What is the Alexandria lighthouse. Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse - interesting historical facts. Where is the Alexandria Lighthouse located?
After the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded a city in the Nile Delta named after him - Alexandria. During the reign of Ptolemy I, the city achieved wealth and prosperity, and the Alexandrian harbor became a bustling center of maritime trade. As shipping developed, the helmsmen who brought ships with cargo to Alexandria increasingly felt the need for a lighthouse that would show ships a safe path among the shoals. And in the 3rd century. BC. on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos, lying in the sea at a distance of 7 stadia (1290 m) from Alexandria, the architect Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, built the famous lighthouse, which became one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.
To transport building materials, the island was connected to the mainland by a dam. The work took only six years - from 285 to 279 BC. Seeing this suddenly growing deserted island tower, contemporaries were shocked. From the list of seven wonders of the world, “miracle No. 2” - the walls of Babylon - was immediately crossed out, and its place was immediately taken by the Pharos lighthouse.
hundred was completed in the late summer of 1997. In October 1998, this project received the prestigious Project of the Year award, awarded annually by the International Concrete Institute.
The Alexandrian poet Posidippus (c. 270 BC) praised this amazing structure in one of his epigrams:
The tower on Pharos, the salvation of the Greeks, was erected by Sostratus Dexiphanov, Architect from Cnidus, O Lord Proteus!
There are no island guards on the cliffs in Egypt, But a mole is built from the Earth for the anchorage of ships,
And high, cutting through the ether, the tower rises, Everywhere for many miles is visible to the traveler during the day, At night, from afar, those sailing the sea see all the time, The light from a large fire at the very top of the lighthouse. Per. L. Blumenau
The lighthouse remained this way during Roman rule. According to Pliny the Elder, he shone “like a star in the darkness of the night.” This monumental structure was at least 120 m high, and its light was visible at a distance of up to 48 km.
According to Strabo, the lighthouse was built from local limestone and faced with white marble. Decorative friezes and ornaments are made of marble and bronze, columns are made of granite and marble. The lighthouse seemed to grow from the center of a spacious courtyard, surrounded by a powerful fence, at the corners of which powerful bastions rose, reminiscent of the pylons of ancient Egyptian temples. Numerous loopholes were cut through them, as well as throughout the entire wall.
The lighthouse itself consisted of three tiers. The first, square in plan (30.5 × 30.5 m), oriented to the cardinal points and lined with squares of white marble, had a height of 60 m. Monumental statues depicting tritons were installed in its corners. Inside the first tier there were rooms for workers and security at different levels. There were also storerooms where fuel and food were stored. On one of the side facades one could read the Greek inscription: “To the savior gods - for the salvation of sailors,” where the gods meant the king of Egypt Ptolemy I and his wife Berenice.
The smaller octagonal middle tier was also faced with marble slabs. Its eight faces were deployed in the directions of the prevailing winds in these places. At the top there were numerous bronze statues around the perimeter; some of them could serve as weather vanes indicating the direction of the wind. There is a legend that one of the figures followed the movement of the sun with an outstretched hand and lowered its hand only after it had set.
The upper tier had the shape of a cylinder and served as a lantern. It was surrounded by eight polished granite columns and topped by a cone-shaped dome topped by a 7-meter bronze statue of Isis Pharias, guardian of seafarers. However, some researchers believe that there was a statue of the sea god Poseidon there.
Light signaling was carried out using a powerful lamp placed at the focus of concave metal mirrors. It is believed that fuel was delivered to the top by lifting mechanisms installed inside the tower - in the middle of the lighthouse there was a shaft leading from the lower premises upward to the lighting system. According to another version, fuel was brought along a spiral ramp on carts drawn by horses or mules.
In the underground part of the lighthouse there was a storage facility for drinking water for the military garrison located on the island: both under the Ptolemies and the Romans, the lighthouse simultaneously served as a fortress preventing enemy ships from entering the main port of Alexandria.
