Where was the lighthouse of Alexandria. Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros) - interesting historical facts. Plans to restore the Lighthouse of Alexandria

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

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 it be located at the intersection of both water and land routes of the 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, 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).

Thus, a truce, a huge amount of labor and other favorable circumstances, gave him the opportunity to begin the 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. BC..

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:

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 Nowadays). 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.

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-bey fortress continues to guard the site of the former great building of antiquity.

Kite Bay Fortress

Lighthouse of Alexandria - help to sailors, a challenge to the sea. This seventh wonder of the world arose thanks to skillful human hands and died due to the vagaries of nature. The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros), which served people for 1.5 thousand years, was crushed by a series of tremors. The majestic building did not want to give up for a long time and fought to the last, having withstood three earthquakes and collapsed during the fourth. So the tallest building in the ancient world perished.

Pharos Island is the perfect location for the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The glorious Egyptian city of Alexandria during the time of the ruler Ptolemy Soter quickly grew into a large trading policy. Strings of ships with a variety of goods stretched towards him. But in order to get to the local port, they had to maneuver between treacherous reefs, which were very numerous on the approach to Alexandria. Bad weather increased the risk of shipwreck.

The lighthouse of Alexandria was located on the island of Pharos, not far from the Egyptian Mediterranean coast.

At first, they wanted to improve visibility for sailors by lighting fires on the shore (as the Athenians did in the 5th century BC), but this was not enough to give signals to ships sailing far from the coast. "Lighthouse! That's what we need, ”it dawned on one of the sleepless nights of Ptolemy.

The lighthouse of Pharos was a landmark for ancient sailors going to the port of Alexandria.

The ruler was lucky - according to the map, at a distance of a little more than a kilometer from Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea was the island of Pharos, and God himself ordered to build a lighthouse there. The construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria was entrusted to the engineer Sostratus, a resident of Cnidia. Construction began immediately, for the sake of it, a dam was even built between the mainland and the island. Work on the Faros lighthouse lasted approximately 5 to 20 years and was completed at the end of the 3rd century. BC. True, the system of signal lights itself appeared only after 100 years.

The power and beauty of the Faros Lighthouse

According to various sources, the height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was from 115 to 137 meters. For reasons of practicality, it was erected from blocks of marble, fastened with lead mortar. The best Alexandrian architects and scientists were involved in the construction - it was they who came up with the project of the lighthouse, consisting of three tiers.

The lighthouse of Alexandria consisted of three steps: pyramidal, prismatic and cylindrical.

The first level of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was pyramidal in shape with planes oriented to 4 cardinal points. Its ledges were decorated with statues of tritons. The premises of this level were intended to accommodate workers and soldiers, store equipment, fuel and products.

A spiral ramp was built inside the Faros lighthouse to deliver firewood and oil to the top

The eight faces of the second step of the Pharos lighthouse were designed by ancient architects according to the wind rose and decorated with bronze statues. Some of the sculptures were movable and served as weathercocks. The third tier of the structure had a cylindrical shape and ended with a dome, on which stood a 7-meter bronze statue of the ruler of the seas, Poseidon. But they say that in fact the top of the dome of the Faros lighthouse was decorated with a statue of a woman - the guardian of the sailors Isis-Faria.

Sostratos was proud of the lighthouse not in vain

At that time, mankind did not yet know electricians, and for signals to sailors, a giant fire was kindled at the very top of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Its light was amplified, reflected in polished bronze plates, and was visible up to 100 kilometers in the area. Ancient legends said that the radiance coming from the Pharos lighthouse was capable of burning enemy ships even before approaching the shore.

A fire was constantly burning in the dome of the lighthouse, illuminating the way for sailors at night and during the day in poor visibility.

At night, powerful tongues of flame indicated the direction of the ships, during the day - clouds of smoke. To keep the fire burning, the Romans established an uninterrupted supply of firewood to the top of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. They were drawn on wagons pulled by mules and horses. To do this, they built a gentle spiral-shaped road inside the Faros Lighthouse, one of the first ramps in the world. Although some scientists claim that firewood was dragged to the top by lifting mechanisms.

Drawing of the Faros Lighthouse by the archaeologist G. Tirsh (1909)

Interesting to know. The lighthouse of Alexandria was surrounded by a powerful fence with loopholes, so it could serve as a fort and an observation post. From the top of the lighthouse it was possible to see the enemy fleet long before it approached the city. In the underground part of the structure, supplies of drinking water were kept in case of a siege.

