The Lighthouse of Alexandria
(The Pharos Lighthouse)
The ancient lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, and was ranked third place among the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The lighthouse stood on the eastern point of Pharos Island and was named after the island. The Lighthouse of Pharos became so renowned that the name "pharos" is the root of the word "lighthouse" in several languages (for instance, "phare" in French).
The Lighthouse of Alexandria dates back to 280 BC (the third century BC). The aim behind building the lighthouse was guiding the sailors at the lower coasts of Egypt as the light that came out of the fire at the bottom of the lighthouse reflected on the copper mirrors and lighted the areas surrounding the lighthouse.
The construction of the lighthouse started during the reign of King Ptolemy I and was completed during the reign of Ptolemy II. It was built by the Greek architect and engineer Sostratus.
The Lighthouse was built of limestone and most of the pillars were made of granite; parts of the construction were decorated by marble and bronze.
It is said that the total costs of the lighthouse at the time reached 8,000 talents (roughly equivalent to quarter a million pounds). The Lighthouse of Alexandria had three basic structural elements; a rectangular base, an octagonal midsection, and a cylindrical upper section which housed the beacon. The lighthouse was of height that ranged between 120 meters and 135 meters. The rectangular base of the lighthouse was of height 60 meters with many windows and rooms that reached 30 rooms. They were all equipped and suitable to accommodate the workers at the lighthouse and their families and were also used for storing machines and special equipments of the lighthouse. This base level ends with a roof with huge bronze statues at its four edges that represent Triton, son of Neptune, God of the Sea.
The second level is an octagonal of height 30 meters and the third level is cylindrical with the summit of the lighthouse on top of it with a huge lantern which is the source of light in the lighthouse. This lantern was constructed on eight pillars with a dome on which there is a statue of Poseidon, the God of Seas and Earthquakes, 7 meters long, adorned the summit of the building.
Historians could not exactly understand how the lantern at such a height used to be lighted and it is claimed that going up and down the lighthouse was done by using a spiral staircase. The Lighthouse of Alexandria employed two types of beacons placed near the building's summit. At night, a bonfire generated the light. During the day, a mirror created it by reflecting and directing sun rays. The mirror was probably a large, round, concave disc made of polished metal.
In the yard of the lighthouse there was a lifting machine functioning with the hydrologic system and was used in lifting the fuel (wood) to the summit of the lighthouse where the lantern was located. The Arab traveler Ibn Jubayr mentioned that the light from the lighthouse could be seen up to 70 miles from shore.
Due to human neglect and a series of earthquakes, the lantern fell down and the mirror was destroyed in 700 AD, thus the lighthouse lost its job as guidance in the sea even before it was totally destructed by the earthquake in the fourteenth century AD.
Between 1165 and 1166, an Arab traveler, Abou-Haggag Al-Andaloussi visited the Lighthouse and documented a wealth of information and gave an accurate description of the structure which helped modern archeologists reconstruct the monument.
In 880 AD, Ibn Toulon restored the lighthouse then it was restored again in 980 AD and around 1100 AD, the octagonal midsection of the lighthouse fell down due to a strong earthquake and the first rectangular-shaped stage was the only part left of the lighthouse which became an observation point and a mosque was constructed above it.
In 1303 during the reign of Al Nasser Mohamed Ibn Kalawoon, another strong earthquake hit Alexandria and destroyed all the forts and walls of Alexandria. On his second visit to Alexandria in 1350 after the earthquake hit the lighthouse by half a century, the Arab traveler known as Ibn Battuta found the lighthouse “in such a state of ruin that it was impossible to enter.” Not long after, Sultan Ashtar Qaitbay recuperated and integrated certain parts of the lighthouse into a fort. Today, this seaside fort, Fort of Qaitbay, is the focal point of Alexandria's harbor and is as sturdy as ever.
Begun in 1994, the French archeological mission under the direction of Jean-Yves Empereur, head of the Alexandria Study Centre, classified over 2,000 pieces. Funds were contributed by the Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO) and Gedeon – a multimedia company which has produced a documentary in cooperation with the Louvre Museum, the cultural foundation of Elf Aquitaine and Electricité de France.
A project is currently under study to reconstruct the lighthouse and bring it back to life just like the resurrection ancient Library of Alexandria.