It is believed that the upper part of the lighthouse (cylindrical, with a dome and a statue) collapsed in the 2nd century, but the lighthouse was still in operation in 641. In the XIV century. The earthquake finally destroyed this masterpiece of ancient architecture and construction technology. A hundred years later, the Egyptian Sultan Qait Bey ordered the construction of a fort on the remains of the lighthouse foundation, named after its creator. Today we can judge the external appearance of the lighthouse only by its images on coins of Roman times and a few fragments of granite and marble columns.
In 1996, underwater archaeologists led by the famous French scientist Jean-Yves Emperer, founder of the Center for the Study of Alexandria, managed to find on the seabed the remains of the lighthouse structures that collapsed into the sea as a result of the earthquake. This aroused great interest around the world. In 2001, the Belgian government even took the initiative to recreate the Faros lighthouse on the same spot where it was built 2,200 years ago. However, now the walls of the Qait Bay fortress still rise here, and the Egyptian government is in no hurry to agree to its demolition.
Alexandria is the second most important city in modern Egypt. It was founded back in the 4th century. BC e. Alexander the Great. And in the 3rd century. BC e. one of the seven wonders of the world appeared here - Alexandrian lighthouse. It was the world's first lighthouse, that is, a structure that provides orientation for ships.
The lighthouse was built on the small island of Faros in the Mediterranean Sea. The huge structure was erected in just five years instead of the planned twenty and was completed around 283 BC. e. Construction took place under Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.
There are numerous descriptions of this wonder of the world, supplemented by last years data from underwater archaeological expeditions. The total height of the lighthouse was 120–140 meters (the Pyramid of Cheops is 147 meters, and the height of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg is 122 meters). The Faros Lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, located on a base of massive stone blocks. The first rectangular tower contained quarters for workers and soldiers. Each side of the lower stone prism was 30 meters. The height of this part of the lighthouse was 60 meters. The second was a forty-meter octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the top tower. The upper tower had a cylindrical shape; it was on it that the fire burned, which helped ships avoid the reefs and reach the bay. Eight columns made up a cylindrical colonnade with a dome on which was placed an eight-meter statue of Poseidon (or Zeus the Savior).
The light was visible at a distance of 60–100 kilometers. This was ensured by the use of polished bronze mirrors, which stood behind the flame and directed the light into the sea. Fuel (wood) was transported along a spiral ramp on carts drawn by mules.
The architect was Sostratus of Cnidus. The exact dates of the life of this creator are unknown. He was from Asia Minor Caria. His father was the architect Deksifan, a teacher and co-author of a number of buildings. Sostratos built a number of buildings at Delphi and a hanging walkway at Cnidus. On the stone blocks of the Pharos lighthouse there was an inscription carved: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes, Cnidian, to the savior gods for the health of seafarers.” Some sources believe that Sostratus of Cnidus contributed a considerable share from his personal funds to the construction of the wonder of the world, which cost 800 talents.
The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but in 796 AD. e. was severely damaged by the earthquake. The Arabs tried to restore the lighthouse, which by the end of the 14th century. rose 30 meters. And a hundred years later a fortress was erected on this site.
The type of structure that began with the Faros lighthouse still exists today. The word "lighthouse" began to be used in a figurative sense. In Soviet times, there were “beacon people,” that is, leaders in production, whom everyone else was called upon to emulate. The light of the lighthouse began to be perceived as a symbol of hope for salvation, as the finishing point on a long journey, as something one dreams of. The miracle remains.
Farossky, also known as the Alexandria Lighthouse - one of the seven wonders of the world - was located on east coast Pharos Islands within Alexandria. It was the first and only lighthouse at that time gigantic size. The builder of this structure was Sostratus of Cnidus. Now the Alexandria Lighthouse has not survived, but the remains of this structure have been found, confirming the reality of its existence.
It has long been known that there are remains of a lighthouse underwater in the Pharos area. But the presence of an Egyptian naval base at this site prevented any research. Only in 1961, Kemal Abu el-Sadat discovered statues, blocks and marble boxes in the water.
On his initiative, a statue of the goddess Isis was removed from the water. In 1968, the Egyptian government approached UNESCO with a request for an examination. An archaeologist from Great Britain was invited, who presented a report on the work done in 1975. It contained a list of all finds. Thus, the significance of this site for archaeologists was confirmed.