The lighthouse of Alexandria was at the same time a fort and could withstand a protracted siege

Sostratus of Knidos was very proud of his offspring. He hated the idea that the descendants would not recognize the name of the creator of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Therefore, on the wall of the first tier, the engineer carved the inscription: "Sostratus from Cnidia, son of Dextifan, dedicated to the gods-saviors for the sake of seafarers." But the loyal subject was afraid of the wrath of the Egyptian ruler, who usually takes all the credit for himself, so he hid the phrase under a thick layer of plaster, on which he scratched out the name of the conceited Ptolemy Soter. Pieces of clay fell off very quickly, and even during the life of the Pharos lighthouse, travelers could read the name of its true creator.

Decline and destruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Alarming signals about the destruction of the Pharos lighthouse began to appear at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. It was not maintained in proper condition, and the once majestic building began to fall into disrepair. The current brought silt into the bay, ships could no longer enter the port of Alexandria, and the need for a lighthouse on the island of Pharos gradually disappeared. Over time, the bronze plates-mirrors of the Lighthouse of Alexandria were taken apart and melted down - it is assumed that they "dispersed" around the world in the form of coins and settled in the collections of numismatists.

The only images that give an idea of the architecture of the Pharos lighthouse are embossed drawings on ancient Roman coins.

Earthquakes in 365, 956 and 1303 AD significantly damaged the building - the epicenters were at a short distance from the place where the lighthouse was built. And in 1323, the most powerful tremors hastened the death of the Lighthouse of Alexandria - only ruins remained from the building ...

Modern reconstruction of the building of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

One of the options for the architecture of the Farosso lighthouse, made of sand

Modern 3D visualizers give different ideas regarding the appearance of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

In the 14th century AD. Egypt was settled by nimble Arabs. The first thing they did was roll up their sleeves and try to restore the lighthouse of Alexandria. But their zeal was only enough for a 30-meter structure - then the construction work stalled. Why the Arabs did not continue the restoration of the Faros lighthouse - history is silent. And only 100 years later, in the place where the Pharos lighthouse was erected, the Sultan of Egypt Kite-Bey built a fortress - it still stands there, having successfully survived to this day. Now here is the base of the Egyptian fleet. From the Lighthouse of Alexandria itself, only the plinth remained, entirely built into the fortress.

Faros lighthouse will be revived!

For many centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was considered the tallest building on Earth. Therefore, it is assigned to 7 ancient wonders of the world. The lighthouse, or rather, all that was left of it, was discovered in 1994 - some fragments of the building were found at the bottom of the sea - archaeologists were delighted with this message from the historical past. And in May 2015, the Egyptian government decided to rebuild the Pharos Lighthouse on the same spot where the original was once erected.

The reduced building of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in one of the Chinese parks for entertainment and recreation

Volumetric reconstruction of the Faros lighthouse on a scale

When construction will begin is still unknown. The biggest difficulty when trying to build an exact copy of the structure is the lack of “living” images of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, therefore, the architects will have to puff, relying only on information from descriptions in several written Arabic sources and photos of the ruins. The appearance of the Pharos lighthouse was reconstructed using computer modeling - only the ruins and its images on Roman coins testify to the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world.

Model of the lighthouse of Alexandria made of cardboard, giving an idea of the main structural elements of the building

Interesting to know. Another possible clue to the creation of a project for a future lighthouse could be a tomb in the Egyptian city of Abusir. It was built in the same period as the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The people even call the tower the lighthouse of Abusir. Historians suggest that it was specially built as a smaller copy of the Pharos lighthouse.

The lighthouse of Alexandria was described by ancient historians and travelers, including the "father of history" Herodotus. The most complete description of the Pharos lighthouse in 1166 was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi, a famous Arab traveler, who stated that the lighthouse was not only a useful structure, but also a worthy decoration of Alexandria.

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world life-size in the landscape (3d modeling)

The Pharos lighthouse remains today a symbol of the city of Alexandria. His stylized image adorns the flag of the city. Moreover, the drawing of the Lighthouse of Alexandria flaunts on the seals of many government agencies, including the local university.
The structure of the minarets of Islamic mosques is identical to the architecture of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Reconstructions of the Pharos lighthouse are strikingly similar to the New York skyscraper Empire State Building.
A copy of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the Chinese amusement park Window of the World.
It is assumed that during the first attempts to determine the radius of the Earth, ancient Greek scientists used the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros).

In contact with

The lighthouse was located on the island of Pharos, off the coast of the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria. The history of the lighthouse is connected with the foundation of this city of Ancient Egypt. In fact, the city, compared to other ancient Egyptian cities, is not so ancient. He appeared in 332 BC. thanks to the famous conqueror of Ancient Egypt - Alexander the Great.

