Ancient lighthouse of Alexandria in the state. Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos lighthouse - the highest construction of the ancient world

26.09.2019

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After the conquest of Egypt, Alexander the Great founded a city named after him by Alexandria. The city began to actively develop and flourish, and became a major center of maritime trade. Soon there was an urgent need for the construction of the Alexandria lighthouse.

Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts

The site for the lighthouse was the island of Pharos, located 1290 meters from Alexandria. The construction of the Pharos lighthouse, which later became the seventh wonder of the world, was led by the architect Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus.

A dam was built to ensure the supply of building materials to the island. The construction itself was carried out by the standards of the ancient world at 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 Alexandria lighthouse, according to contemporaries, reached 120 meters. The light projected from the tower of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was visible up to 48 kilometers away.

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 prevailing winds here. The upper part of the tier was decorated with statues, some of which functioned as weather vane.

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 patron saint of seafarers). A powerful lamp was projected using a system of concave metal mirrors. There is a long-standing controversy about the delivery of fuel to the top of the Alexandria Lighthouse. Some suggest that the delivery was carried out using hoisting mechanisms along the inner shaft, while others say that the hoisting was carried out using mules along a spiral ramp.

There was also an underground part in the lighthouse, where the supplies 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, the Pharos lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. At present, only images on Roman coins and the remains of ruins testify to the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world. For example, research in 1996 made it possible to find the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse at the bottom of the sea.

Lighthouse on roman coins

A hundred years after the destruction, Sultan Qayt-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 structure of antiquity.

Fortress Kite Bay

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

Alexander the Great very carefully chose the place for the future city. He identified the area of settlement not in the Nile Delta itself, but 20 miles to the south, although it would seem that it is in the Delta that two important waterways intersect: the sea and 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's harbor with silt and sand. Alexandria was conceived as the most important trade center at the intersection of river, sea and land routes on three continents. Such a center was supposed to have its own well-protected harbor.

To equip such a harbor, it was necessary to carry out a number of serious engineering and construction works. The first priority was the construction of a dam connecting the coast to the island of Pharos, as well as the construction of a breakwater to protect the harbor from sand and silt, which the numerous branches of the Nile Delta carry in abundance into 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 developed into a rich and prosperous port city, and the construction of a lighthouse played an important role in this.

The mission 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 distinguished by the monotony of the landscape - it is dominated by lowlands and plains, and for a successful sailing sailors always needed an additional landmark: a signal light before entering the harbor of Alexandria. However, this task could be performed by a much lower beacon. 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) would be somewhat excessive for these purposes.

Most likely, one of the most important functions of the Alexandria Lighthouse was to provide security against attacks from the sea of the capital of the Ptolemaic state. The sea could pose the greatest threat to Egypt, which was naturally defended by the desert from enemy attacks on land.

It was precisely 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 heights near Alexandria on which such observation posts could be organized.

The construction of such a grandiose structure required significant intellectual, financial and manpower resources that would have been difficult to attract in a turbulent wartime. However, by the beginning of the 3rd century. BC NS. there was a favorable environment for the start of construction. At this time, accepting 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 Poliorketes 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 the construction of a lighthouse on the island of Pharos began. It is rather difficult to give the exact date of construction. They are called 290, 285, etc. years BC

Pharos island in 285 BC was connected by a dam with 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, no precise information has been preserved about the size and design of the Alexandria Lighthouse.

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

The base of the lighthouse had a powerful foundation in the form of a square made 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 resembled a massive parallelepiped. Along its walls, there was an inclined entrance, along which a horse-drawn carriage could climb up.

The second tier was erected in the form of an octagonal tower, and the third tier of the Alexandria lighthouse 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. A fire burned on the landing below him. There is evidence that from ships one could see the light of this lighthouse at a distance of sixty, or even a hundred kilometers.

Inside the two upper floors, there was a shaft with a lifting mechanism, which made it possible to deliver fuel for a fire to the very top.