Active Research
In 1980, a group of archaeologists from different countries began excavations on the seabed in the Faros area. This group of scientists, in addition to archaeologists, included architects, topographers, Egyptologists, artists and restorers, as well as photographers.
As a result, hundreds of fragments of the lighthouse were discovered at a depth of 6–8 meters, occupying an area of more than 2 hectares. In addition, studies have shown that on the seabed there are objects more ancient than the lighthouse. Many columns and capitals made of granite, marble, and limestone belonging to different eras were recovered from the water. 
Of particular interest to scientists was the discovery of the famous obelisks, called “Cleopatra’s needles” and brought to Alexandria by order of Octavian Augustus in 13 BC. e. Subsequently, many of the finds were restored and exhibited in museums in different countries.
About Alexandria
Alexandria, the capital of Hellenistic Egypt, was founded in the Nile River delta by Alexander the Great in 332–331 BC. e. The city was built according to a single plan developed by the architect Dinohar, and was divided into blocks with wide streets. The two widest of them (30 meters wide) intersected at right angles.
Alexandria was home to many magnificent palaces and royal tombs. Alexander the Great was also buried here, whose body was brought from Babylon and buried in a golden sarcophagus in a magnificent tomb by order of King Ptolemy Soter, who thereby wanted to emphasize the continuity of the traditions of the great conqueror.
At a time when other military leaders were fighting among themselves and dividing Alexander's huge power, Ptolemy settled in Egypt and made Alexandria one of the richest and most beautiful capitals of the Ancient World.
Abode of the Muses
The glory of the city was greatly facilitated by the creation by Ptolemy of the Museion (“abode of the Muses”), where the king invited prominent scientists and poets of his time. Here they could live and engage in scientific research entirely at the expense of the state. Thus, Museyon became something of an academy of sciences. Attracted favorable conditions, scientists flocked here from different ends Hellenistic world. Funds were generously allocated from the royal treasury for various experiments and scientific expeditions. 
Scientists were also attracted to the Museion by the magnificent Library of Alexandria, which collected about 500 thousand scrolls, including works by the outstanding playwrights of Greece Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. King Ptolemy II allegedly asked the Athenians for these manuscripts for a while so that the scribes could make copies of them. The Athenians asked for a huge deposit. The king paid without complaint. But he refused to return the manuscripts.
A famous scientist or poet was usually appointed as the keeper of the library. For a long time, this post was occupied by the outstanding poet of his time, Callimachus. Then he was replaced by the famous geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes. He was able to calculate the diameter and radius of the Earth and made only a minor error of 75 kilometers, which, given the capabilities available at that time, does not detract from his merits.
Of course, the tsar, providing scientists and poets with hospitality and financial support, pursued his own goals: to increase the glory of his country in the world as a scientific and cultural center and, thereby, his own. In addition, poets and philosophers were expected to praise his virtues (real or imaginary) in their works.
Natural sciences, mathematics and mechanics were widely developed. The famous mathematician Euclid, the founder of geometry, lived in Alexandria, as well as the outstanding inventor Heron of Alexandria, whose work was long ahead of its time. For example, he created a device that was actually the first steam engine.
In addition, he invented many different machines driven by steam or hot air. But in the era of the general spread of slave labor, these inventions could not find application and were used only for the entertainment of the royal court.
The most brilliant astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, long before Copernicus, stated that the Earth is a ball that rotates around its axis and around the Sun. His ideas only caused a smile among his contemporaries, but he remained unconvinced.
Creation of the Alexandria Lighthouse
The developments of Alexandrian scientists found application in real life. Example outstanding achievements science and became the Lighthouse of Alexandria, considered in that era one of the wonders of the world. In 285 BC. e. The island was connected to the shore by a dam - an artificially formed isthmus. And five years later, by 280 BC. e., the construction of the lighthouse was completed.
The Alexandria lighthouse was a three-story tower about 120 meters high.
- The lower floor was built in the form of a square with four sides, each of which was 30.5 meters in length. The edges of the square were facing the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, west - and were made of limestone.