Very carefully Alexander the Great chose a place for the future city. He determined the settlement area not in the Nile Delta itself, but 20 miles to the south, although, it would seem, it was in the Delta that two major waterways intersect: along the sea and along the Nile River. And yet the city was founded a little away from the Delta, so that the waters of the great river would not clog the city harbor with silt and sand. Alexandria was conceived as the most important trading center at the intersection of river, sea and land routes of three continents. Such a center had to have its own well-defended harbor.

To equip such a harbor, it was necessary to carry out a number of serious engineering and construction works. The first task was the construction of a dam connecting the coast with the island of Pharos, as well as the construction of a pier protecting the harbor from sand and silt, which the numerous branches of the Nile Delta carry in abundance to the sea.

As a result, the city had two excellent harbors at once. One of them was intended for merchant ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, the other received ships sailing along the Nile River.

In 323 BC. Alexander died, and soon after that the city passed into the possession of the new ruler of Egypt - Ptolemy I Soter.

During his reign, Alexandria turned into a rich and prosperous port city, and the construction of a lighthouse played an important role in this.

The task of the lighthouse was to ensure the safety of navigation in coastal waters, and thanks to this, the volume of trade carried out through the port of Alexandria increased. The coast of Egypt is characterized by a monotonous landscape - it is dominated by lowlands and plains, and for a successful voyage, sailors always needed an additional landmark: a signal fire in front of the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria. However, this task could be performed by a lighthouse much lower. Even a lighthouse with a height of 35 m (and this is the height of another Wonder of the World of antiquity - the Colossus of Rhodes) for these purposes would be somewhat excessive.

Most likely, one of the most important functions of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was to ensure security from attacks from the sea of the capital of the Ptolemaic state. The greatest threat to Egypt could come from the sea, which was naturally protected from attacks by enemies on land by the desert.

It was to detect the enemy at a considerable distance from the coast that an observation post of considerable height was required. This was especially true in view of the absence of any natural hills near Alexandria on which such observation posts could be set up.

The erection of such a grand structure required significant intellectual, financial and labor resources, which would be difficult to attract in turbulent wartime. However, by the beginning of the III century. BC e. favorable conditions for the start of construction. At this time, having assumed the title of king, Ptolemy conquered Syria, taking a huge number of Jews as slaves to Egypt. Other important events were the conclusion of peace between Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius Poliorcetes in 299 BC, as well as the death of Ptolemy's worst enemy - Antigonus, and the division of his kingdom between the Diadochi.

It was after 299 BC. and began the construction of a lighthouse on the island of Pharos. It is rather difficult to name the exact date of construction. They call 290, 285, etc. years BC

Pharos Island in 285 BC It was connected by a dam to the mainland, which greatly facilitated the construction work.

The lighthouse on Pharos was completely different from most modern structures of this type - thin single towers. It looked more like a futuristic skyscraper.

To this day, accurate information about the size and design of the Lighthouse of Alexandria has not been preserved.

The height of the lighthouse ranged from 120 to 180 m. It was a three-tiered tower, the walls of which were made of marble blocks fastened with mortar mixed with lead.

The base of the lighthouse had a strong foundation in the form of a square of granite or limestone with a side length of about 180 - 190 m. On this site there was a palace or fortress with four towers at the corners. This lowest tier of the lighthouse looked like a massive parallelepiped. Along its walls inside there was an inclined entrance, along which a horse-drawn cart could climb up.

The second tier was erected in the form of an octagonal tower, and the third tier of the Lighthouse of Alexandria resembled a cylinder topped with a dome resting on columns. At the top of the dome, a huge statue of the god Poseidon, the ruler of the seas, proudly looked at the world. The fire burned in the area below him. Evidence has been preserved that from the ships it was possible to see the light of this lighthouse at a distance of sixty, or even a hundred km.

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.

A spiral staircase led along the walls to the top of the lighthouse, along which the attendants and visitors climbed to the platform where the signal fire was blazing. There was a massive concave mirror, most likely made of polished metal. It was supposed to reflect and enhance the light of the fire. According to sources, a bright reflected light at night showed the ships the way to the harbor, and during the day, a huge smoke column visible from afar rose up instead.

The lighthouse of Alexandria immediately upon completion of construction was recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world, becoming the subject of admiration for the entire ancient world. His silhouette was depicted on vessels, minted on coins, cast and carved in the form of souvenir figurines for Greek and Roman travelers. The lighthouse became the symbol of Alexandria. Strabo and Pliny the Elder described the lighthouse in enthusiastic tones.

