The lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as Pharos, is the highest structure of the ancient world. Lighthouse of Alexandria: photo, description, history and interesting facts

After the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded a city in the Nile Delta, named after him - Alexandria. In the reign of Ptolemy I, the city achieved wealth and prosperity, and the Alexandrian harbor became a bustling center of maritime trade. With the development of shipping, the helmsmen who brought ships with cargoes to Alexandria felt more and more acutely the need for a lighthouse that would indicate to ships a safe path through the shoals. And in the III century. BC. on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos, which lies in the sea at a distance of 7 stadia (1290 m) from Alexandria, the architect Sostratus, the son of Dexifan of Cnidus, built the famous lighthouse, which became one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.
For the transport of building materials, the island was connected to the mainland by a dam. The work took only six years - from 285 to 279 BC. Seeing this tower suddenly grown on a deserted island, contemporaries were shocked. From the list of seven wonders of the world, "miracle No. 2" - the walls of Babylon, was immediately crossed out, and the Pharos lighthouse immediately took its place.
The hundred was completed in the late summer of 1997. In October 1998, this project received the prestigious Project of the Year award, given annually by the International Concrete Institute.

The Alexandrian poet Posidippus (c. 270 BC) in one of his epigrams sang this amazing structure:
The tower on Pharos, the salvation of the Greeks, Sostratus Deksifanov, the Architect of Cnidus, erected, O lord Proteus!
There are no island watchmen on the cliffs in Egypt, But a pier has been drawn from the Earth for anchorage of ships,
And high, cutting through the ether, the tower rises, Everywhere, for many miles, it is visible to the traveler during the day, At night, from afar, they see the sea floating all the time, The light from the great fire at the very top of the lighthouse. Per. L. Blumenau
This lighthouse remained in the days of Roman rule. According to Pliny the Elder, he shone "like a star in the darkness of night." This monumental structure had a height of at least 120 m, and its light was visible at a distance of up to 48 km.
According to Strabo, the lighthouse was built from local limestone and lined with white marble. Decorative friezes and ornaments are made of marble and bronze, columns - of granite and marble. The lighthouse, as it were, grew out of the center of a spacious courtyard, surrounded by a powerful fence, at the corners of which powerful bastions rose, reminiscent of the pylons of ancient Egyptian temples. D them, as well as along the entire wall, numerous loopholes were cut.
The lighthouse itself consisted of three tiers. The first, square in plan (30.5 × 30.5 m), oriented to the cardinal points and lined with squares of white marble, had a height of 60 m. Monumental statues depicting tritons were installed in its corners. Inside the first tier, rooms for workers and guards were located at different levels. There were also pantries where fuel and food were stored. On one of the side facades one could read the Greek inscription: “To the Savior Gods - to save the sailors”, where the gods meant the king of Egypt Ptolemy I and his wife Berenice.

The smaller octagonal middle tier was also lined with marble slabs. Eight of its faces were deployed in the directions of the prevailing winds in these places. At the top around the perimeter were numerous bronze statues; some of them could serve as weathercocks indicating the direction of the wind. A legend has been preserved that one of the figures followed the movement of the sun with an outstretched hand and lowered its hand only after it had set.
The upper tier had the shape of a cylinder and served as a lantern. It was surrounded by eight polished granite columns and crowned with a cone-shaped dome crowned with a 7-meter bronze statue of Isis-Faria, the patroness of seafarers. However, some researchers believe that there was a statue of the sea god Poseidon.
Light signaling was carried out using a powerful lamp placed at the focus of concave metal mirrors. It is believed that the lifting mechanisms installed inside the tower delivered the fuel to the top - in the middle of the lighthouse there was a shaft leading from the lower rooms up to the lighting system. According to another version, fuel was brought along a spiral ramp on carts pulled by horses or mules.

In the underground part of the lighthouse there was a storage of drinking water for the military garrison located on the island: both under the Ptolemies and under the Romans, the lighthouse simultaneously served as a fortress that prevented enemy ships from entering the main port of Alexandria.
It is believed that the upper part of the lighthouse (cylindrical, with a dome and a statue) collapsed in the 2nd century, but as early as 641 the lighthouse was in operation. In the XIV century. the earthquake finally destroyed this masterpiece of ancient architecture and construction technology. A hundred years later, the Egyptian Sultan Kait Bey ordered to build a fort on the remains of the foundation of the lighthouse, named after its creator. Today, we can judge the external appearance of the lighthouse only by its images on the coins of the Roman period and a few fragments of granite and marble columns.
In 1996, underwater archaeologists led by the famous French scientist Jean-Yves Emperer, founder of the Center for the Study of Alexandria, managed to find on the seabed the remains of the lighthouse structures that had collapsed into the sea as a result of an earthquake. This generated a lot of interest all over the world. In 2001, the Belgian government even took the initiative to recreate the Faros lighthouse on the same spot where it was built 2200 years ago. However, now the walls of the Qait Bay fortress still rise here, and the Egyptian government is in no hurry to agree to its demolition.

