The Alexandria Lighthouse, which stood on the eastern shore of the island of Pharos, is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the distant past, the city harbor of Alexandria was shallow and rocky, so in order to protect ships from harm, a stone lighthouse was built on the approach to the city. The first and only Pharos or Alexandria lighthouse on Greek soil was built by Sostratus of Knidos. Construction began in 283 BC. e. and lasted only 5 years. In the time of Ptolemy, the lighthouse erected was higher than the tallest pyramid. For its construction, Sostratus of Cnidus used all the latest inventions and achievements of Alexandrian scientists. He immortalized his name on the marble wall of the majestic structure. The inscription read: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of sailors,” he buried it under a layer of plaster, on top of which he wrote praises to King Ptolemy Soter. But time put everything in its place and the world learned the true name of the architect and builder of one of the wonders of the world, after a thin layer of plaster fell off the wall. The lighthouse was a grandiose three-tiered structure, 120 meters high. Its lower floor had four faces facing the parts of the world (north, east, west and south), the eight faces of the second tier had the directions of the eight main winds, the top third floor had a lighthouse dome with a majestic seven-meter statue of Poseidon.

One of the statues that adorned the lighthouse tower showed the time of day with the direction of her hand, so during the solstice in the sky she held her hand up, as if pointing to the sun; after sunset, sailors could see the statue with her hand down. Another statue chimed every hour day and night, another indicated the direction of the blowing wind. Scientists came up with a complex system of metal mirrors for the lighthouse, which helped to amplify the light of the fire so that sailors could see it from afar. All this is unique and fantastic for that time period. It is not for nothing that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was included in one of the seven wonders of the world. The territory of the lighthouse was surrounded by a fortress wall, behind which there was an entire military garrison.

The lighthouse regularly performed its duties until the 14th century. With the fall of the Roman Empire, it ceased to shine. Having stood for 1,500 years, the lighthouse survived severe earthquakes and the effects of natural forces in the form of wind and rain. During this long period, enormous even for a stone, it began to collapse. Its fire went out forever, unable to withstand the earthquake (IV century). The upper tower, which had decayed over centuries, collapsed, but the walls of the lower floor still stood for a long time.

Even when it was half destroyed, its height was about 30 m. In the middle of the 13th century, the mainland came very close to the island and the lighthouse was no longer needed at all. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was dismantled into stones, and a medieval Turkish fortress was built on its ruins, which still stands on the site of the world's first lighthouse.

Currently, only the base of the lighthouse has been preserved, which is entirely built into the medieval fortress. In 1962, in coastal waters, at a depth of 7 m, scuba divers discovered the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse. A cracked column and the famous statue of Poseidon, which crowned the dome of the lighthouse, were raised from the bottom of the sea.

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.

Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had a practical purpose -. It performed several functions at once: it allowed ships to approach the harbor without any problems, and the observation post located at the top of the unique structure made it possible to monitor the expanses of water and notice the enemy in time.

Locals claimed that the light of the Alexandria lighthouse burned enemy ships even before they approached the shore, and if they managed to approach the coast, the statue of Poseidon, located on the dome of an amazing design, uttered a piercing warning cry.

Lighthouse of Alexandria: brief description of the report

The height of the ancient lighthouse was 140 meters - much higher than the surrounding buildings. In ancient times, the buildings did not exceed three floors, and against their background the Faros Lighthouse seemed huge. Moreover, at the time of completion of construction it turned out to be the tallest building of the ancient world and remained so for an extremely long time.

The Alexandria Lighthouse was built on the eastern coast of the small island of Pharos, located near Alexandria, the main seaport of Egypt, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. He is also known in history as.

It is one of the most famous wonders of the ancient world, along with, and.
The great commander chose the location for the construction of the city extremely carefully: he initially planned to build a port in this region, which would be an important trading center.

It was extremely important that the Alexandria Lighthouse be located at the intersection of both water and land routes of three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, it was necessary to build at least two harbors here: one for ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other for those sailing along the Nile.

Therefore, Alexandria was not built in the Nile Delta, but a little to the side, twenty miles to the south. When choosing a location for the city, Alexander took into account the location of future harbors, paying special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything to ensure that the waters of the Nile did not clog them with sand and silt (a dam was subsequently built specifically for this purpose, connecting the continent with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great (who, according to legend, was born on the day of destruction), the city came under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter - and as a result of skillful management it turned into a successful and prosperous port city, and the construction of one of the seven wonders of the world significantly increased its wealth.

Alexandria Lighthouse on the island of Pharos: purpose

The Alexandria lighthouse made it possible for ships to sail into the port without any problems, successfully avoiding underwater rocks, shoals and other obstacles in the bay. Thanks to this, after the construction of one of the seven wonders, the volume of light trade increased sharply.

The lighthouse also served as an additional reference point for sailors: the landscape of the Egyptian coast is quite diverse - mostly just lowlands and plains. Therefore, signal lights before entering the harbor were very useful.

