• Travel from a to z. Alexandrian lighthouse

    29.06.2022

    Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had a practical purpose -. He performed several functions at once: he allowed the 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.

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

    Lighthouse of Alexandria: a brief description for the report

    The height of the old lighthouse was 140 meters - much higher than the surrounding buildings. In ancient times, 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 in the ancient world and was such for an extremely long time.

    The lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the east 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 place for the construction of the city very carefully: he initially planned to build a port in this region, which would be an important trade center.

    It was extremely important that the Lighthouse of Alexandria 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 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 place for the city, Alexander took into account the location of future harbors, while paying special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything so that the Nile waters did not clog them with sand and silt (a dam connecting the continent was subsequently built specifically for this). with an island).

    After the death of Alexander the Great (who, according to legend, was born on the day of destruction), the city was 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.

    Lighthouse of Alexandria on the island of Pharos: purpose

    The lighthouse of Alexandria made it possible for ships to sail into the port without problems, successfully bypassing pitfalls, shallows and other obstacles in the bay. Due to this, after the construction of one of the seven wonders, the volume of light trade increased dramatically.


    The lighthouse also served as an additional reference point for sailors: the landscape of the Egyptian coast is quite diverse - mostly only lowlands and plains. Therefore, signal lights in front of the entrance to the harbor were most welcome.

    A lower structure would have successfully coped with 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 desert protected the country well from the land side.

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

    Construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

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

    So the truce great amount workforce and other favorable circumstances, gave him the opportunity to start building 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. BC e.

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

    The construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria was entrusted to the master Sostratus from Cnidia. Ptolemy wished that only his name was 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 engraved his name on a 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 signature of the architect.

    What did the Faros Lighthouse look like?

    There is no exact information about exactly how one of the seven wonders of the world looked, but some data is still available:

      • from all sides it was surrounded by thick 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 building 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 a building material;
      • The first floor of the Lighthouse of Alexandria had a height of about 60 m, while the length of the sides was about 30 m. Outwardly, it resembled a fortress or a castle with towers installed at 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 were located 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 that acted as weathercocks. 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 pillar 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 amplifying the light of the fire. He, according to contemporaries, was visible even at a distance of 60 km;

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

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

    Lighthouse of Alexandria: wreck

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

    Time has done its job: 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 death toll of the Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

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

    In the mid 90s. the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria 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 a unique structure.

    Tower on Foros, salvation for the Greeks,

    Sostrat Deksifanov,

    The architect from Knidos, erected,

    Oh Lord Proteus!

    Posidipp .


    Now we'll move to the delta Nile to see the seventh wonder of the world. But to find the seventh wonder of the world is a hopeless business. lighthouse on the island Foros near Alexandria disappeared without a trace for a long time.

    Lighthouse on the island of Foros
    He disappeared so that not a single stone remained of him. But such information has been preserved about it as that it was built by a Cnidian architect Sostratus and that it was taller than the tallest pyramid. And this building cost 800 talents. Its name still lives in the dictionaries of the coastal peoples:

    The French call the lighthouse " phare ", Spaniards and Italians" faro ", the Greeks" faros ", the British" pharos".


    during his conquest of the world, he not only destroyed cities, but also built them. He founded Alexandria near issy, Alexandria of Troas, Alexandria near the Tigris (later Antioch), Alexandria of Bactria, Alexandria of Armenia, Alexandria of the Caucasus, Alexandria" on the edge of the world " and many others. In 332 B.C. he founded Alexandria of Egypt, the capital of the Hellenic world of Egypt. Previously, on the site of this Alexandria, there was an old fishing settlement. Rakotis. This is where he came from Memphis one day in the spring Alexander the Great along with their military leaders, historians, zoologists, botanists and dancers. Among these people arrived here Deinocrates- an architect known to us by Ephesus and Rhodes, he accompanied Alexander from Macedonia. In Ephesus, Deinocrates received his first task - to rebuild. But the “great day” of Deinocrates came only when Alexander conquered Egypt.The king saw near the island of Foros, next to the ancient Egyptian settlement Rakotis a natural harbor, on the banks of which there was a wonderful place for a port market, around the fertile Egyptian lands and the proximity of the Nile. It was here that the king ordered Deinocrates to build the Egyptian Alexandria, ordered and left, returned here after 10 years and in a golden sarcophagus (the sarcophagus of Alexander, his commander Ptolemy ordered to be placed in the royal palace in Alexandria, in that part of it that was called Sema and where the sarcophagi of all subsequent kings will subsequently stand).
    Immediately after Alexander's departure, the city began to be built. After the death of Alexander in Babylonia, Alexandria was chosen as his residence by the Macedonian commander Ptolemy, who captured Egypt (first ruling here on behalf of the unborn son of Alexander, and from 305 BC on his own behalf) and founded the last, no longer Egyptian, dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs. And gradually the city became so famous for its grandeur and beauty that under the king Ptolemy X II and his sister Cleopatra(who treacherously tortured her two brothers, Ptolemy X II and X III to vacate the throne for his son Ptolemy X IV who gave birth to Julius Caesar) the Romans wanted to capture it. Over time, the Romans annexed Alexandria, along with all of Egypt, to Roman Empire.