Lighthouse of Alexandria or Pharos is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. The construction was started under Alexander the Great, completed under Ptolemy I. Briefly described, its significance was of a strategic nature. The uniqueness of the building was due to the non-standard height of the building.

Alexander the Great founded the city of the same name south of the Nile Delta. To create strategically important sea trade routes, a port and a harbor were needed. The harbor was necessary because of the frequent shipwrecks in that area - at night, ships crashed on the rocky terrain of the reservoir.

The lighthouse carried an important functional solution - to illuminate the location of the stones, to direct ships towards the port and to warn the enemy attack in advance.

History of creation

Only a sufficiently tall building could cope with such functionality. According to the plans, the architect Sostratus of Knidos indicated the height of the lighthouse at 120 m. Some sources indicate 135-150 m. At the time of the 4th century BC, such a structure became a giant. Construction was supposed to last 20 years, but it went much faster - up to 12 years. According to another version - for 5-6 years.

Where is the lighthouse of Alexandria located on the world map

The lighthouse of Alexandria, a brief description of which allows you to find out about the proposed place of its construction, was located on the island of Pharos in Alexandria. Now it is connected to the mainland by an embankment. This part on the modern world map belongs to the Republic of Egypt.

Construction features

The appearance of the Lighthouse of Alexandria differed significantly from the architecture of that time. The direction was set in such a way that each wall pointed to the corresponding cardinal direction.

Under Alexander the Great, there were not enough resources for a quick construction. Therefore, initially the construction was supposed to last 20 years. But after the death of Macedonian and the conquest of the lands of Ptolemy, these resources appeared.

Ptolemy had several detachments of Jewish slaves who could begin construction. A dam was organized between the island and the mainland for easier transportation of people and building materials.

What did the Lighthouse of Alexandria look like?

Sailing sailors artistically described the characteristic features of the sculptures located along the contour of the lighthouse. One of them pointed to the sun. At night, the hand of the sculpture went down. Another statue struck the time every hour. The third one indicated the direction of the wind.

The version with the third sculpture can be called confirmed, since the second tier was located in the direction of the wind rose. Accordingly, one of the statues could indeed show the direction, according to the principle of a weather vane.

There is a version that the mechanisms responsible for displaying weather conditions were involved. One of the statues worked on the principle of the accumulation of solar energy or a similar mechanism, and the second - on the principle of a cuckoo clock. This version has not been reliably confirmed.

I (lower) tier

The lowest block was in the form of a square, each side of which was 30-31 m. The height of the first tier reached 60 m. This foundation part became the main one. In those days, the height of the foundation did not exceed 10 meters, which was an innovation for the lighthouse. The corners of the lower floor were decorated with statues in the form of tritons.

The practical purpose of the tier was to position the guards and the lighthouse workers in these rooms. Food and fuel for the lantern were also stored here.

II (middle) tier

The middle tier had a height of 40 m, the outer cladding was made of marble slabs. The octagonal shape of this part of the building was facing the direction of the winds. Thus, the enlarged architectural solution of Sostratus of Knidos took into account all the outgoing data. The statues decorating the tier served as weathercocks.

III (upper) tier

The third cylindrical tier was the main one for the lighthouse. The statue stood on 8 granite columns.

There are 3 versions whose figure was depicted:

1. God of the seas Poseidon.
2. Isis-Faria, the goddess of prosperous sailors.
3. Zeus the Savior, the main god.

Its material also differs in two versions: bronze or gold. The height of the statue reached 7-8 m. The top of the lighthouse was domed in the form of a cone. Under the statue there was a platform for a signal fire. An increase in the amount of light was created using concave mirrors (possibly bronze) made of metal according to one version and the same shape of smooth polished stones according to another. G

A number of disputes arose on the basis of fuel delivery:

• One of the versions about the delivery using a lifting mechanism inside the lighthouse in the mine.
• Another story speaks of raising fuel on mules up a spiraling ramp.
• The third version modified the second one - donkeys were delivered along a gentle staircase.