A lower structure could have successfully fulfilled this role, so the engineers assigned another important function to the Lighthouse of Alexandria - the role of an observation post: enemies usually attacked from the sea, since the country was well defended on the land side by the desert.

It was also necessary to install such an observation post at the lighthouse because there were no natural hills near the city where this could be done.

Construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse

Such a large-scale construction required enormous resources. Moreover, not only financial and labor, but also intellectual. Ptolemy I solved this problem quite quickly. It was at that time that he conquered Syria, enslaved the Jews and took them to Egypt. He later used some of them to build a lighthouse.
It was at this time (in 299 BC) that he concluded a truce with Demetrius Poliorcetes, the ruler of Macedonia (his father was Antigonus, the worst enemy of Ptolemy, who died in 301 BC).

Thus, the truce, a huge amount of labor and other favorable circumstances gave him the opportunity to begin construction of a grandiose wonder of the world. Although the exact date of the start of construction work has not yet been determined, researchers are convinced that it happened somewhere between 285/299. BC e.

The presence of a dam, built earlier and connecting the island with the continent, greatly facilitated the task.

The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse was entrusted to the master Sostratus from Cnidia. Ptolemy wanted only his name to be inscribed on the building, indicating that it was he who created this magnificent wonder of the world.

But Sostratus was so proud of his work that he first carved his name on the stone. And then he put a very thick layer of plaster on it, on which he wrote the name of the Egyptian ruler. Over time, the plaster crumbled, and the world saw the architect's signature.

What the Faros lighthouse looked like

Exact information about what exactly one of the seven wonders of the world looked like has not been preserved, but some data is still available:

• it was surrounded on all sides by thick fortress walls, and in case of a siege, supplies of water and food were stored in its dungeons;

• The height of the ancient skyscraper ranged from 120 to 180 meters;

• The lighthouse was built in the form of a tower and had three floors;

• The walls of the ancient structure were made of marble blocks and fastened with mortar with a small addition of lead.

• The foundation of the structure had an almost square shape - 1.8 x 1.9 m, and granite or limestone was used as the building material;

• The first floor of the Alexandria Lighthouse was about 60 m high, with the length of the sides being about 30 m. Outwardly, it resembled a fortress or a castle with towers installed in the corners. The roof of the first tier was flat, decorated with statues of Triton and served as the basis for the next floor. Here there were residential and utility rooms in which soldiers and workers lived, and various equipment was also stored.

• The height of the second floor was 40 meters, it had an octagonal shape and was lined with marble slabs;

• The third tier had a cylindrical structure, decorated with statues acting as weather vanes. Eight columns were installed here that supported the dome;

• On the dome, facing the sea, stood a bronze (according to other versions - gold) statue of Poseidon, the height of which exceeded seven meters;

• Under Poseidon there was a platform on which a signal fire burned, indicating the way to the harbor at night, while during the day its functions were performed by a huge column of smoke;

So that the fire could be seen from a great distance, a whole system of polished metal mirrors was installed near it, reflecting and enhancing the light of the fire. According to contemporaries, it was visible even at a distance of 60 km;

There are several versions of how exactly the fuel was lifted to the top of the lighthouse. Adherents of the first theory believe that between the second and third tiers there was a shaft where a lifting mechanism was installed, with the help of which fuel for the fire was raised upward.

As for the second, it implies that the platform on which the signal fire was burning could be reached by a spiral staircase along the walls of the structure, and this staircase was so flat that loaded donkeys carrying fuel to the top of the lighthouse could easily climb to the top of the building .

Alexandria Lighthouse: Wreck

Served from 283 BC. until the 15th century, when a fortress was erected instead. Thus, he experienced more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers and saw Roman legionnaires. This did not particularly affect its fate: no matter who ruled Alexandria, everyone made sure that the unique structure stood for as long as possible. They restored parts of the building that had been destroyed due to frequent earthquakes, and updated the facade, which was negatively affected by wind and salty sea water.

Time has done its work: the lighthouse stopped working in 365, when one of the strongest earthquakes in the Mediterranean Sea caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the number of dead Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but stood for quite a long time - until the 14th century, until another strong earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, Sultan Qait Bey built a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen Nowadays). After this, they remained the only ancient wonder of the world that has survived to this day.

In the mid-90s. the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse were discovered at the bottom of the bay with the help of a satellite, and after some time, scientists, using computer modeling, were able to more or less restore the image of the unique structure.

Alexandrian lighthouse

In the 3rd century. BC e. On the small island of Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Alexandria, a lighthouse was built so that ships could safely pass the reefs on their way to Alexandria Bay. At night they were helped in this by the reflection (to enhance the brightness, the light of the fire was reflected from the bronze plates) of the flames, and during the day - by a column of smoke. The building was named after the island. According to various sources, its construction took from 5 to 20 years, and it was completed around 280 BC. e., during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.

The Faros lighthouse consisted of three marble towers standing on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular and contained rooms in which workers and soldiers lived. Above this tower was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper tower.

The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder, in which a fire burned, which helped the ships reach the bay safely. The total height of the lighthouse was 117 m.

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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.