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

The Alexandria lighthouse was immediately recognized as one of the seven wonders of the world after the completion of construction, becoming the subject of admiration for the entire ancient world. Its 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 1000 years, the Alexandria lighthouse pointed the way to ships. Earthquakes destroyed it little by little. In 1183, he still stood on the island, this year the traveler Ibn Jabar visited Alexandria. The grandiose structure shocked him so much that he exclaimed: "No description can convey all its beauty, there will not be enough eyes to look at it, and there are not enough words to tell about the greatness of this spectacle!" By the 12th century, the Bay of Alexandria 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. In 1480, the Mamluk Sultan Kayt Bey built a fortress on the foundation of the lighthouse, 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 at various ends of his immense empire. Almost all of these cities disappeared without a trace. And only Egyptian Alexandria flourished for centuries and continues to thrive to this day.

The lighthouse was created by the architect Sostratus from Knidia. Ptolemy II, who inherited the throne after his father Ptolemy Soter, wished that only his royal name be engraved on the stones, and that he was honored as the creator of the Alexandria lighthouse. Sostratus, proud of his creation, found a way to perpetuate his name. He knocked out the following inscription on the stone wall: "Sostratus, son of Dexiphon, a Cnidian, dedicated to the savior gods for the health of the sailors!", Then covered this inscription with a layer of plaster, and on top he wrote the name of Ptolemy. 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 impressed by this outstanding structure that the walls of Babylon were simply deleted from the list of the Seven Wonders of the World and added the lighthouse to it as the latest, newest miracle.

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

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

The Seven Wonders of the World is a list of the most famous landmarks 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 structure, its creation, functions and sad fate can be found on the Internet (as well as a photo of the reconstructed lighthouse), but the impressions of the historical place seen with your 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 our time.

Founding of Alexandria

Alexander the Great approached the choice of a place for the future city with great responsibility. 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 Sea, 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. This was the time of prosperity for Alexandria - it became the largest shipping port. In 290 BC, Ptolemy ordered to build a huge lighthouse on the island of Pharos, which would facilitate the way for sailors at night and in bad weather.

Construction of the Pharos lighthouse

The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse 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 has been going on for over 20 years. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is the first building of this type in the world and the tallest structure of 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 darkness.

The height of the Alexandria lighthouse 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 erected from slabs of marble, interconnected with a solution with the addition of lead.

We bring to your attention interesting facts about the Alexandria lighthouse, which is part 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 using specially polished metal plates.
The light from the lights of the Alexandria lighthouse was visible at a distance of more than 60 km.
The Pharos lighthouse also served as an outpost and 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 mechanisms, weather vanes and much more.
After the completion of the construction, Sostratus of Cnidus carved his name in 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 will wear off over time, and the stone will preserve the name of the real creator of the lighthouse for centuries.

The Alexandria lighthouse 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 prominent and popular attraction.

The fate of the Alexandria lighthouse

The lighthouse on the island of Pharos has illuminated the sailors' journey for a millennium and a half. But, unfortunately, he was powerless in front of the forces of nature. Quite 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 building was restored using computer modeling. But such photos are still not able to convey the greatness and power that the Pharos lighthouse possessed.

A hundred years after the destruction on the site of the Alexandria lighthouse, a powerful fort was erected to protect Alexandria from the sea. It has survived and exists in our time - now it houses the Alexandria Historical Museum.

Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts

The lighthouse had three tiers.

Lighthouse on roman coins

Fortress Kite Bay

Pharos, aka the Alexandria lighthouse - one of the seven wonders of the world - was located on the eastern coast of the island of Pharos within the boundaries of Alexandria. It was the first and only lighthouse of such gigantic proportions at that time. The builder of this structure was Sostrat of Cnidus. Now the Alexandria lighthouse has not survived, but the remains of this structure have been found, confirming the reality of its existence.

It has been known for a long time that the remains of a lighthouse are under water in the Pharos region. But the presence of an Egyptian naval base on this site prevented any research from being carried out. Only in 1961, Kemal Abu el-Sadat discovered statues, blocks and boxes made of marble in the water.