One of the versions of the delivery of fuel for the lamp to the upper tier of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Pharos is the island on which the lighthouse was located. The delivery of fuel and provisions for the guards would take place on boats, which would greatly complicate transportation. Therefore, it was decided to build a dam from the island to the mainland. Subsequently, the dam trampled down, forming a land isthmus.

Height and distance of outgoing light

Regarding the range of outgoing light, very conflicting data. One version is 51 km, the other is 81. But according to Struisky's mathematical calculations, for a similar range of light, the height of the lighthouse should have been at least 200-400 m. The most probable version is that the light from the building came from no more than 20 km.

At night, the lighthouse illuminated with the help of fire, and during the day it served as a designation in the form of an outgoing column of smoke.

Additional purpose

The lighthouse of Alexandria, a brief description of which is in scientific publications, had an additional purpose. By the time of construction, Alexander the Great was expecting an attack by the Ptolemies on the water. Lighting could forestall the advantage of a surprise attack by enemies. For this purpose, a sentinel post was located on the lower floor, which periodically looked through the sea.

Macedonian feared, based on the experience of other rulers. At that time, Demetrius Poliorcetes suddenly attacked the harbor of Piraeus, taking advantage of the enemy's limited visibility. Demetrius also appeared off the Egyptian coast after an unsuccessful campaign against Ptolemy.

Egypt then escaped the fight due to a severe storm that destroyed a large part of the enemy fleet. Alexander began the construction of an important lighthouse, but only Ptolemy I was able to complete it. Under the lighthouse, on the underground floor, there was a large water cistern for the duration of the proposed siege.

What happened to the Lighthouse of Alexandria

There are several reasons for the destruction of the lighthouse:

• Due to the death of Alexander the Great, the central focus of the lighthouse was lost. Gradually, it collapsed due to insufficient funding.
• The sea trade route to Pharos was blocked, so the need for a lighthouse and a bay disappeared. Copper statues and mirrors were melted down into coins.
• The remains of the lighthouse were destroyed by an earthquake.

Until 796, the story is the same: the lighthouse was gradually destroyed, and the earthquake caused damage.

Alternative version of destruction

The further history is divided into supposed parts:

Total destruction version	Versions of partial destruction
The lighthouse was completely destroyed to the very foundation. Almost 800 years later, it was partly rebuilt from strategic military targets. The height of the new lighthouse did not exceed 30 m.	The earthquake partially destroyed the lighthouse, but it was successfully repaired. It stood until the 14th century. The troops were stationed here. Due to countless raids, the lighthouse was destroyed to the ground of 30 meters within a hundred years.
	There is another version in which the lighthouse was partially destroyed. It is assumed that its plundering caused the destruction. During the capture of the Egyptian state by the Arabs, the Byzantines and Christian countries wanted to lure people and weaken the enemy. But the lighthouse prevented them from getting into the city. Therefore, several people secretly made their way into the city and spread rumors about the treasure of Ptolemy, which is hidden in the lighthouse. Arab people began to dismantle the inside of the structure, melting down metals. This caused damage to the mirror system and permanently broke the beacon. The construction remained in the form of a standing building, and half a century later it was converted into a fortress.

The meaning of the wonder of the world in the modern world

The lighthouse of Alexandria has preserved the remains of the foundation, which in the modern world is occupied by Fort Kite Bay (or Alexandria Fortress). Briefly described, the fortress served as a defensive citadel of Turkey, but was conquered by the Napoleonic army during the weakening of the state.

In the 9th century, the Alexandria fortress was under the rule of Egypt. At this time, it was strengthened and equipped with modern tools for that time. After a strong attack by the British troops, it was again destroyed. By the end of the 20th century, the fort was completely rebuilt.

Having such a long history, the fortress acquired a new value. For this reason, they did not want to rebuild the Lighthouse of Alexandria in its original place - this would have destroyed those historical monuments that were erected after the destruction of the lighthouse.

Possibility of recovery

By the 15th century, the fort-fortress of Kite Bay was built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. According to one version, the wreckage of the lighthouse was used. According to another, the fort was built in the preserved part of the building. At the end of the 20th century, there was an international discussion about restoring the lighthouse.

The Egyptians planned to start work elsewhere, their initiative was supported by countries:

• Italy.
• Greece.
• France.
• Germany.

The project is planned to be called Medistone. It includes the reconstruction of architectural buildings from the Ptolemaic era. Expert evaluation of the project in the region of $40 million. The bulk of the budget will be spent on the construction of modern amenities: a business center, a restaurant, a diving club, a hotel and a museum themed around the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The location of the new reconstructed structure was discussed at length. The Egyptians did not want to give up the original location of the lighthouse due to its current importance with the fort built. It was decided to build a new lighthouse to the east in the bay on a five-pointed float. The center of the float will be decorated with a glass interpretation of the lighthouse.

