The Lighthouse of Alexandria is not only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but it was also the first lighthouse and the last of the six vanished wonders to be built and to disappear. Thus, there has been sufficient documentation indicating its location, appearance, and history. In addition to its structural elegance and suggested role as an ancient-day tourist attraction, this structure fascinated architects due to its height and scientists due to its mysterious mirror, and it served a practical purpose for sailors as it helped to guide them safely into the Great Harbor.
In 332 B.C. a Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great, founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt. This particular city of Alexandria, unlike the nearly twenty other cities of Alexandria he named at different locations, is still a city today. However, in 323 B.C. Alexander died, and the new ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy Soter, completed the city. The city quickly became very prosperous, but the busy harbor posed some slight problems due to its flat coastline. To solve these problems, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, or Pharos Lighthouse, was conceived and authorized by Ptolemy to be built on Pharos, a small island that lies off the city's coast. After 20 years, it was finished, and it represented the first lighthouse and the tallest building in existence, with the exception of the Great Pyramid, at that time. By the time the lighthouse was finished, Ptolemy had died and his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, had taken over.
Sostratus of Knidos was the architect of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and he dedicated it to the Savior Gods: Ptolemy Soter and his wife, Berenice. Although at the time, only the king's name was allowed to appear on the buildings constructed, Sostratus cleverly got around this. Socrates carved "Sostratos of Cnidus, son of Dexiphanes, to the savior gods, for sailors," and then covered the inscription with plaster and chiseled into the plaster Ptolemy's name. However, as the structure aged, the plaster soon wore away and reveled Sostratus's original inscription. Since the lighthouse was built on the eastern point of the Pharos Island, it soon acquired the name of Pharos Lighthouse. This connection is so strong that "pharos" became the etymological origin of "lighthouse" in French, Italian, Romanian, Portuguese, and Spanish due to the popularity of this lighthouse.
The lighthouse is now believed to have combined Greek and Egyptian styles, and almost the whole lighthouse was comprised of white marble blocks with lead mortar. Many accounts suggest that this lighthouse was in many respects a tourist attraction. There was even an observation platform at the top of the first level, where food was sold to the visitors. Additionally, there was a smaller balcony, which was located at the top of the eight-sided tower. From this balcony, a person could experience a remarkable view from about 300 feet above the sea.
In the 10th century, Moorish travelers, Idrisi and Yusuf Ibn al-Shaikh, made detailed descriptions of the lighthouse. They suggested that it stood 300 cubits high. However, since the cubit is not a standard unit, it could have been anywhere from 450 to 600 feet high. The lighthouse can be divided into three stages or tiers. The first tier was quadrangular with an octagonal second tier located above it. The third tier, which contained the fire that served as the guiding light, was a cylindrical section that topped the structure. There was a large spiral ramp inside the lowest tier, and it was used to carry materials to the top by carts pulled by horses. Also, inside the lower tier, there were at least 50 service rooms. There was an internal code located within the lighthouse that allowed the fuel to be lifted from the bottom tier to the top to be burned for the fire.
Ancient accounts also describe a mysterious mirror or huge lens that increased the visibility of the light over a greater distance. These accounts suggest that the light from the Pharos Lighthouse could be seen from almost 100 miles away in the sea. However, many of these descriptions were from travelers, who had visited the lighthouse after the top tier had vanished. Certain legends exist about the large mirror being used as a weapon, in which it could concentrate the sun's rays and set approaching enemy ships on fire. Other stories suggest that the mirror was used to magnify the city of Constantinople and observe what was happening there.
Although the lighthouse survived for almost two millennia through fierce storms and tidal waves, in 796, it might have lost its top tier in opposition to many other accounts. One account reports that Sultan Ibn Tulun built a mosque with a dome where the top tier once was. According to this story, the top tier was lost in an act of trickery. The Emperor of Constantinople, which was a rival port, formulated a plot to destroy the Pharos Lighthouse. In this plot, he spread rumors that a wonderful treasure had been buried under the lighthouse. The top two tiers and the mirror were destroyed before they realized that they had been tricked. Although they were ordered to rebuild the destroyed lighthouse, the damage was so extensive that the idea was soon forgotten.
In both 950 and 956, the remaining structure was further cracked, and the lighthouse soon stood only 22 meters high. On August 8th, 1303, the eastern Mediterrean was shaken by a massive earthquake, and the remaining structure of the lighthouse was destroyed. The ruins of the lighthouse remained there for over a century until the Mamluk sultan Qait Bey cleared the ruins to build his fort, which is believed to contain some of the stone blocks from the Pharos Lighthouse.
Although the Lighthouse of Alexandria, like five of the six other Wonders of the Ancient World, is no longer standing, it has influenced many other cultures. Various structures along the Mediterranean have used the structure as a model from a architectural viewpoint. Additionally, today lighthouses appear around the world.
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