The Lighthouse of Ancient Alexandria: The Miracle of the Ancient World That Lived 1500 Years
The famous ancient lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the island of Pharos in 250 BC.
The ancient lighthouse of Alexandria was built to help seafarers reach the port of Alexandria in Egypt.It was truly a unique engineering marvel of the wonders of the ancient world, with a height of at least 400 feet, making it one of the tallest structures built by man in the ancient world, and stood there On the island of Pharos for 1500 years, until a devastating earthquake in 1375.
Why was the lighthouse of Alexandria built?
Alexandria was founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great, and is located 20 miles west of the Nile River in Egypt, and occupied a privileged position as a major port on the Mediterranean Sea, and this helped the city to flourish, and Alexandria quickly became one of the most important cities of the ancient world, as well Because of its famous library which included various sciences and arts from everywhere in the world.
However, the only obstacle to the influx of people from all over to Alexandria was the difficulty of the seafarers in avoiding rocks and shallow water when approaching the port of Alexandria, and to help remove this obstacle, Ptolemy I ordered the construction of a lighthouse.
The construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria took about forty years, and was completed in about 250 BC.
Unparalleled architecture in the ancient world
- There is a lot that we do not know about the old lighthouse of Alexandria, but we know at least what it looked like. Since the lighthouse became a symbol of the ancient city of Alexandria, its image has appeared in many places and things, including ancient coins.
The ancient lighthouse of Alexandria was designed by the Greek architect "Systratus" of Knidos. The lighthouse, with a striking structure, was impressive, and was erected on the eastern end of the island of Pharos near the entrance to the port of Alexandria.
The lighthouse was located at a height of at least 450 feet, and was made of three sections, where the lower part of the building was a square, was occupied by government offices and stables and 300 rooms equipped for workers and their families lighthouse, while the second floor was octagonal and has a balcony, where tourists can sit and enjoy Landscaping, refreshing drinks.
The upper part of the lighthouse was cylindrical, and at the top of the lighthouse was a permanent lantern, lit by incessant fire, and a statue of Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greece.
Surprisingly, there was a rising slope inside that giant lighthouse that allowed horses and chariots to deliver supplies to the upper sections of the lighthouse.
It is still not known what exactly was used to light the fire at the top of the lighthouse, but whatever was used, that light was very effective, as the sailors could easily see it from miles away, thus finding their way safely to the port.
Marvel destroyed by the earthquake
- Alexandria's old lighthouse stood in place for 1,500 years - a staggering figure - due to a 40-storey hollow building. The lighthouse encircled the Greek, Roman, and Arab-Islamic empires after the Islamic conquest of Egypt, but their importance diminished when Transfer the capital of Egypt from Alexandria to Cairo.
Eventually, the lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed by an earthquake sometime in 1375, having kept the sailors unharmed for centuries.
Eventually some of its stone blocks were used to build a fortress for the sultan of Egypt, while the rest of the lighthouse fell into the ocean.
In 1994, French archaeologist Jean-Yves Emperor of the National Center for French Research investigated the port area of Iskandariya, and found a few of these blocks still in port water.
Commentaires