The number of floors will be saved with different level parts. Each of them will be equipped with an observation deck for tourists. From each floor you can go out to view the sea and the city. The height of the New Lighthouse will be up to 50 m. A star on steel supports will be installed on top, which will serve as an illuminator. The highest point is planned to be up to 106 m.

The main interest of tourists is caused by the planned construction of an underwater hall. Its depth will reach 3 m.

The possibility of this building was due to the location of the royal quarter of Alexandria. The city was located on a seismically active zone, so a significant part of it went under water. It is problematic to transport the find due to many years of being under water. The presence of an underwater hall will allow anyone to view the lost quarter.

Interesting facts about the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The lighthouse of Alexandria, a brief description of which allows you to learn about the details of the internal structure, is surrounded by several curious facts.

For example, like this:

• The search for the lost quarter began in 1968 by archaeologist Honor Frost. By the time the remains of the city were found, she was awarded the medal "For Egyptian underwater archeology."
• Sostratus of Knidos wanted to perpetuate his name. Under the plaster, he applied the phrase about the construction of this lighthouse by his hands for sailors. The top layer testified to the dedication of the building to Ptolemy. This was discovered many years later when the plaster began to fall off.
• The lighthouse is known under two names - Alexandria and Pharos. The first name is due to the city near which the lighthouse was located. According to another version - in honor of Macedonian, who began construction. The second name is known because of the island on which the structure was located.
• It is not known for certain which statue stood under the dome of the lighthouse. This is due to the different countries that occupied the land. A different culture with a foreign religion changed the oral history. There is no documented information, so the versions about the statue are so different. They have a common feature - the figure was associated with the deity of government and / or the sea.

The lighthouse of Alexandria provided people with work and food, stored water supplies for the city in case of a siege.. To briefly describe its functions: it illuminated the rocky bottom and helped to see the enemy. Its uniqueness attracted Herodotus, which is why he mentioned the lighthouse in his list of wonders of the world.

Article formatting: Svetlana Ovsyanikova

Video on the topic: Lighthouse of Alexandria

Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse:

The Seven Wonders of the World is a list of the most famous sights of the ancient world. The lighthouse of Alexandria is rightfully called one of them - this is the last of the classic wonders of antiquity. Basic information and interesting facts about this building, its creation, functions and sad fate can be found on the Internet (as well as a photo of a recreated lighthouse), but the impressions of a historical place seen with one's own eyes cannot be compared with anything.

The history of the lighthouse on the island of Pharos is firmly connected with the founding in 332 AD of one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world - Alexandria, named after the great conqueror Alexander the Great. For all the time of his campaigns, he managed to found about 17 cities with the same name, but only Alexandria in Egypt managed to survive to this day.

Founding of Alexandria

Alexander the Great approached the choice of a place for the future city very responsibly. He did not want to locate it in the Nile Delta, so he decided to start construction a little further south, not far from Lake Mareotis. It was planned that Alexandria would have two ports - one for merchant ships coming from the Mediterranean, the other for ships sailing from the Nile River.

After the death of the great Alexander, the city came under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter, the pharaoh of Egypt, who ruled at that time. It was a time of prosperity for Alexandria - it became the largest shipping port. In 290 BC, Ptolemy ordered the construction of a huge lighthouse on the island of Pharos, which would make it easier for sailors at night and in bad weather.

Construction of the Faros Lighthouse

The construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria began in the 4th century BC. It is believed that this masterpiece of architectural thought was built by Sostratus, a native of Cnidia. Construction work continued for over 20 years. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is the first building of its kind in the world and the tallest building in the ancient world. This is the answer to the question why the Pharos lighthouse is included in the seven wonders of the world. This magnificent skyscraper was a symbol of power and might, prosperity and greatness, like light in the darkness.

The height of the lighthouse of Alexandria is about 600 feet, or 135 meters. At the same time, it looked somewhat different than most of the architectural monuments of that time. It was a three-tiered building with a square at the base, the walls of which were built of marble slabs, interconnected with a mortar with the addition of lead.

We bring to your attention interesting facts about the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the world.

• At the top of the lighthouse there was a fire, the reflections of which were directed into the sea with the help of specially polished metal plates.
• The light from the lights of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was visible at a distance of more than 60 km.
• The Pharos lighthouse also served as an outpost and an observation tower - its height made it possible to see enemy ships long before they approached the city.
• At the top of the building, in addition to metal reflective plates, there were also interesting technical devices of that time - clockwork, weathercocks and much more.
• After the construction was completed, Sostratus of Knidos carved his name into one of the walls, and then covered it with plaster and wrote the name of Ptolemy I Soter on it. The architect was well aware that the plaster would wear off over time, and the stone would retain the name of the real creator of the lighthouse for centuries.