On his initiative, a statue of the goddess Isis was removed from the water. In 1968, the Egyptian government asked UNESCO for an examination. An archaeologist from Great Britain was invited, who in 1975 presented a report on the work done. It contained a list of all the finds. Thus, the significance of this site to archaeologists has been confirmed.

Active research

In 1980, a group of archaeologists from different countries began excavations on the seabed in the Pharos region. This group of scientists, in addition to archaeologists, included architects, topographers, Egyptologists, artists and restorers, as well as photographers.

As a result, hundreds of fragments of the lighthouse were discovered at a depth of 6–8 meters, covering an area of more than 2 hectares. In addition, studies have shown that there are objects on the seabed that are older than the lighthouse. Many columns and capitals of granite, marble, limestone belonging to different eras were extracted from the water.

The discovery of the famous obelisks called "Cleopatra's needles" and brought to Alexandria by order of Octavian Augustus in 13 BC was of particular interest to scientists. NS. Subsequently, many of the finds were restored and exhibited in museums in different countries.

About Alexandria

Alexandria, the capital of Hellenistic Egypt, was founded in the Nile delta by Alexander the Great in 332–331 BC. NS. The city was built according to a single plan developed by the architect Dinohar and was divided into quarters with wide streets. The two widest of them (30 meters wide) intersected at right angles.

Alexandria was home to many magnificent palaces and royal tombs. Alexander the Great was also buried here, whose body was brought from Babylon and buried in a golden sarcophagus in a magnificent tomb by order of King Ptolemy Soter, who thereby wanted to emphasize the continuity of the traditions of the great conqueror.

At a time when other military leaders fought among themselves and divided the huge power of Alexander, Ptolemy settled in Egypt and made Alexandria one of the richest and most beautiful capitals of the ancient world.

Home of the Muses

The glory of the city was largely facilitated by the creation by Ptolemy of Museion ("abode of the Muses"), where the king invited prominent scientists and poets of his time. Here they could live and engage in scientific research entirely at the expense of the state. Thus, Museion became something of an academy of sciences. Attracted by favorable conditions, scientists from different parts of the Hellenistic world flocked here. Funds were generously released from the royal treasury for various experiments and scientific expeditions.

The splendid Library of Alexandria also attracted scholars to Museion, which contained about 500 thousand scrolls, including the works of the outstanding Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. King Ptolemy II allegedly asked these manuscripts from the Athenians for a while, so that the scribes could make copies of them. The Athenians asked for a huge bail. The king paid meekly. But he refused to return the manuscripts.

A well-known scientist or poet was usually appointed as the custodian of the library. For a long time this post was held by the outstanding poet of his time, Callimachus. Then he was replaced by the famous geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes. He managed to calculate the diameter and radius of the Earth and made only an insignificant error of 75 kilometers, which, given the possibilities available at that time, does not detract from his merits.

Of course, the tsar, rendering hospitality and financial support to scientists and poets, pursued his own goals: to increase the glory of his country as a scientific and cultural center in the world and, thereby, his own. In addition, poets and philosophers had to praise his virtues (real or perceived) in their works.

Natural sciences, mathematics and mechanics were widely developed. The famous mathematician Euclid, the founder of geometry, and the outstanding inventor Heron of Alexandria, whose works were long ahead of their time, lived in Alexandria. For example, he created a device that was actually the first steam engine.

In addition, he invented many different automatic machines that are driven by steam or hot air. But in the era of the universal spread of slave labor, these inventions could not find application and were used only for the entertainment of the royal court.

The most brilliant astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, long before Copernicus, said that the Earth is a ball that revolves around its axis and around the Sun. Among his contemporaries, his ideas caused only a grin, but he remained unconvinced.

Creation of the Alexandria lighthouse

The developments of Alexandrian scientists were applied in real life. An example of outstanding achievements of science was the Alexandria lighthouse, considered at that time one of the wonders of the world. In 285 BC. NS. the island was connected to the shore by a dam - an artificially poured isthmus. And five years later, by 280 BC. BC, the construction of the lighthouse was completed.