- The second floor was made in the form of an octagonal tower, lined with marble slabs. Its edges were oriented in the direction of the eight winds.
- The third floor, the lantern itself, was crowned with a dome with a bronze statue of Poseidon, the height of which reached 7 meters. The dome of the lighthouse rested on marble columns. The spiral staircase leading up was so convenient that all the necessary materials, including fuel for the fire, were carried up on donkeys.
A complex system of metal mirrors reflected and amplified the light of the lighthouse, and it was clearly visible to sailors from afar. In addition, the same system made it possible to monitor the sea and detect enemy ships long before they appeared within sight. 
Special signs
Bronze statues were placed on the octagonal tower that forms the second floor. Some of them were equipped with special mechanisms that allowed them to serve as weather vanes indicating the direction of the wind.
Travelers talked about the miraculous properties of the statues. One of them allegedly always pointed her hand at the sun, tracing its path across the sky, and lowered her hand when the sun set. The other chimed every hour throughout the day.
They said that there was even a statue that, when enemy ships appeared, pointed to the sea and uttered a warning cry. All these stories do not seem so fantastic if we remember the steam automata of Heron of Alexandria.
It is quite possible that the scientist’s achievements were used in the construction of the lighthouse, and the statues could produce some mechanical movements and sounds when a certain signal was received.
Among other things, the lighthouse was also impregnable fortress with a powerful garrison. In the underground part, in case of a siege, there was a huge tank with drinking water.
The Faros lighthouse had no analogues in the Ancient world, either in size or technical data. Before this, ordinary fires were usually used as beacons. It is not surprising that the Lighthouse of Alexandria, with its complex system of mirrors, colossal dimensions and fantastic statues, seemed to all people a real miracle.
Who created the Lighthouse of Alexandria
The builder of this miracle, Sostratus of Cnidus, carved the inscription on the marble wall: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of sailors.” He covered this inscription with a thin layer of plaster, on which he placed the praise of King Ptolemy Soter. When, over time, the plaster fell off, the name of the master who created the magnificent lighthouse appeared to the eyes of those around him. 
Although the lighthouse was located on the eastern shore of the island of Pharos, it is more often called the Alexandrian lighthouse rather than the Faros lighthouse. This island is mentioned in Homer's poem "Odyssey". In Homer's time it was located in the Nile Delta, opposite the small Egyptian settlement of Rakotis.
But by the time the lighthouse was built, according to the Greek geographer Strabonne, it had moved significantly closer to the shores of Egypt and was one day’s journey from Alexandria. With the start of construction, the island was connected to the coast, effectively turning it from an island into a peninsula. For this purpose, a dam was artificially built, which was called Heptastadion, since its length was 7 stages (a stage is an ancient Greek measure of length, which is equal to 177.6 meters).
That is, translated into our usual measurement system, the length of the dam was approximately 750 meters. The main harbor, the Great Harbor of Alexandria, was located on the Pharos side. This harbor was so deep that a large ship could anchor off the shore.
Nothing is eternal
The tower is an assistant to sailors who have lost their way.
Here at night I light the bright fire of Poseidon.
The muffled wind was about to collapse,
But Ammonius strengthened me again with his labors.
After the ferocious waves they stretch out their hands to me
All sailors, honoring you, O shaker of the earth.
Nevertheless, the lighthouse stood until the 14th century and even in a dilapidated state reached a height of 30 meters, continuing to amaze with its beauty and grandeur. To date, only the pedestal, which is built into the medieval fortress, has survived from this famous wonder of the world. Therefore, it is possible for archaeologists or architects to study the remains of this grandiose building practically absent. Now there is an Egyptian military port on Pharos. And on the western side of the island there is another lighthouse, which in no way resembles its great predecessor, but also continues to show the way for ships.
The first (lower) tier of the lighthouse with a square base resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed in the corners. The towers were oriented to the cardinal points. The height of the tier reached approximately sixty meters. The flat roof of the lower tier served as the basis for the second tier. Statues of tritons were also installed on the roof here. Inside the first tier there was a garrison guarding the lighthouse and maintenance personnel, as well as the necessary equipment and supplies of water and food in case of a siege.