The lighthouse of Alexandria was most fully described many years later - already in 1161 AD - by the Arab traveler Abu el-Andalussi. He noted the most significant facts and mentioned that in addition to its main function, the lighthouse also served as a very noticeable and popular attraction.

The fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The lighthouse on the island of Pharos illuminated the way for seafarers for a millennium and a half. But, unfortunately, he was powerless before the forces of nature. Sufficiently strong tremors in 356, 956 and 1303 AD inflicted severe damage on it, and the earthquake of 1326 finally destroyed the seventh wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. His remains were dismantled by Muslims to build their fortress. They were discovered many centuries later - in 1994, and later the image of the structure was restored using computer simulations. But such photos are still not able to convey the greatness and power that the Faros lighthouse possessed.

A hundred years after the destruction, a powerful fort was erected on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, protecting Alexandria from the sea. It has survived and exists in our time - now inside it is the Alexandria Historical Museum.

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 flourish, becoming a major center of maritime trade. Soon there was an urgent need for the construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts

The island of Pharos, located 1290 meters from Alexandria, was chosen as the place 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 Dexifan from Cnidus.

A dam was built to ensure the transport of building materials to the island. The construction itself was completed by the standards of the ancient world with lightning speed, taking only six years (285-279 BC). The new building immediately “knocked out” the walls of Babylon from the list of classic wonders of the world, and took pride of place there to this day. The height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, according to contemporaries, reached 120 meters. The light projected from the tower of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was visible at a distance of up to 48 kilometers.

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 accommodate workers and guards, storerooms for fuel and food.

The middle tier of the Pharos lighthouse had an octagonal shape with edges oriented according to the winds prevailing here. The upper part of the tier was decorated with statues, some of which functioned as weathercocks.

The upper tier of a cylindrical shape played just the role of a lantern. It was surrounded by eight columns covered with a dome-cone. The top of the dome of the Pharos lighthouse was decorated with a seven-meter statue of Isis-Faria (the guardian of seafarers). A 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 Lighthouse of Alexandria. Some suggest that the delivery was carried out with the help of lifting mechanisms along the inner shaft, while others say that the lifting was carried out with the help of mules along a spiral ramp.

Also in the lighthouse there was an underground part, where the reserves 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 Pharos lighthouse itself was even surrounded by a powerful fence with bastions and loopholes.

In the XIV century, the wonder of the world Faros lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. At present, only the images on Roman coins and the remains of the ruins testify to the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world. So, for example, research in 1996 made it possible to find the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria at the bottom of the sea.

Lighthouse on Roman coins

A hundred years after the destruction, Sultan Kait Bey built a fort in its place. And now there are initiators who want to reconstruct the Pharos lighthouse, in the place where it was originally located - on the island of Pharos. But the Egyptian authorities do not want to consider these projects yet, and the Qait Bay fortress continues to guard the site of the former great building of antiquity.

Kite Bay Fortress

Egypt, 3rd century BC

On the island of Pharos at the mouth of the Nile River, near the city of Alexandria, around 280 BC, the largest lighthouse of antiquity was built. The height of this three-tiered tower reached 135 m. At its top, in an open stone pavilion, a fire was burning, showing the way to the ships. At night, they were helped in this by the reflection of flames, and during the day - by a column of smoke. It was the first lighthouse in the world, and it stood for 1500 years.

This busy port was founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt. The building was named after the island. The Pharos lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, standing on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular, it contained rooms in which workers and soldiers lived. Above this tower was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the top tower.The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder, in which a fire burned, helping the ships safely reach the bay. At the top of the tower stood a statue of Zeus the Savior.

A large amount of fuel was required to keep the flame going. The tree was brought along a spiral ramp in carts pulled by horses or mules. Behind the flames were bronze plates that cast light into the sea. From the ships it was possible to see this lighthouse at a distance of up to 50 km. By the XII century A.D. the Alexandrian bay was so filled with silt that the ships could no longer use it. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. The bronze plates that served as mirrors were probably melted down into coins. In the 14th century, the lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. A few years later, the Muslims used its ruins to build a military fort. The fort was subsequently rebuilt more than once and still stands on the site of the world's first lighthouse.

Lighthouse of Alexandria on the map:

Information: travel. rin. en