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Lighthouse of Alexandria
Lighthouse of Alexandria - Drawing by archaeologist Hermann Thiersch (1909).
Drawing by archaeologist Hermann Thiersch (1909).
Location: Pharos, Alexandria, Egypt
Coordinates 31°12′51″N 29°53′06″E / 31.21417°N 29.885°E / 31.21417; 29.885Coordinates: 31°12′51″N 29°53′06″E / 31.21417°N 29.885°E / 31.21417; 29.885
Year first constructed: c. 280 BC
Deactivated: 1303/1323
Foundation: Stone
Construction: Masonry
Height: 393–450 ft (120–137 m)
Range: 47 km (29 mi)
Three-dimensional reconstruction based on a comprehensive 2006 study

The Lighthouse of Alexandria (or the Pharos of Alexandria) was a tower built in the 3rd century BC (between 280 and 247 BC) on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt, to serve as a lighthouse.

With a height variously estimated at between 393 and 450 ft (120 and 137 m), it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For many centuries it was among the tallest manmade structures on Earth.

Contents

History

Pharos was a small island just off the coast of Alexandria. It was linked to the mainland by a man-made connection named the Heptastadion, which thus formed one side of the city's harbor. The tower erected there guided mariners at night, through its fire and reflective mirrors, as well as being a landmark by day.

Construction and destruction

The lighthouse was completed in the 3rd century BC. After Alexander the Great died unexpectedly at age 32, Ptolemy Soter announced himself king in 305 BC, and commissioned its construction shortly thereafter. The building was finished during his son Ptolemy Philadelphos's reign.

Legend holds that Ptolemy forbade Sostratus to put his name on his work. 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" (original Greek inscription: "ΣΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΔΕΞΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΚΝΙΔΙΟΣ ΘΕΟΙΣ ΣΩΤΕΡΣΙΝ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΛΩΙΖΟΜΕΝΩΝ")

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 of Alexandria

The lighthouse was badly damaged in the earthquake of 956, then again in 1303 and 1323. The fullest description of it comes from the Arab traveller Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn el-Andaloussi, who visited the structure in 1165 AD. His description runs:

“ The Pharos rises at the end of the island. The building is square, about 8.5 metres (28 ft) each side. The sea surrounds the Pharos except on the east and south sides. This platform measures, along its sides, from the tip, down to the foot of the Pharos walls, 6.5 metres (21 ft) in height. However, on the sea side, it is larger because of the construction and is steeply inclined like the side of a mountain. As the height of the platform increases towards the walls of the Pharos its width narrows until it arrives at the measurements above.

... The doorway to the Pharos is high up. A ramp about 183 metres (600 ft) long used to lead up to it. This ramp rests on a series of curved arches; my companion got beneath one of the arches and stretched out his arms but he was not able to reach the sides. There are 16 of these arches, each gradually getting higher until the doorway is reached, the last one being especially high.

 ”

There are ancient claims the light from the lighthouse could be seen from up to 29 miles (47 km) away. Unconfirmed legends claim the light from Pharos could burn enemy ships before they reached shore.

Constructed from large blocks of light-coloured stone, the tower was made up of three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section, and, at the top, a circular section. At its apex was positioned a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night. Extant Roman coins struck by the Alexandrian mint show that a statue of a triton was positioned on each of the building's four corners. A statue of Poseidon stood atop the tower during the Roman period. The Pharos' masonry blocks were interlocked, sealed together using molten lead, to withstand the pounding of the waves.[1]

The two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 damaged the lighthouse 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 mediæval fort on the former location of the building using some of the fallen stone.

Recent archæological research

Divers discovered remains of the lighthouse in Autumn 1994, on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour. A Nova program chronicled the discovery.[2] Subsequent satellite imaging has revealed further remains. It is possible to go diving and see the ruins.

Significance

Pharos became the etymological origin of the word 'lighthouse' in Greek (φάρος), and many Romance languages, such as French (phare), Italian (faro), and Romanian (far).

In 2008 it was suggested[3] that the Pharos was the vertical yardstick used in the first precise measurement of the size of the earth.

Pharos in culture

The Pharos of Abusir, an ancient funerary monument thought to be modeled after the Pharos at Alexandria, with which it is approximately contemporaneous

In architecture

Tower of Hercules, a Roman lighthouse modelled on the Pharos
  • A well-preserved ancient tomb in the town of Abusir, 48 kilometres (30 mi) southwest of Alexandria, is thought to be a scaled-down model of the Alexandria Pharos. Known colloquially under various names — the Pharos of Abusir, the Abusir funerary monument and Burg al-Arab (Arab's Tower) — it consists of a 3-story tower, approximately 20 metres (66 ft) in height, with a square base, a hexagonal midsection and cylindrical upper section, like the building upon which it was apparently modeled. It dates to the reign of Ptolemy II (285–246 BC), and is therefore likely to have been built at about the same time as the Alexandria Pharos.
  • The design of minarets in many early Egyptian Islamic mosques followed a similar three-stage design to that of the Pharos, attesting to the building's broader architectural influence.[4]
  • The Tower of Hercules, near A Coruña in Spain, a 2nd century AD Roman lighthouse, is closely modelled on the Alexandrian Pharos.
  • A replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was constructed in the Window of the World Cultural Park in Shenzhen, China.

In books

The enduring memory of the lighthouse is reflected in literature. It was described at length in the Zhufan Zhi (諸蕃志, "Records of Foreign Peoples") by Zhao Rugua (1170–1228), a Chinese customs inspector for the port city of Quanzhou during the Song Dynasty.[5]

Matthew Reilly uses this ancient wonder as the location of a piece of the golden capstone in his novel that states in the cultural section from Book 2 of the Cambridge Latin Course, the Pharos of Alexandria is mentioned, along with the history of Alexandria, as one of the greatest international ports of the ancient world. Also mentioned in Enid Blyton's Five Go To Demon's Rocks (1961), in a conversation between "Julian" and "Anne" about an earthquake destroying a lighthouse.

References

  1. ^ Beaver, Patrick (1971). A History of Lighthouses. London: Peter Davies Ltd, pp. 10–11. ISBN 0-432-01290-7.
  2. ^ NOVA online - Treasures of the Sunken City
  3. ^ DIO volume 14 pages 3-12 and page 2 footnote.
  4. ^ Petersen A.: Dictionary of Islamic Architecture, page 188. Routledge, 1996.
  5. ^ Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3: Civil Engineering and Nautics. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Page 662.


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Simple English

File:Miniuni Ostrava - Lighthouse of
Replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, or the Pharos, was a tall tower built in the 3rd century BC (between 285 and 247 BC). It was built on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as a lighthouse for sailors. At its apex was a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night.

The word for 'lighthouse' in some languages is 'pharos' or its equivalent.

Its consrtruction

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:

"ΣΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΔΕΞΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΚΝΙΔΙΟΣ ΘΕΟΙΣ ΣΩΤΕΡΣΙΝ ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΛΩΙΖΟΜΕΝΩΝ". (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.

With a height estimated at between 115 and 145 meters (384 – 469 ft) it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. It was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the World by Antipater of Sidon. It was the third tallest building after the two Great Pyramids (of Khufu and Khafra). It was destroyed by earthquakes.

Recent archaeological research

Divers discovered remains of the lighthouse in autumn 1994 on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour. Some of these remains were brought up and were lying at the harbour on public view at the end of 1995. An episode of the PBS television series Nova chronicled the discovery.[1] Subsequent satellite imaging has revealed further remains. It is possible to go diving and see the ruins.

References

  1. ↑ NOVA online - Treasures of the Sunken City
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