    With the advent of the Macedonian commander Ptolemy to power in Egypt and his foundation in Alexandria, the capital of the last Egyptian kingdom, as well as the capital of the entire Hellenistic world, the era of ancient culture, which is commonly called Alexandrian, began. The heyday of this culture, which is a synthesis of Greek culture with the culture of the Eastern peoples, falls on the domination of the first three Ptolemies: Ptolemy ISotera(323-285 BC), Ptolemy IIPhiladelphia(285 - 246 BC) and Ptolemy IIIEvergeta(246 - 221 BC) Descendants of a Macedonian courtier Laga gained enormous power over millions of people. They were real pharaohs. Of course, they waged bloody wars with other heirs of the Great Alexander, but they also made a great contribution to the development of Hellenic culture. For example: Ptolemy I was one of those few rulers who understand that science brings the same glory as war, and moreover, it is cheaper and less risky. It was under their rule that two great structures were created.












    In 308 BC, under Ptolemy I was opened here Alexandria musseion(“Temple of the Muses”) - one of the main scientific and cultural centers of the ancient world, and with it the no less famous Library of Alexandria, in which there were almost 700 thousand volumes of Greek and Oriental books (most of the books of which were acquired under Ptolemy II Philadelphia). At the musseion, scientists lived and worked, who were supported by the state. Ptolemy I Soter himself was the author "Campaigns of Alexander the Great". The generosity of Ptolemy attracted to Alexandria not only scientists, but also artists, sculptors, and poets. The Ptolemies made Alexandria a world center of learning.

    The second magnificent building of the Ptolemies is a lighthouse on the islandFaros. He described it to us Straboin the seventeenth volume"Geography". This skyscraper of the ancient world was built on a rock in the middle of the sea and, in addition to its practical functions, it served as a symbol of the state.

    As Strabo writes, he built it Sostratus from Knida, son Dexifana and “friend of kings” (of the first two Ptolemies). Before the lighthouse, Sostratus had already built a "hanging boulevard" on the island of Knida (a similar hanging structure). It is also known that Sostratus was an experienced diplomat.
    The lighthouse of Alexandria stood for about 1500 years, helping to navigate the Mediterranean "cybernetos", the ancient Greeks called the helmsmen. Under the Byzantines, in the 4th century, it was damaged by an earthquake and the fire went out forever. In the 7th century, under the Arabs, this structure served as a daylighthouse. At the end of the 10th century, the lighthouse survived another earthquake and remained from it part 4. In the middle of the 13th century, it was already unnecessary and as a day lighthouse: the shore was so close to the island that the Ptolemaic harbors turned into a sand pit. Colosseum.And the destruction of the lighthouse was completed by an earthquake in 1326. Today, the island of Pharos is completely connected to the mainland, besides, its shape has completely changed, and therefore the place where the lighthouse stood today has not yet been identified. tall lighthouse in the world, disappeared without a trace.



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    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 modeling. 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.

    Lighthouse of Alexandria, belonging to the seven wonders of the ancient world, has another name - Pharos. He owes his middle name to his location - the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the city of Alexandria, which is located on the territory of Egypt.

    In turn, Alexandria got its name because of the name of the conqueror of the ancient Egyptian lands - Alexander the Great.

    He approached the choice of a place for the construction of a new city quite carefully. At first glance, it may seem strange that the area of ​​the settlement was determined by the Macedonian 20 miles from the south of the Nile Delta. If he arranged it in the delta, then the city would be at the intersection of two waterways that are important for that area.

