“It can be seen for more than seventy miles, and is of great antiquity. It is most strongly built in all directions and competes with the skies in height. Description of it falls short, the eyes fail to comprehend it, and words are inadequate, so vast is the spectacle.” Thus wrote the Muslim pilgrim Ibn Jubayr in 1183 during a visit to Alexandria. He wrote of the city’s greatest attraction, the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is also known as the Pharos of Alexandria. (Pharos is the island upon which workers built the lighthouse during the era of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt.) It is another of the Wonders of the Ancient World.
Lighthouse of Alexandria Facts
Construction took about 33 years. It began during the reign of Ptolemy I Psoter, one of the successors to the empire of Alexander the Great, and finished circa 280 BCE during the rule of his son. It stood roughly 350 feet high, making it second only to the pyramids of Giza in height among great structures of the ancient Mediterranean.
Why build a lighthouse? Alexander had laid out a great city at the edge of the Nile Delta. But the Egyptian coastline was notorious for its reefs, shoals, and lack of landmarks by which mariners could navigate. So, Ptolemy I decided help was in order.
The architect of the masterpiece is uncertain. Roman authors credit Sostratus of Cnidus, but this may only be because the Lighthouse of Alexandria has an inscription bearing his name. But without anyone else as a good candidate, Sostratus gets the credit in many sources. Regardless, it was expensive. Ancient sources report a cost of 800 talents of silver, about 23 tons. This was about ten percent of Ptolemy’s treasury. The Parthenon referenced in the title to this post cost 469 talents of silver.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria also ranks among the more long-lived Wonders of the Ancient World. A number of earthquakes damaged it over the centuries, requiring repair. Nonetheless, the lighthouse remained functional until the late 12th century. (Although some sources claim the demise came earlier, perhaps by 875.) By the early 1200s it appears the great lighthouse was a mere watchtower. Its ruins remained until cleared for the construction of a fort in 1477.
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What Did it Look Like?
The marvelous structure consisted of three stacked sections of sandstone and limestone. The lowest was square, the middle octagonal (perhaps an homage to the eight winds), and the top circular. Each section was about half the height of the section below. A statue graced the pinnacle of the top section, although the identity of the figure depicted by the statue seems in dispute—perhaps Zeus, perhaps Helios, maybe Poseidon. Some sources suggest the statue might have been taken down and replaced over time. This could account for the different identities mentioned in sources.
Numerous other pieces of statuary graced the lighthouse and surrounding grounds. We know this from modern underwater excavation. It has revealed sphinxes, building blocks, and stone obelisks. Some of these obelisks date to circa 1225 BCE, meaning workers transported them from elsewhere in Egypt.
The top section also contained the beacon of the lighthouse, the primary reason for its existence. What fueled the fire is uncertain, wood being scarce in Egypt. Papyrus roots or naphtha are popular candidates as a substitute. A polished bronze mirror then reflected the light, making the Lighthouse of Alexandria visible for great distances. (Ibn Jubayr quoted above wrote 70 miles, other sources like the Roman Jewish writer Josephus state 34 miles. Regardless, that’s a long way.)
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What Happened to the Lighthouse of Alexandria?
Historically, some writers attributed its destruction to Byzantine trickery undermining its foundations. Ah, the feats of Byzantine technology. Modern research, however, blames a series of earthquakes as the probable culprit. Major earthquakes damaged the tower in 796, 951, 956, 1303, and 1375.
The 1303 quake possibly did the most damage. The Muslim commentator al-Mansuri wrote it destroyed the Lighthouse of Alexandria completely. When the famous traveler Ibn Battuta visited in 1326, he wrote that only the lowest section remained, and it was partly ruined. Finally, in either 1477 or possibly 1480, the Mamluk ruler Qaitbay cleared the site and built a fort to guard the harbor of Alexandria.
Still, this great structure served its purpose for at least a millennium and perhaps longer. That’s quite a feat. It’s also worth noting, and this is of considerable importance, maybe, that the Lighthouse of Alexandria is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World built for any practical benefit to living people. (We can debate the spiritual benefits of the Statue of Zeus and Temple of Artemis, I suppose.) For this reason, if none other, we might make a case for it as the greatest wonder of the ancient Mediterranean.
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