For almost 1,000 years, the lighthouse of Alexandria has shown the way to ships. Earthquakes gradually destroyed it. In 1183, he still towered on the island, this year the traveler Ibn Jabar visited Alexandria. The grandiose building shocked him so much that he exclaimed: “Not a single description can convey all its beauty, there are not enough eyes to take a look at it, and there are not enough words to tell about the greatness of this spectacle!”. By the 12th century, the Alexandria Bay was so filled with silt that ships could no longer use it. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. In the XIV century, it was completely destroyed by an earthquake. The Mamluk Sultan Kayt Bey built a fortress on the foundation of the lighthouse in 1480, which received the name of its creator. This fortress still stands today.

about the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The lighthouse was erected in the city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great. The great commander founded at least 17 cities with the same name in various parts of his vast empire. Almost all of these cities disappeared without a trace. And only Egyptian Alexandria flourished for many centuries and prospers to this day.

The lighthouse was designed by the architect Sostratus of Cnidia. Ptolemy II, who inherited the throne after his father Ptolemy Soter, wanted only his royal name to be engraved on the stones, and that he was revered as the creator of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Sostratus, proud of his creation, found a way to perpetuate his name. He carved the following inscription on a stone wall: "Sostratus, son of Dexiphon, a Cnidian, dedicated to the gods-saviors for the health of seafarers!" Then he covered this inscription with a layer of plaster, and wrote the name of Ptolemy on top. Centuries passed, and the plaster crumbled, revealing to the world the name of the true builder of the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, the seventh wonder of the world, is actually the eighth wonder. The walls of Babylon were considered the second wonder of the world before its construction. When the lighthouse was erected, contemporaries were so amazed by this outstanding structure that the walls of Babylon were simply deleted from the list of the Seven Wonders of the World and the lighthouse was included in it as the latest, newest miracle.

The news of the Miracle spread all over the world, and the lighthouse began to be called by the name of the island of Pharos or simply Pharos. Later, the word "faros", as the designation of a lighthouse, was fixed in many languages (French, Spanish, Romanian).

And in Russian, the word "headlight" came from him.

One of the seven wonders of the world is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, a structure built on the island of Pharos in the third century BC. The building is located near the famous Alexandria, in connection with which it was given such a name. Another option may be the phrase "Faros lighthouse" - from the name of the island on which it is located.

purpose

The first wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria - was originally intended to help lost sailors who want to get to the shore, safely overcoming the underwater reefs. At night, the path was illuminated by flames and signal beams of light emanating from a huge fire, and by day - columns of smoke emanating from a fire located at the very top of this sea tower. The lighthouse of Alexandria served faithfully for almost a thousand years, but was very badly damaged by an earthquake in 796. After this earthquake, five more very powerful and long tremors were recorded in history, which finally disabled this magnificent creation of human hands. Of course, they tried to reconstruct it more than once, but all attempts only led to the fact that a small fortress was left of it, which was built by Sultan Kait Bey in the 15th century. It is this fortress that can be seen today. She is all that remains of this majestic creation of man.

Story

Let's delve a little into history and find out how this wonder of the world was built, because it's really exciting and interesting. How much has happened, what are the features of the construction and its purpose - we will tell you about all this below, do not be too lazy just to read.

Where is the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The lighthouse was built on a small island called Pharos, which is located off the coast of Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. The whole history of this lighthouse was originally associated with the name of the great conqueror Alexander the Great. It was he who was the creator of the first wonder of the world - a thing that all mankind is proud of. On this island, Alexander the Great decided to establish a large port, which he actually did in 332 BC during his visit to Egypt. The structure received two names: the first - in honor of the one who decided to build it, the second - in honor of the name of the island on which it is located. In addition to such a famous lighthouse, the conqueror decided to build another city of the same name - one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. It should be noted that in his entire life, Alexander the Great built about eighteen policies with the name "Alexandria", but it was this one that went down in history and is known to this day. First of all, the city was built, and only then its main attraction. Initially, the construction of the lighthouse was supposed to take 20 years, but no such luck. The whole process took only 5 years, but despite this, the construction saw the world only in 283 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great - during the government of Ptolemy II - the king of Egypt.

Construction features

I decided to take a very careful approach to the issue of construction. According to some sources, he has been choosing a place for the construction of the port for more than two years. The conqueror did not want to create a city in the Nile, for which he found a very good replacement. The construction site was pitched twenty miles south, near the dry lake of Mareotis. Previously, there was a platform of the Egyptian city of Rakotis, which in turn slightly facilitated the entire construction process. The whole advantage of the location was that the port was able to receive ships from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River, which was very profitable and diplomatic. This not only increased the conqueror's profits, but also helped him and his followers build strong ties with both merchants and sailors of the time. The city was created during the life of Macedon, but the lighthouse of Alexandria was the development of Ptolemy the first Soter. It was he who finalized the design and brought it to life.

