is the most modern, since it was here that the masonry had dilapidated the most and needed restoration. On the side of the plinth that faces the sea is an ancient inscription, which I cannot read, because the wind and sea waves have worn away the stone base, causing the letters to partially crumble. The dimensions of the letter "A" are slightly less than 54 cm. And the upper part of the "M" resembles a large hole in the bottom of a copper boiler. The sizes of the remaining letters are similar.
The entrance to the lighthouse is at a considerable height, because an embankment 183 meters long leads to it. It rests on a series of arches, the width of which is so great that my companion, standing under one of them and spreading his arms to the sides, could not touch its walls. There were sixteen arches in total, and each of them was larger than the previous one. The very last arch is especially striking in its size".
How did the world's first lighthouse end up at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea? Most sources say that the lighthouse, like other ancient structures, fell victim to earthquakes. The lighthouse on Pharos stood for 1500 years, but tremors in 365, 956 and 1303 AD. e. seriously damaged it. And the earthquake of 1326 (according to other sources, 1323) completed the destruction.
The story of how most of the lighthouse was turned into ruins in 850 thanks to the intrigues of the Emperor of Constantinople seems completely unreliable. Since Alexandria competed very successfully with the above-mentioned city, the ruler of Constantinople conceived a cunning plan to destroy the lighthouse on Pharos. He spread rumors that a treasure of fabulous value was hidden under the foundation of this building. When the caliph in Cairo (who was at that time the ruler of Alexandria) heard this rumor, he ordered the lighthouse to be demolished in order to find the treasures hidden under it. Only after the giant mirror was broken and two tiers had already been destroyed did the caliph realize that he had been deceived. He tried to restore the building, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Then he rebuilt the surviving first floor of the lighthouse, turning it into a mosque. However, no matter how colorful this story is, it cannot be true. After all, travelers who visited the Faros lighthouse already in 1115 AD. e. indicate that even then he still remained safe and sound, properly performing his function.
Thus, the Lighthouse still stood on the island when the traveler Ibn Jabar visited Alexandria in 1183. What he saw shocked him so much that he exclaimed: “No description can convey all its beauty, there are not enough eyes to look at it, and there are not enough words to tell about the greatness of this spectacle!”
Two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 destroyed the lighthouse on Pharos so much that the Arab traveler Ibn Batuta was no longer able to get inside this structure. But even these ruins have not survived to this day: in 1480, Sultan Qait Bey, who ruled Egypt at that time, erected a citadel (fort) on the site of the lighthouse. The remains of the lighthouse's masonry were taken for construction. Thus, the lighthouse became part of the medieval fort of Qite Bay. However, the blocks from which the Alexandria Lighthouse was once built can still be distinguished in the stone walls of the fort - due to their gigantic size.
Daria Nessel| Oct 10, 2017
Alexandrian lighthouse, built on Pharos, is an ancient skyscraper, the like of which could only be created after 16 centuries. Due to its unprecedented height of more than 100 m, it is considered one of.
Alexandria Lighthouse - observation outpost
In 332 BC. at the mouth of the Nile River, on a spit flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, Alexander the Great founded the capital of his empire in Egypt and called it Alexandria. The prudent conqueror chose the place so that it would be a convenient harbor at the crossroads of waterways, invulnerable from land and not lack water in the arid African climate.
The desert, stretching a thousand miles to the south, a lake and one of the branches of the Nile Delta provided all the conditions for starting the construction of a city.
The seventh wonder of the world is the Faros Lighthouse.
The death of Alexander the Great 9 years later did not allow this project to be carried out during his lifetime. Diadochus (military leader) Ptolemy I, as a result of the division of the giant power, strengthened himself in Egypt and realized the plans of the Macedonian.
The founder of a family that ruled in Egypt for about 300 years, a descendant of a Greek aristocrat, a comrade-in-arms of the famous commander, an intelligent and careful ruler, managed to bury Alexander in his home, thereby placing his kingdom in a special position compared to other parts of the collapsed empire.