    These roads were both the sea and the Nile River. But the fact that Alexandria was founded south of the delta had a weighty justification - in this place, river waters could not clog the harbor with sand and silt harmful to it. Alexander the Great had high hopes for the city under construction. His plans included turning the city into a solid trading center, because he successfully located it at the intersection of land, river and sea routes of communication of several continents. But such a significant city for the country's economy needed a harbor.

    For its arrangement, it was necessary to implement many complex engineering and construction solutions. An important need was the construction of a dam that could connect the sea coast with Pharos, and a pier that would protect the harbor from sand and silt. Thus, Alexandria received two harbors at once. One harbor was supposed to receive merchant ships sailing from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other - ships that came along the Nile River.

    Alexander the Great's dream of transforming a simple city into a prosperous trading center came true after his death, when Ptolemy I Soter came to power. It was under him that Alexandria became the richest port city, but its harbor was dangerous for sailors. As both shipping and maritime trade continuously developed, the need for a lighthouse was felt more and more acutely.

    The tasks assigned to this structure were as follows - to secure the navigation of ships in coastal waters. And such care would lead to an increase in sales, since all trade was conducted through the port. But due to the monotonous landscape of the coast, the sailors needed an additional landmark, and they would have been quite satisfied with the signal fire that illuminates the entrance to the harbor. According to historians, Alexander the Great had other hopes for the construction of the lighthouse - to ensure the city's safety from the attacks of the Ptolemies, who could attack from the sea. Therefore, to detect enemies that could be located at a considerable distance from the coast, a sentinel post of impressive size was needed.

    Difficulties in the construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

    Naturally, the construction of such a solid structure required a lot of resources: financial, labor and intellectual. But they were not easy to find at that turbulent time for Alexandria. But still, an economically favorable environment for the construction of the lighthouse developed due to the fact that Ptolemy, who conquered Syria in the title of king, brought countless Jews to his country and made them slaves. So the lack of labor resources necessary for the construction of the lighthouse was filled. No less important historical events then were the signing of an agreement on peace by Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius Poliorket (299 BC) and the death of Antigonus, the enemy of Ptolemy, whose kingdom was given to the Diadochi.

    The construction of the lighthouse began in 285 BC, and all work was led by the architect Sostratus of Cnidus. Wanting to perpetuate his name in history, Sostratus carved an inscription on the marble wall of the lighthouse, indicating that he was building this structure for the sake of sailors. Then he hid it under a layer of plaster, and on it he already glorified King Ptolemy. However, fate wanted humanity to recognize the name of the master - gradually the plaster fell off and revealed the secret of the great engineer.

    Design features of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

    The Pharos building, designed to illuminate the harbor, had three tiers, the first of which was represented by a square with sides of 30.5 m. All four faces of the lower square tier were facing all cardinal points. It reached a height of 60 m, and its corners were decorated with statues of tritons. The purpose of this room was to accommodate workers and guards, as well as the arrangement of pantries for storing provisions and fuel.

    The middle tier of the lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the form of an octagon, the edges of which were oriented to the direction of the winds. The upper part of this tier was decorated with statues, and some of them were weathercocks.

    The third tier, made in the form of a cylinder, was a lantern. It was surrounded by 8 columns and covered with a dome-cone. And a 7-meter statue of Isis-Faria, who was considered the guardian of seafarers, was erected on its top (some sources claim that it was a sculpture of Poseidon, the king of the seas). Due to the complexity of the system of metal mirrors, the light of the fire lit at the top of the lighthouse intensified, and the guards monitored the sea space.

    As for the fuel needed to keep the lighthouse burning, it was brought along the spiral ramp in carts pulled by mules. To facilitate shipping, a dam was built between the mainland and Pharos. If the workers did not do this, the fuel would have to be transported by boat. Subsequently, the dam, washed by the sea, became an isthmus, which currently separates the western and eastern harbors.

    The lighthouse of Alexandria was not only a lamp - it was also a fortified fortress guarding the sea route to the city. Due to the presence of a large military garrison, an underground part was also provided in the lighthouse building, which was necessary for drinking water supplies. To enhance security, the entire structure was surrounded by powerful walls with watchtowers and loopholes.

