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Alexandria is the second most important city in modern Egypt. It was founded in the 4th century. BC e. Alexander the Great. And in the III century. BC e. one of the seven wonders of the world appeared here - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was the first lighthouse in the world, that is, a structure that provides orientation for ships.

The lighthouse was built on the small island of Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea. The huge structure was erected in just five years instead of the planned twenty and was completed around 283 BC. e. Construction took place under Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.

There are numerous descriptions of this wonder of the world, supplemented in recent years by data from underwater archaeological expeditions. The total height of the lighthouse was 120–140 meters (the pyramid of Cheops was 147 meters, and the height of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg was 122 meters). The Pharos lighthouse was made up of three marble towers, located on a base of massive stone blocks. The first rectangular tower contained premises for workers and soldiers. Each side of the lower stone prism was 30 meters. The height of this part of the lighthouse was 60 meters. The second was a forty-meter octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the top tower. The upper tower had a cylindrical shape, it was on it that the fire burned, which helped the ships bypass the reefs and reach the bay. Eight columns made up a cylindrical colonnade with a dome, which housed an eight-meter statue of Poseidon (or Zeus the Savior).

The light was visible at a distance of 60–100 kilometers. This was ensured by the use of polished bronze mirrors that stood behind the flames and cast light into the sea. Fuel (wood) was brought up the spiral ramp in carts pulled by mules.

The architect was Sostratus of Cnidus. The exact dates of the life of this creator are unknown. He was a native of Asia Minor Kariya. His father was the architect Deksifan, a teacher and co-author of a number of buildings. Sostratus built a number of buildings at Delphi and a hanging platform for promenades at Cnidus. On the stone blocks of the Pharos lighthouse, an inscription was engraved: "Sostratus, son of Dexifan, Cnidian, to the savior gods for the health of seafarers." Some sources believe that Sostratus of Cnidus contributed a considerable share from his personal funds to the construction of the wonder of the world, which cost 800 talents.

The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but in 796 AD. e. was badly damaged by the earthquake. The Arabs tried to restore the lighthouse, which by the end of the XIV century. rose to 30 meters. A hundred years later, a fortress was erected on this site.

The type of construction, which was initiated by the Faros Lighthouse, still exists today. The word "lighthouse" began to be used in a figurative sense. In Soviet times, there were “lighthouse people”, that is, leaders in production, on which everyone else was called to be equal. The light of the lighthouse began to be perceived as a symbol of hope for salvation, as a finish point in a long journey, as something that is dreamed of. The miracle remains.

Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the oldest engineering structures of mankind. It was built between 280 and 247 BC. e. on the island of Pharos, located...

By Masterweb

Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the oldest engineering structures of mankind. It was built between 280 and 247 BC. e. on the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the ancient city of Alexandria (the territory of modern Egypt). It was because of the name of this island that the lighthouse was also known as Faros.

The height of this grandiose structure, according to various historians, was about 120-140 meters. For many centuries, it remained one of the tallest structures on our planet, second only to the pyramids at Giza.

Start of lighthouse construction

The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, was conveniently located at the crossroads of numerous trade routes. The city developed rapidly, more and more ships entered its harbor, and the construction of a lighthouse became an urgent need.

Some historians believe that, in addition to the usual function of ensuring the safety of sailors, the lighthouse could have an adjacent, no less important function. At that time, the rulers of Alexandria feared a possible attack from the sea, and such a colossal structure as the Lighthouse of Alexandria could serve as an excellent observation post.

Initially, the lighthouse was not equipped with a complex system of signal lights; it was built several hundred years later. At first, signals were given to ships using smoke from a fire, and therefore the lighthouse was effective only in the daytime.

The unusual design of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Such a large-scale construction for those times was a grandiose and very ambitious project. However, the construction of the lighthouse was completed in a very short time - it lasted no more than 20 years.

For the sake of building a lighthouse between the mainland and the island of Pharos, a dam was built in a short time, through which the necessary materials were delivered.

It is simply impossible to talk briefly about the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The huge structure was built from solid marble blocks, interconnected for greater strength with lead brackets.

The lower, largest level of the lighthouse was built in the form of a square with sides about 30 meters long. The corners of the base were designed strictly according to the cardinal points. The premises located on the first level were intended for storing the necessary supplies and for the residence of numerous guards and lighthouse workers.

A reservoir was built in the underground level, the reserves of drinking water of which should have been enough in case of even a long siege of the city.

The second level of the building was made in the form of an octagon. Its faces were oriented in exact accordance with the wind rose. It was decorated with unusual bronze statues, some of which were movable.

The third, main level of the lighthouse was built in the form of a cylinder and was crowned with a large dome on top. The top of the dome was decorated with a bronze sculpture at least 7 meters high. Historians have not yet come to a consensus whether it was an image of the god of the seas, Poseidon, or a statue of Isis-Faria, the patroness of sailors.

How was the third level of the lighthouse arranged?

For that time, the true miracle of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the complex system of huge bronze mirrors. The light from the fire, constantly burning on the upper platform of the lighthouse, was reflected and greatly amplified by these metal plates. In ancient chronicles, they wrote that the shining light coming from the lighthouse of Alexandria was capable of burning enemy ships far out to sea.