The last representative of this dynasty, Cleopatra, committed suicide in Alexandria after the news of the death of Mark Antony and the defeat of the Egyptian troops by Roman legionnaires.
Having invested considerable funds, he turned this settlement into a cultural center of civilization, where outstanding philosophers, poets, mathematicians, and sculptors such as Euclid, Heron, and Konstantinos Kafavis lived and worked.
The Library of Alexandria and the Museum appeared during the reign of the Ptolemies (co-ruler of Ptolemy I was his son).
Commercial ships from three continents dropped their anchors in the waters of Alexandria. The Egyptian fleet was dominant in the Mediterranean. A reliable port was required, which was what the capital was supposed to become.
The sea routes to Alexandria passed close to dangerous reefs, so the construction of a lighthouse was necessary. In addition, to protect against attacks from the sea, an observation outpost was needed, since the flat nature of the terrain did not allow the enemy to be seen from afar.
Alexandrian lighthouse.
Construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse
The lighthouse of Alexandria was built in a short time, in just 5 years (approximately 285 - 280 BC) and stood for almost ten centuries.
Such a short schedule is explained by the favorable circumstances that developed during this period: sufficient financial and labor resources and non-aggression agreements concluded by Ptolemy with his enemies.
According to the testimony of the ancient Greek historian Pliny the Elder, 800 talents were spent on the Pharos lighthouse.
The coast on which Alexandria was founded had no natural shelter, so a dam and a pier were built to create an artificial bay.
The dam served three functions:
- divided the water area into sea and river,
- prevented siltation of the bottom,
- It was used for supplies during further maintenance of the Alexandria lighthouse.
The pier protected the port complex from storms and hurricanes.
On the eastern rocky coast of Pharos, on a massive granite base with sides 180 by 130 meters, a three-tier fortress was erected with a total height, according to various estimates, from 110 to 180 meters, surrounded by a fortress wall.
The materials for construction were granite and limestone, lined with marble.
- The first tier was a structure approximately the height of a 20-story building, with a square base with a perimeter of 120 meters, oriented to the cardinal points.
On its flat roof stood four towers and statues of Tritons (mythical half-humans, half-fish, who with the movement of their tail pacified or raised waves).
Inside the first floor there was a garrison guarding the Alexandria Lighthouse and service personnel, as well as the necessary equipment and supplies of food and water in case of a siege.
- The second, forty-meter tier was an octagonal prism oriented in the direction of the winds. Inside this floor, supposedly, there was a ramp along which the fuel was raised to the upper tier.
According to legend, on the second tier there were extraordinary statues: one always pointed to the sun with its hand and lowered it when it set; the other is the wind direction; the third is the time of day.
- The last tier of 8 ten-meter columns, covered with a dome, formed a lantern, inside of which a fire burned at night and smoke poured out during the day.
On the roof of the Faros lighthouse, facing the sea, stood a seven-meter bronze statue of Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of the seas and oceans.
The flame of the giant fire was kept alive by tarred wood around the clock, warning sailors about shoals, reefs and showing the way to the harbor. In fog and rain with poor visibility, the sound of a trumpet notified approaching ships about the proximity of a reliable pier.
Faros lighthouse.
In the Lighthouse of Alexandria, a system of mirrors (made of polished metal plates) was used for the first time, enhancing the glow of the fire and creating a directed beam visible over a hundred kilometers. It was so bright that in the darkness it looked like the radiance of a star and sometimes knocked sailors off course as they made their way, guided by the starry sky. The genius of the engineers there remained in the name of the modern optical device: headlight.
Upon completion of the work, this grandiose creation was immediately classified as a wonder of the world.
The Alexandria Lighthouse was designed and built by the architect and builder Sostratus of Cnidia. Pride in his creation forced him to carve his own name on the foundation stones in order to preserve it for future generations. The inscription said that he, Sostratus of Cnidus, dedicated the lighthouse to the savior gods for the glory of sailors.