    In general, the three-tier lighthouse tower reached a height of up to 120 m and was considered the tallest structure in the world.. Those travelers who saw such an unusual structure later enthusiastically described the unusual statues that served as an adornment of the lighthouse tower. One sculpture pointed at the sun with its hand, but lowered it only when it went below the horizon, the other served as a clock and reported the current time every hour. And the third sculpture helped to recognize the direction of the wind.

    The fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

    After standing for almost a thousand years, the lighthouse of Alexandria still began to collapse. It happened in 796 AD. due to a powerful earthquake - the upper part of the structure simply collapsed. From the huge 120-meter building of the lighthouse, only ruins remained, but even those reached a height of about 30 m. Somewhat later, the fragments of the lighthouse were useful for the construction of a military fort, which was repeatedly rebuilt. So the Faros lighthouse turned into the fort of Kait-bey - it received this name in honor of the sultan who built it. Inside the fort there is a historical museum, in one of its parts there is a museum of marine biology, and opposite the fort building there are Aquariums of the Museum of Hydrobiology.

    Plans to restore the Lighthouse of Alexandria

    From the once majestic lighthouse of Alexandria, only its base remained, but it is also completely built into a medieval fortress. Today it is used as the base of the Egyptian fleet. The Egyptians are planning to carry out work to recreate the lost wonder of the world, and some countries that are members of the European Union wish to join this undertaking. Italy, France, Greece and Germany plan to include the construction of a lighthouse in a project referred to as "Medistone". Its main tasks are the reconstruction and preservation of African architectural monuments dating back to the Ptolemaic era. Experts have estimated the project at $40 million, which is exactly how much it will take to build a business center, a hotel, a diving club, a chain of restaurants and a museum dedicated to the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

    Alexandrian lighthouse


    Lighthouse of Alexandria, drawing by archaeologist H. Thiersch (1909)
    lighthouse name
    original name

    Φάρος της Αλεξάνδρειας

    Location
    Coordinates

    31.214167 , 29.885 31°12′51″ s. sh. 29°53′06″ e. d. /  31.214167° N. sh. 29.885° E d.(G)(O)

    Height

    140 meters

    current
    Distance

    56 kilometers

    at Wikimedia Commons

    Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros)- one of the 7 wonders of the world, was built in the III century BC. e. in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, so that the ships could safely pass the reefs on their way to the Alexandrian Bay. 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 almost a thousand years, but in 796 AD. e. was badly damaged by the earthquake. Subsequently, the Arabs who came to Egypt tried to restore it, and by the XIV century. the height of the lighthouse was about 30 m. At the end of the 15th century. Sultan Kait Bey erected a fortress on the site of the lighthouse, which still stands today.

    The lighthouse was built on the small island of Pharos in the Mediterranean off the coast of Alexandria. This busy port was founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e. The building was named after the island. It was supposed to take 20 years to build, and it was completed around 283 BC. e. , during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt. The construction of this gigantic structure lasted only 5 years. Architect - Sostratus of Cnidus.

    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.

    guiding light

    The death of the lighthouse

    In the 14th century, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by an earthquake. A few years later, its fragments were used to build a fortress. The fortress was subsequently rebuilt several times.

    Literature


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    See what "Alexandria Lighthouse" is in other dictionaries:

      Alexandrian lighthouse- Alexandrian lighthouse … Russian spelling dictionary

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      May imply: The literary image introduced by A. S. Pushkin in the poem "Monument" The informal name of the Alexander Column, which goes back to this image, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, according to a number of Pushkinists, was implied by A. S. ... ... Wikipedia

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      LIGHTHOUSE, a tower-type structure, usually installed on the shore or in shallow water. Serves as a navigational guide for ships. It is equipped with so-called beacon lights, as well as devices for giving sound signals, radio signals (radio beacon) ... Modern Encyclopedia

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      Lighthouse, a tower-type structure that serves as a landmark for identifying coasts, determining the position of a vessel and warning of navigational danger. M. are equipped with light-optical systems, as well as other technical means of signaling: ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

      Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros)- a lighthouse on the island of Pharos near Alexandria in Egypt, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Built in 285-280. BC. Sostratus of Cnidus in order to make it safe for ships to enter the harbor of Alexandria. It was a three-tiered tower with a height of ... ... Antique world. Dictionary reference.

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