Of course, this was an exaggeration of the inexperienced guests of the city, who for the first time saw this ancient wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Although in fact the light of the lighthouse was visible for more than 60 kilometers, and for ancient times this was a huge achievement.

A very interesting engineering solution for that time was the construction of a spiral staircase-ramp inside the lighthouse, through which the necessary firewood and combustible materials were delivered to the upper tier. A huge amount of fuel was required to run smoothly, so the mule-drawn wagons were constantly going up and down the sloping stairs.

The architect who built the miracle

During the construction of the lighthouse, the king of Alexandria was Ptolemy I Soter, a talented ruler, under whom the city turned into a prosperous trading port. Having decided to build a lighthouse in the harbor, he invited one of the talented architects of that time, Sostratus of Knidos, to work.

In ancient times, the only name that could be immortalized on a constructed structure was the name of the ruler. But the architect who erected the lighthouse was very proud of his creation and wanted to preserve for posterity the knowledge of who really was the author of the miracle.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the ruler, he carved an inscription on one of the stone walls of the first level of the lighthouse: "Sostratus from Cnidia, son of Dextifan, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of seafarers." Then the inscription was covered with layers of plaster and already on top of it the prescribed doxology to the king was carved.

A few centuries after the construction, pieces of plaster gradually fell off, and an inscription appeared that preserved in stone the name of the man who built one of the seven wonders of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

First of its kind

In ancient times, flames and smoke from bonfires were often used in different countries as a warning system or for transmitting danger signals, but the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the first specialized structure of its kind in the whole world. In Alexandria, it was called Pharos, after the name of the island, and all the lighthouses that were built after it were also called Pharos. This is reflected in our language, where the word "headlight" means a source of directional light.

An ancient description of the lighthouse of Alexandria contains information about unusual "living" sculptures-statues, which can be called the first simple automata. They turned, made sounds, performed simple actions. But these were not chaotic movements at all, one of the statues pointed to the Sun with its hand, and when the Sun set, the hand automatically lowered. A clock mechanism was mounted in another figure, which marked the beginning of a new hour with a melodious ringing. The third statue was used as a weather vane, showing the direction and strength of the wind.

A brief description of the lighthouse of Alexandria, made by his contemporaries, could not convey the secrets of the construction of these statues or the approximate scheme of the ramp through which fuel was delivered. Most of these secrets are lost forever.

Destruction of the lighthouse

The firelight of this unique building has shown the way to sailors for many centuries. But gradually, during the decline of the Roman Empire, the lighthouse also began to fall into disrepair. Less and less money was invested in its maintenance in working order, besides, the harbor of Alexandria gradually became smaller due to the large amount of sand and silt.

In addition, the area where the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built was seismically active. A series of strong earthquakes caused him serious damage, and the catastrophe of 1326 finally destroyed the seventh wonder of the world.

Alternative version of destruction

In addition to the theory explaining the decline of the colossal structure due to insufficient funding and natural disasters, there is another interesting hypothesis about the reasons for the destruction of the lighthouse.

According to this theory, the great military importance that the lighthouse had for the defenders of Egypt was to blame. After the country was captured by the Arabs, the Christian countries, and above all the Byzantine Empire, expected to recapture Egypt from the people. But these plans were greatly hampered by the observation post of the Arabs, located on the lighthouse.

Therefore, a rumor spread that somewhere in the building in ancient times the treasures of the Ptolemies were hidden. Believing, the Arabs began to dismantle the lighthouse, trying to get to the gold, and in the process damaged the mirror system.

After that, the damaged lighthouse continued to function for another 500 years, gradually dilapidating. Then it was finally dismantled, and a defensive fortress was erected in its place.

Possibility of recovery

The very first attempt to restore the Lighthouse of Alexandria was made by the Arabs in the 14th century AD. e., but it turned out to build only a 30-meter likeness of a lighthouse. Then the construction stopped, and only 100 years later the ruler of Egypt, Kait-Bey, built a fortress in its place to protect Alexandria from the sea. At the base of this fortress, a part of the foundation of the ancient lighthouse and almost all of its underground structures and a reservoir remained. This fortress exists to this day.

Often enthusiastic historians consider the possibility of recreating this famous building in its original state. But there is one problem - there is practically no reliable description of the Lighthouse of Alexandria or its detailed images, on the basis of which it would be possible to accurately restore its appearance.

Touch history

For the first time, some fragments of the lighthouse were discovered by archaeologists at the bottom of the sea in 1994. Since then, the expedition of the European Institute of Underwater Archeology at the bottom of the harbor has discovered a whole quarter of ancient Alexandria, the existence of which scientists had no idea before. Remains of many ancient structures have been preserved under water. There is even a hypothesis that one of the found buildings may be the palace of the famous Queen Cleopatra.

The Egyptian government in 2015 approved a massive renovation of the ancient lighthouse. On the site where it was built in ancient times, they plan to build a multi-storey copy of the great lighthouse. It is interesting that the project provides for the construction of an underwater glass hall at a depth of 3 meters so that all lovers of ancient history can see the ruins of the ancient royal quarter.

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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 executed by the standards of the ancient world with lightning speed, it took 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. Currently, only 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