But the monarch demanded that he be immortalized. The resourceful architect covered the message he had drawn with mortar and wrote “Ptolemy I Soter” on top. Years passed, the plaster fell away, revealing to everyone the real creator of the miracle.
Decline of the Alexandria Lighthouse
The Faros lighthouse was a symbol of Alexandria. It was admired, minted on money, decorated with vases and jugs, and made as souvenirs.
By the 12th century. the structure fell into disrepair, ships no longer came here due to silting and shifting trade routes. The parts were melted down into small banknotes.
In the XIV century. new tremors finally destroyed the masterpiece of culture and architecture. On its ruins, Sultan Qait Bey built a bastion, which has survived to this day.
Now this fortification is a naval base.
Divers found the remains of masonry, partially submerged after seismic activity. This was the reason for a small sensation picked up by the press.
Since 2015, the Cairo administration has been considering the possibility of reconstructing the Alexandria Lighthouse.
Alexandria Lighthouse - help to seafarers, challenge of the sea elements. This seventh wonder of the world arose thanks to skillful human hands and died due to the vagaries of nature. The Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse, which served people for 1.5 thousand years, was crushed by a series of tremors. The majestic building did not want to give up for a long time and fought to the last, withstanding three earthquakes and collapsing during the fourth. This is how the tallest structure in the ancient world perished.
Faros Island is an ideal location for the Alexandria Lighthouse
The glorious Egyptian city of Alexandria during the time of the ruler Ptolemy Soter quickly grew into a large trading city. Lines of ships with various goods reached out to him. But to get to the local port, they had to maneuver between treacherous reefs, of which there were a lot on the approach to Alexandria. Bad weather increased the risk of shipwreck.
The lighthouse of Alexandria was located on the island of Pharos, near the Egyptian coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
At first they wanted to improve visibility for sailors by lighting fires on the shore (as the Athenians did in the 5th century BC), but this was not enough to give signals to ships traveling far from the shore. "Lighthouse! This is what we need,” it dawned on Ptolemy one of the sleepless nights.
The Pharos lighthouse was a landmark for ancient sailors heading to the port of Alexandria
The ruler was lucky - according to the map, at a distance of a little more than a kilometer from Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea there was the island of Pharos, and God himself ordered the construction of a lighthouse there. The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse was entrusted to the engineer Sostratus, a resident of Cnidia. Construction began immediately, and a dam was even built between the mainland and the island. Work on the Faros lighthouse lasted approximately from 5 to 20 years and was completed at the end of the 3rd century. BC. True, the system of signal lights itself appeared only 100 years later.
The power and beauty of the Faros lighthouse
According to various sources, the height of the Alexandria lighthouse was from 115 to 137 meters. For reasons of practicality, it was erected from marble blocks held together with lead mortar. The best Alexandrian architects and scientists were involved in the construction - it was they who came up with the design of a lighthouse consisting of three tiers.
The Alexandria lighthouse consisted of three stages: pyramidal, prismatic and cylindrical.
The first level of the Alexandria Lighthouse was pyramidal in shape with planes oriented along the 4 cardinal directions. Its protrusions were decorated with statues of tritons. The premises at this level were intended to accommodate workers and soldiers, store equipment, fuel and food.
A spiral-shaped ramp was built inside the Faros lighthouse to deliver firewood and oil to the top
The eight faces of the second stage of the Faros lighthouse were designed by ancient architects according to the wind rose and decorated with bronze statues. Some of the sculptures were movable and served as weather vanes. The third tier of the structure had a cylindrical shape and ended with a dome on which stood a 7-meter bronze statue of the ruler of the seas, Poseidon. But they say that in fact the top of the dome of the Faros lighthouse was decorated with a statue of a woman - the guardian of seafarers, Isis-Faria.
Sostratos was proud of the lighthouse for good reason
At that time, humanity did not yet know electricians, and to signal the sailors, a giant fire was lit at the very top of the Alexandria lighthouse. Its light intensified, reflected in the polished bronze plates, and was visible up to 100 kilometers in the area. Ancient legends said that the radiance coming from the Faros lighthouse was capable of burning enemy ships even before approaching the shore.
