The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a high-rise tower built on the island of Pharos, between 280 and 247 BC (estimated), in the city of Alexandria, today Egypt, whose function was to guide the navigators of the Mediterranean Sea in a way safe to and from the ports of Alexandria.
According to history, it was the first lighthouse built on record, and it is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Drawing of the Lighthouse of Alexandria by the German archaeologist Prof. H. Thiersch (1909).
Its location on the island of Pharos, and its function as a guide and watch tower, gave rise to the name of lighthouse for this type of towers throughout history. It is estimated that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was approximately 140 meters high, which for many centuries made it one of the tallest structures in the world.
This iconic beacon of Hellenic culture stood for centuries, until an earthquake allegedly toppled it in the 14th century.
Of the true image of the lighthouse there are many representations and descriptions; however, most of its current representations have been made from the investigations and remains found around the site.
History of the Lighthouse of Alexandria
Arguably the story of the Lighthouse of Alexandria begins with the founding of the city of Alexandria itself in 332 BC, carried out by Alexander the Great himself. The lighthouse connected with the island of Pharos by means of a land pier that connected both lands, dividing the bay in what would become the port of Alexandria.
The death of Alexander the Great and the rise to power of his successor Ptolemy in 305 BC would start the conception and construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which would take more than a decade to complete and which would see its completion during the son's reign. of Ptolemy, Ptolemy the Second.
The architect in charge of carrying out such a vast task, according to historians and the vestiges found, was the Greek Stratus of Cnido, who followed Ptolemy's instructions and even inscribed his own name on one of the limestone used for the construction of the lighthouse.
The light from the lighthouse was produced by a furnace placed at the tip, and this system served as a prototype for the construction of lighthouses, as they are known today.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is considered the only one of the seven wonders that served a functional purpose to ancient society, contrary to others that only served as places of homage and religious and / or funeral worship.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria would keep fulfilling its function for many more centuries until in 956, the first of three earthquakes happened that would cause its collapse and collapse, causing the first damages; the second would arrive in 1303, and would be the most damaging to the lighthouse at the structure level; the last earthquake, just 20 years later, in 1323, would finish demolishing the lighthouse, leaving it in ruins.
Starting in the 13th century, the land remains of the lighthouse, mainly its limestone blocks, would be used for the construction of a fort commissioned by the then Sultan of Egypt Qa'it Bay. This fortification continues to stand today, at exactly the same point where the Lighthouse of Alexandria was once erected.
Much of the remains of the Alexandria Lighthouse ended up submerged both in the Nile Delta and on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Over the years, these remains have been recovered little by little and have allowed us to have a better idea of what was its wonderful structure and the materials with which it was made.
Design
It was a structure more than 130 meters high; some records estimate that it even exceeded 140. Epiphanes went so far as to affirm that it was more than 550 meters high, which provides an idea of how perceptions tended to inflate at the time.
The many ancient representations and illustrations of the Lighthouse of Alexandria are due to the number of Arab sailors who arrived at the ports and were amazed by the imposing structure of this structure.
Despite the multiple descriptions of the time, by travelers who docked in the port of Alexandria, many agree that the lighthouse was made up of three main parts.
Bottom
The lower part, or base, had a square shape and quite wide, which was accessed by a ramp that allegedly ascended almost 60 meters, until it reached a platform that led to the central part of the lighthouse.
Second stage
This second stage consisted of an octagonal tower with internal stairs that allowed us to ascend another 30 meters inside the lighthouse.
Final stage
Then there would be the final stage, which consisted of a tower that added about 20 meters more in height until reaching the highest point.
Almost at the end of this stage, the furnace that would give light to the navigators would be found and, according to some records, a mosque or temple with a dome-shaped roof would be found throughout the tip of the lighthouse. This theory is supported by pictorial representations of the lighthouse that show this mosque.
Inside this temple at the top was a statue of Zeus that is estimated to be up to five meters high. All this added gives the Lighthouse of Alexandria a height only comparable to the Great Pyramid of Giza, if we talk about wonders of the ancient world.
Some ancient representations that have served to illustrate the lighthouse, such as mosaics, illustrations and even minted coins add more or less ornamental details to the main structure, such as a greater presence of statues and sculptures, or a different structure at the tip of the lighthouse.
However, the main conception in three great levels or stages of height has been consistent in the interpretation and perception of what was the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
References
- Behrens-Abouseif, D. (2006). The Islamic History of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Muqarnas, 1-14.
- Clayton, PA, & Price, MJ (2013). The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Routledge.
- Jordan, P. (2014). Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. New York: Routledge.
- Müller, A. (1966). The seven wonders of the world: five thousand years of culture and history in the ancient world. McGraw-Hill.
- Woods, M., & Woods, MB (2008). Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Twenty-Firts Century Books.