Lighthouse of Alexandria History

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a tower built between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt to guide sailors into the harbour at night. With a height variously estimated at between 120–140 m (390–460 ft) it was for many centuries among the tallest man-made structures, and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Location:                                      Pharos, Alexandria Eegypt

Year first constructed:               c. 267 B.C.

Deactivated:                                1303/1323

Foundation:                                 Stone

Construction:                               Masonry

Height:                                              120–140 m (390–460 ft)

Range:                                               47 km (29 mi)

Pharos was a small island just off the coast of Alexandria, which was connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway named the Heptastadion, which formed one side of the city's harbor. The tower erected on the island guided mariners at night using fire and reflective mirrors, and acted as a landmark by day. It was said that the light could be seen from up to 29 miles (47 km) away, and legends claim that the light from Pharos could burn enemy ships before they reached shore.

Construction began in the era of Ptolemy I and completed in the era of Ptolemy II

Legend also holds that Ptolemy I Soter would not allow Sostratus to put his name on the tower, but the architect left the following inscription on the base's walls nonetheless:

Sostratus of Cnidus, son of Dexiphanes, to the Gods protecting those upon the sea.

These words were hidden under a layer of plaster, on top of which was chiseled another inscription honoring Ptolemy the king as builder of the Pharos. After centuries the plaster wore away, revealing the name of Sostratus.

The lighthouse was badly damaged in the earthquake of 956, and in the earthquakes of 1303 and 1323 was damaged to the extent that the Arab traveler Ibn Battuta reported no longer being able to enter the ruin. Even the stubby remnant disappeared in 1480, when the then-Sultan of Egypt, Qaitbay, built a medieval fort – the Citadel of Qaitbay – on the site of the lighthouse, using some of the fallen stone.

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