The Alexandria lighthouse was a three-story tower about 120 meters high.

The lower floor was built in the form of a square with four sides, each of which was 30.5 meters in length. The edges of the square were facing four cardinal directions: north, south, east, west - and were made of limestone.
The second floor was made in the form of an octagonal tower faced with marble slabs. Its edges were oriented in the direction of the eight winds.
The third floor, the lantern itself, was crowned with a dome with a bronze statue of Poseidon, the height of which reached 7 meters. The dome of the lighthouse rested on marble columns. The spiral staircase leading upstairs was so convenient that all the necessary materials, including fuel for the fire, were lifted up on donkeys.

A complex system of metal mirrors reflected and amplified the light of the lighthouse, and it was clearly visible to mariners from afar. In addition, the same system made it possible to monitor the sea space and detect enemy ships long before they appeared within sight.

Special pointers
Bronze statues were placed on the octagonal tower that forms the second floor. Some of them were equipped with special mechanisms that allowed them to serve as weather vane indicating the direction of the wind.
Travelers talked about the wonderful properties of the statues. One of them allegedly always pointed her hand at the sun, tracing its path through the sky, and dropped her hand when the sun went down. The other beat every hour throughout the day.
It was said that there was even a statue that, when enemy ships appeared, pointed to the sea and issued a warning cry. All these stories do not seem so fantastic if we remember the steam machines of Heron of Alexandria.
It is possible that the scientist's achievements were used in the construction of the lighthouse, and the statues could produce any mechanical movements and sounds when a certain signal was received.

Among other things, the lighthouse was also an impregnable fortress with a powerful garrison. In the underground part, in case of a siege, there was a huge cistern with drinking water.

The Pharos lighthouse had no analogues in the Ancient World either in size or in terms of technical data. Before that, ordinary bonfires were usually used as lighthouses. It is not surprising that the Alexandria lighthouse with its complex system of mirrors, colossal size and fantastic statues seemed to all people a real miracle.

Who created the Alexandria lighthouse

The builder of this miracle, Sostratus of Cnidus, carved an inscription on the marble wall: "Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the gods-saviors for the sake of sailors." He covered this inscription with a thin layer of plaster, on which he placed the praise of King Ptolemy Soter. When, over time, the plaster fell off, the name of the master who created a magnificent lighthouse appeared in the eyes of those around him.

Although the lighthouse was located on the east coast of the island of Pharos, it is more often referred to as Alexandria rather than Pharos. This island is mentioned in Homer's poem "The Odyssey". During Homer's time, he was in the Nile Delta, opposite the small Egyptian settlement of Rakotis.

But by the time of the construction of the lighthouse, according to the remarks of the Greek geographer Strabo, he had significantly approached the shores of Egypt and was one day's journey from Alexandria. With the start of construction, the island was connected to the coast, actually turning it from an island into a peninsula. For this, a dam was artificially poured, which was called Heptastadion, since its length was 7 stages (a stage is an ancient Greek measure of length, which is 177.6 meters).

That is, in terms of the measurement system we are used to, the length of the dam was about 750 meters. On the side of Pharos was the main, the Great Harbor of Alexandria. This harbor was so deep that a large ship could anchor off the coast.

Nothing is eternal

The tower is my helper for sailors who have lost their way.
Here at night I light the bright fire of Poseidon.
She was about to collapse from the dull rustling wind,
But Ammonius strengthened me again with his labors.
After the fierce ramparts, they stretch out their hands to me
All sailors, honoring you, O earth vibrator.

Nevertheless, the lighthouse stood until the XIV century and even in a dilapidated state reached a height of 30 meters, continuing to amaze with its beauty and grandeur. To date, only a pedestal has survived from this famous wonder of the world, which is built into a medieval fortress. Therefore, there are practically no opportunities for archaeologists or architects to study the remains of this grandiose structure. Now there is an Egyptian naval port on Pharos. And on the western side of the island is another lighthouse, which does not resemble in any way its great predecessor, but also continues to show the way for ships.