II (middle) tier
The second (middle) tier with an octagonal base rose another forty meters. A ramp was presumably built inside the second tier, along which fuel for the signal fire was raised to the third (upper) tier.
III (upper) tier
On the third cylindrical tier, columns were installed to support the dome of the lighthouse. On the site among the columns a signal fire was lit. The light of the signal light was reflected and amplified by a whole system of polished bronze plates.
A huge golden statue of Poseidon was installed on the dome of the lighthouse. It seemed that Poseidon guarded Faros lighthouse, peering intently into their sea expanses.
Faros lighthouse is located on ancient island Pharos (today a cape within the city of Alexandria in Egypt). In 332 - 331 BC. Alexander the Great founded the capital of Hellenistic Egypt, Alexandria. Here is the famous Alexandria Musseion - one of the main scientific and cultural centers of the ancient world, and with it the no less famous Library of Alexandria, which contained almost 700 thousand volumes of Greek and oriental books. Alexandria was the richest city of its time. Many remarkable structures were erected in Alexandria. These include the Alexandria Lighthouse on the rocky island of Foros near the Nile Delta. The use of lighthouses began in ancient times and is associated with the development of navigation. At first these were fires located on high banks, and then artificial structures. One of the seven wonders ancient world- The Alexandrian, or Foros, luminous lighthouse was built in 283 BC. Construction of this giant structure It took only 5 years, which in itself is remarkable. The main building materials for it were limestone, marble, and granite.
The lighthouse consisted of three gradually decreasing towers placed one on top of the other. The height of the lighthouse is enormous: according to some sources, 120 meters, according to the descriptions of Ibn al-Saikh (11th century) - 130-140 meters, according to some modern publications, even 180 meters.
The base of the lower tower is square - the side size is 30.5 meters. The lower tower, 60 meters high, was made of stone slabs decorated with exquisite sculptural work. The middle, octagonal, tower is 40 meters high, lined with white marble slabs. The upper tower - the lantern - is round, with a dome mounted on granite columns, and was crowned with a huge bronze statue of the patron of the seas, Poseidon, 8 meters high.
At the top of the third tower, in a voluminous bronze bowl, charcoal smoldered, the reflection of which, using a complex system of mirrors, indicated the location of the harbor 100 miles away. A shaft ran through the entire lighthouse, around which a ramp and stairs rose in a spiral. Carts pulled by donkeys drove along a wide and sloping ramp to the top of the lighthouse. Fuel for the lighthouse fire was delivered through the mine.
The tall lighthouse served as an excellent observation post. A system of metal mirrors was also used to view the sea, making it possible to detect enemy ships long before they appeared off the coast. A weather vane, a clock and astronomical instruments were installed here.
The lighthouse erected on the island of Foros, due to its enormous size and complex system light reflectors was a one-of-a-kind structure. This is how Achilles Tatius described it in his novel “Leucippe and Clitophon”: “... the structure is bizarre and amazing, the Mountain, lying in the middle of the sea, reached the very clouds, and water flowed under this structure, and it rose, hanging above the sea.”
The lighthouse of Alexandria stood for about 1,500 years, serving as a beacon, helping the Mediterranean “cybernetos” navigate, as the ancient Greeks called helmsmen. The lighthouse suffered from earthquakes twice, but was restored until it finally collapsed due to weathering of the stone. Then a medieval fortress was erected on the ruins of the lighthouse.
From one of the seven "wonders of the ancient world", it seemed that nothing remained except the ruins built into Qayt Bay, where they still exist today, and the name. The name of the island turned into a symbol: “foros” began to mean “lighthouse”. Hence the modern "headlight".
In 1961, while exploring coastal waters, scuba divers found statues, sarcophagi, and marble boxes on the seabed. In 1980, an international group of archaeologists discovered the remains of the Foros lighthouse on the seabed. At the same time, at a depth of 8 meters, the ruins of the legendary palace of Queen Cleopatra were discovered. This is one of the largest discoveries in archaeology.