Alexandrian lighthouse. Photo

Looking at the image, we can see that the lighthouse consists of several "layers". Three large marble towers stand on the base of huge stone blocks, with a total weight of several hundred thousand tons. The first tower has the shape of a huge rectangle. Inside it are rooms intended for the housing of soldiers and workers of the port. At the top was a smaller octagonal tower. The spiral ramp was a transition to the upper cylindrical tower, inside of which there was a large fire, which served as a source of light. The entire structure weighed several million thousand tons, excluding decorations and appliances inside it. Because of this, the soil began to subside, which caused serious problems and required additional fortifications and construction work.

Start of fire

Although the Pharos Lighthouse was built between 285 and 283 BC, it only began to operate at the beginning of the first century BC. It was then that the whole system of signal lights was developed, working thanks to large bronze disks that direct light into the sea. In parallel with this, a composition of gunpowder was invented, which emitted a huge amount of smoke - a way to indicate the way during the day.

Height and distance of outgoing light

The total height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria is from 120 to 140 meters (the difference is the difference in ground height). Thanks to this arrangement, the light from the fire was visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers in bright weather (there is evidence that the light was visible for 100 kilometers or more in calm weather) and up to 45-50 kilometers during a thunderstorm. The direction of the rays was due to a special construction in several rows. The first row was a tetrahedral prism, the height of which reached 60-65 meters, with a square base, an area of 900 square meters. Inventory and everything necessary for supplying fuel and maintaining the "eternal" fire were stored here. The basis for the middle part was a large flat cover, the corners of which were decorated with large statues of Tritons. This room was an octagonal white marble tower 40 meters high. The third part of the lighthouse is built of eight columns, on top of which there is a large dome, which is decorated with a large eight-meter bronze statue of Poseidon. Another name for the statue is Zeus the Savior.

"Eternal flame"

Maintaining the fire was a difficult task. More than a ton of fuel was required daily so that the fire could burn with the necessary force. Wood, which was the main material, was delivered in specially equipped carts along a spiral ramp. The carts were pulled by mules, which required more than a hundred for one climb. In order for the light from the fire to spread as far as possible, huge bronze sheets were placed behind the flame, at the foot of each column, with the help of which they directed the light.

Additional purpose

According to some manuscripts and surviving documents, the lighthouse of Alexandria served not only as a source of light for lost sailors. For soldiers, it became an observation post, for scientists - an astronomical observatory. Accounts say that there was a large amount of very interesting technical equipment - clocks of various shapes and sizes, a weather vane, as well as many astronomical and geographical instruments. Other sources talk about the presence of a huge library and a school that taught elementary disciplines, but this does not have any significant evidence.

Doom

The death of the lighthouse was not only due to several powerful earthquakes, but also due to the fact that the bay almost ceased to be used, because it was very silted up. After the port became unusable, the bronze plates that cast light into the sea were melted down into coins and jewelry. But this was not the end. The complete death of the lighthouse occurred in the 15th century during one of the most powerful earthquakes ever to occur off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. After that, the remains were restored several times and served as a fortress, as well as a home for the few inhabitants of the island.

In modern world

Today, the Faros Lighthouse, whose photo can be very easily found, is one of the few architectural monuments lost in history and time. This is what is still of interest to both scientists and ordinary people who like centuries-old things, because many events, literary works and scientific discoveries are associated with it, important for the entire development of the world. Alas, not much is left of the 7 wonders of the world. The lighthouse of Alexandria, or rather only part of it, is one of those structures that humanity can be proud of. True, all that remains of it is just the lower tier, which served as a warehouse and a place of residence for the military and workers. Thanks to many reconstructions, the building was not completely destroyed. It was converted into something like a small castle-fortress, inside which the remaining inhabitants of the island lived. This is exactly what you can see when visiting the island of Pharos, which is quite popular among tourists. After complete construction and cosmetic repairs, the lighthouse has a more modern look, which makes it a modern building with a long history.

Future plans

The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the objects under the protection of UNESCO. Due to this, various repairs are carried out every year in order to protect the fortress from destruction. There was even a time when they talked about completely resuming their former appearance, but this was never done, because then the lighthouse would lose its status as one of the wonders of the world. But you must see it if you are already interested in history.