Lighthouse of Alexandria

A long time ago, a tall tower stood by the sea.

It was a big lighthouse in a place called Alexandria. It helped ships find their way at night. A fire burned at the very top. A mirror helped catch the sun during the day.

For a long time, it was one of the tallest buildings. Then, big shakes in the ground hurt the tower. The lighthouse fell into the sea. Now, people find its pieces under the water.

It is a very special part of history.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a very tall tower.

It stood on an island called Pharos in Egypt. A ruling family built it a long time ago. It took twelve years to finish the work. It cost 800 talents of silver to build.

The tower had three main parts. The bottom was a large square. The middle part was an eight-sided shape. The top was a round section. At the top, a fire burned at night. A mirror caught the sun during the day. This helped ships stay safe near the shore.

Over many years, big earthquakes hit the tower. These shakes in the ground broke the building. By the year 1480, the tower was mostly gone. A leader named Qaitbay used the old stones to build a fort.

In 1994, people found pieces of the tower under the sea. They found large blocks of granite and old statues. These pieces lay on the floor of the harbor. Today, scientists study these ruins to learn about the past.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a truly massive structure.

It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For many centuries, it was among the tallest man-made things on Earth. This tower helped ships find their way to the city of Alexandria. Without it, the journey into the harbor could be very dangerous. The shores of Africa were often flat and hard to see. Shallow waters and hidden reefs made the trip a hard job for sailors.

The lighthouse had a very interesting shape. It was built in three different layers. The bottom layer was a large square section. The middle section was an eight-sided shape called an octagon. The top part was a round, circular section.

At the very top, a mirror caught the sunlight during the day. At night, a fire was lit in a furnace to guide ships. This light helped sailors stay safe while they traveled the sea.

People began building this wonder in the third century BC. It was built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. A king named Ptolemy I Soter first ordered its construction. His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, saw the work finished. It took twelve long years to complete the tower. The builders used 800 talents of silver to pay for it.

This was a huge amount of money for that time.

Some people believe an architect named Sostratus of Cnidus designed the tower. A story says he hid his name under plaster. He wanted his name to show once the plaster fell off. The tower was made of strong limestone and granite blocks. These stones came from the Wadi Hammamat quarries in the desert.

Large statues of Triton stood on the four corners. A statue of a god stood at the very top.

Sadly, the lighthouse did not last forever. Big earthquakes hit the area many times. One earthquake in 956 AD caused the top to fall. Another large earthquake in 1303 AD caused even more damage. By the year 1480, the stones were used to build a fort.

In 1994, divers found the ruins on the sea floor. They found huge granite blocks and old statues in the water. Today, scientists use these pieces to learn about the past.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, often called the Pharos, was a massive maritime beacon in Ancient Egypt.

It stood as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For many centuries, it was among the tallest man-made structures on the planet. Its primary purpose was to guide sailors safely into the city of Alexandria. The northern coast of Africa featured flat shores that were hard to see from a distance. Shallow shoals and submerged reefs made navigation through these waters very dangerous for ships.

Construction of the tower began in the third century BC under the Ptolemaic Kingdom. King Ptolemy I Soter commissioned the project shortly after declaring himself king in 305 BC. The massive building took twelve years to complete during the reign of his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus. The total cost was 800 talents of silver. This was an enormous sum, representing about one-tenth of the entire royal treasury at the time. To put this in perspective, the famous Parthenon in Greece cost an estimated 469 talents of silver.

The structure was built using large blocks of light-colored stone. Scientific analysis shows these blocks of sandstone and limestone came from the Wadi Hammamat quarries. These quarries are located in the desert east of Alexandria. The tower was designed in three distinct, tapering tiers. The base was a large square section with a central core. Above this sat a middle octagonal section, which is an eight-sided shape. The top tier was a circular section.

At the very top of the tower, a mirror reflected sunlight during the day. At night, a furnace provided light through fire. Some ancient Roman coins suggest that statues of Triton stood on the four corners of the building. A statue of a god, such as Poseidon or Zeus, likely stood at the very peak.

The architect may have been a man named Sostratus of Cnidus. According to the writer Lucian, Sostratus hid his name under a layer of gypsum. He believed the plaster would eventually fall off to reveal his name to future generations.

Detailed accounts from travelers help us understand the interior of the lighthouse. The traveler Balawi visited in 1166 and described a large rectangular shaft inside. This shaft contained an inner ramp that was wide enough for two horsemen to pass at once. The ramp led through four different storeys. These floors contained a total of 49 rooms. The base of the lighthouse was approximately 30 meters long on each side. The connecting ramp was about 300 meters long and 10 meters wide.

Natural disasters eventually destroyed the great tower. Between AD 956 and 1303, three major earthquakes caused severe damage. The earthquake in 956 caused the top 20 meters of the structure to collapse. A much more powerful earthquake occurred in 1303, originating from Crete. By 1480, the remaining ruins were gone. The Sultan of Egypt, Qaitbay, used the fallen stones from the site to build a medieval fort called the Citadel of Qaitbay.

Archaeologists have worked to rediscover the lost wonder beneath the waves. In 1994, a French team led by Jean-Yves Empereur found physical remains on the floor of the Eastern Harbour. They used photography and mapping to catalog over 3,300 pieces of debris. These findings included granite blocks weighing between 49 and 60 tonnes. They also found 30 sphinxes, five obelisks, and various carved columns.

Today, the study of the Pharos connects history with modern science. Satellite imaging and sonar have revealed other submerged structures like temples and houses. In 2016, Egypt planned to create an underwater museum to protect these ruins. In 2025, researchers resurfaced parts of the original entrance and foundation stones. This work helps scholars create accurate digital reconstructions of the lighthouse. These efforts ensure that the architectural skill of the ancient world is not forgotten.