A fire was constantly burning in the dome of the lighthouse, illuminating the way for sailors at night and during the day in poor visibility.
At night, the direction of the ships was indicated by powerful tongues of flame, during the day - by clouds of smoke. To keep the fire burning, the Romans established an uninterrupted supply of firewood to the top of the Alexandria lighthouse. They were pulled out on carts drawn by mules and horses. For this purpose, a flat road in the shape of a spiral was built inside the Faros Lighthouse - one of the first ramps in the world. Although some scientists claim that firewood was dragged to the top using lifting mechanisms.
Drawing of the Faros lighthouse by archaeologist G. Thiersch (1909)
Interesting to know. The Alexandria lighthouse was surrounded by a powerful fence with loopholes, so it could serve as a fort and observation post. From the top of the lighthouse it was possible to see the enemy fleet long before it approached the city. In the underground part of the structure, supplies of drinking water were kept in case of a siege.
The lighthouse of Alexandria was also a fort and could withstand a protracted siege
Sostratus of Knidos was very proud of his brainchild. He was disgusted by the idea that descendants would not know the name of the creator of the Alexandria Lighthouse. Therefore, on the wall of the first tier, the engineer carved the inscription: “Sostratus of Cnidia, son of Dextiphanes, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of seafarers.” But the loyal subject was afraid of the wrath of the Egyptian ruler, who usually takes all the credit for himself, so he hid the phrase under a thick layer of plaster, on which he scraped the name of the vain Ptolemy Soter. Pieces of clay fell off very quickly, and even during the life of the Faros lighthouse, travelers could read the name of its true creator.
Decline and destruction of the Alexandria Lighthouse
Alarming signals about the destruction of the Pharos lighthouse began to appear during the fall of the Roman Empire. It was not maintained in proper condition, and the once majestic structure began to fall into disrepair. The current brought silt into the bay, ships could no longer enter the port of Alexandria, and the need for a lighthouse on the island of Pharos gradually disappeared. Over time, the bronze mirror plates of the Alexandria Lighthouse were stolen and melted down - it is assumed that they “dispersed” throughout the world in the form of coins and ended up in the collections of numismatists.
The only images that give an idea of the architecture of the Faros lighthouse are embossed designs on ancient Roman coins
Earthquakes in 365, 956 and 1303 AD. significantly damaged the building - the epicenters were located a short distance from the place where the lighthouse was built. And in 1323, powerful tremors accelerated the demise of the Alexandria Lighthouse - only ruins remained of the structure...
Modern reconstruction of the Alexandria Lighthouse building
One of the options for Farossoko lighthouse architecture, made of sand
Modern 3D visualizers provide different ideas regarding the appearance of the Alexandria Lighthouse
In the 14th century AD. Egypt was settled by nimble Arabs. The first thing they did was roll up their sleeves and try to restore the Alexandria Lighthouse. But their zeal was only enough for a 30-meter structure - then construction work stalled. Why the Arabs did not continue the restoration of the Faros lighthouse - history is silent. And only 100 years later, in the place where the Faros lighthouse was erected, the Sultan of Egypt Qait-Bey built a fortress - it still stands there, having safely survived to this day. Now there is a base for the Egyptian fleet. From the Alexandria lighthouse itself, only the base remained, completely built into the fortress.
The Faros lighthouse will be revived!
For many centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was considered the tallest building on Earth. Therefore it is classified as 7 ancient wonders of the world. The lighthouse, or rather, all that remained of it, was discovered in 1994 - some fragments of the building were found at the bottom of the sea - archaeologists rejoiced at this message from the historical past. And in May 2015, the Egyptian government decided to re-build the Faros Lighthouse - on the same spot where the original was once built.
A smaller building of the Alexandria Lighthouse was built in one of the Chinese parks for entertainment and recreation.
Volumetric reconstruction of the Faros lighthouse to scale
It is not yet known when construction will begin. The biggest difficulty when trying to build an exact copy of the structure is the lack of “lifetime” images of the Alexandria Lighthouse, so the architects will have to puff, relying only on information from descriptions in several written Arabic sources and photographs of the ruins. The appearance of the Faros lighthouse was reconstructed using computer modeling - only ruins and its images on Roman coins testify to the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world.
A cardboard model of the Alexandria Lighthouse, giving an idea of the main structural elements of the building
Interesting to know. Another possible clue for creating a project for a future lighthouse could be a tomb in the Egyptian city of Abusir. It was built in the same period as the Alexandria Lighthouse. People even call the tower the Abusir Lighthouse. Historians suggest that it was specially built as a smaller copy of the Faros lighthouse.
The lighthouse of Alexandria was described by ancient historians and travelers, including the “father of history” Herodotus. The most complete description of the Faros lighthouse in 1166 was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi, a famous Arab traveler, who stated that the lighthouse was not only a useful structure, but also a worthy decoration of Alexandria.
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World life-size on the landscape (3D modeling)
- The Faros lighthouse remains a symbol of the city of Alexandria today. His stylized image adorns the city flag. Moreover, a drawing of the Alexandria Lighthouse appears on the seals of many government institutions, including the local university.
- The structure of the minarets of Islamic mosques is identical to the architecture of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
- Reconstructions of the Faros Lighthouse are strikingly similar to the New York Empire State Building skyscraper.
- A replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the Chinese amusement park Window of the World.
- It is assumed that in the first attempts to determine the radius of the Earth, ancient Greek scientists used the Alexandria (Pharos) lighthouse.
In contact with
The history of the seventh Wonder of the World - the Lighthouse of Alexandria - is associated with its foundation in 332 BC. Alexandria, a city that was named after the great Roman commander Alexander the Great. It should be noted that throughout his career, the conqueror founded about 17 cities with similar names, but only the Egyptian project managed to survive to this day.
Alexandrian lighthouse
Foundation of the city in honor of the great commander
Macedonian selected the site for the founding of Egyptian Alexandria very carefully. He did not like the idea of a location in the Nile Delta, and so the decision was made to set up the first construction sites 20 miles to the south, near the marshy Lake Mareotis. Alexandria was supposed to have two large harbors - one for merchant ships coming from the Mediterranean, and the second for ships traveling along the Nile.
After the death of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. the city came under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter, the new ruler of Egypt. During this period, Alexandria developed into a thriving trading port. In 290 BC. Ptolemy ordered the construction of a huge lighthouse on the island of Pharos, which would illuminate the path for ships sailing in the city’s harbor in the dark and in bad weather.
Construction of a lighthouse on the island of Faros
The construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria dates back to the 4th century BC, but the system of signal lights itself appeared only in the 1st century BC. The creator of this masterpiece of engineering and architectural art is considered to be Sostratus, a resident of Cnidia. The work continued for just over 20 years, and as a result, the Lighthouse of Alexandria became the world's first structure of this type and the tallest building of the ancient world, not counting, of course, the Gisean pyramids.
The height of the Alexandria Lighthouse was approximately 450-600 feet. Moreover, the structure was absolutely unlike any other architectural monument available at that time. The building was a three-tiered tower, the walls of which were made of marble slabs held together with lead mortar. The most complete description of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi, the famous Arab traveler, in 1166. He noted that the lighthouse, in addition to performing purely practical functions, served as a very noticeable landmark.
The fate of the great Lighthouse
The Faros lighthouse illuminated the way for seafarers for more than 1,500 years. But strong tremors in 365, 956 and 1303 AD. severely damaged the building, and a powerful earthquake in 1326 finally destroyed one of the greatest architectural structures in the world. In 1994, the remains of the Alexandria Lighthouse were discovered by archaeologists, and subsequently the image of the structure was more or less successfully restored using computer modeling.
