Where is the island of Pharos? Holidays in Egypt. The meaning of a wonder of the world in the modern world
The history of the seventh Wonder of the World - the Lighthouse of Alexandria - is associated with its foundation in 332 BC. Alexandria, a city that was named after the great Roman commander Alexander the Great. It should be noted that throughout his career, the conqueror founded about 17 cities with similar names, but only the Egyptian project managed to survive to this day.
Foundation of the city in honor of the great commander
Macedonian selected the site for the founding of Egyptian Alexandria very carefully. He did not like the idea of a location in the Nile Delta, and so the decision was made to set up the first construction sites 20 miles to the south, near the marshy Lake Mareotis. Alexandria was supposed to have two large harbors - one was intended for merchant ships coming from outside Mediterranean Sea, and the second is for ships traveling along the Nile.
After the death of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. the city came under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter, the new ruler of Egypt. During this period, Alexandria developed into a thriving trading port. In 290 BC. Ptolemy ordered the construction of a huge lighthouse on the island of Pharos, which would illuminate the path for ships sailing in the city's harbor. dark time days and in bad weather.
Construction of a lighthouse on the island of Faros
The construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria dates back to the 4th century BC, but the system of signal lights itself appeared only in the 1st century BC. The creator of this masterpiece of engineering and architectural art is considered to be Sostratus, a resident of Cnidia. The work lasted a little over 20 years, and as a result, the Alexandria Lighthouse became the first building of this type in the world and the most tall building the ancient world, not counting, of course, the Gisean pyramids.
The height of the Alexandria Lighthouse was approximately 450-600 feet. Moreover, the structure was absolutely unlike any other architectural monument available at that time. The building was a three-tiered tower, the walls of which were made of marble slabs held together with lead mortar. The most Full description The Lighthouse of Alexandria was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi - the famous Arab traveler - in 1166. He noted that the lighthouse, in addition to performing purely practical functions, served as a very noticeable landmark.
The fate of the great Lighthouse
Faros lighthouse illuminated the way for seafarers for more than 1,500 years. But strong tremors in 365, 956 and 1303 AD. severely damaged the building, and a powerful earthquake in 1326 finally destroyed one of the greatest architectural structures peace. In 1994, the remains of the Alexandria Lighthouse were discovered by archaeologists, and subsequently the image of the structure was more or less successfully restored using computer modeling.
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, Museion 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 Alexandria Lighthouse with its complex system mirrors, colossal sizes 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.
After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great, a city was founded, named Alexandria in his honor. The city began to actively develop and prosper, became major center maritime trade. Soon, an urgent need arose for the construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse.
Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts
The island of Pharos, located 1290 meters from Alexandria, was chosen as the location for the lighthouse. The construction of the Pharos lighthouse, which later became the seventh wonder of the world, was led by the architect Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes from Cnidus.
To ensure the supply of building materials to the island, a dam was built. The construction itself was completed at lightning speed by the standards of the ancient world, taking only six years (285-279 BC). The new building immediately “knocked out” the walls of Babylon from the list of classical wonders of the world, and took pride of place there to this day. The height of the Alexandria Lighthouse, according to contemporaries, reached 120 meters. The light projected from the tower of the Alexandria Lighthouse was visible up to 48 kilometers away.
The lighthouse had three tiers.
The first tier had a square shape with sides of 30.5 meters, oriented to the cardinal points. The total height of this tier was 60 meters. The corners of the tier were occupied by statues of tritons. The room itself was intended to house workers and guards, storerooms for fuel and food.
The middle tier of the Faros lighthouse had an octagonal shape with edges oriented according to the prevailing winds here. The upper part of the tier was decorated with statues, some of which functioned as weather vanes.
The upper tier of a cylindrical shape played the role of a lantern. It was surrounded by eight columns covered with a cone dome. The top of the dome of the Faros lighthouse was decorated with a seven-meter statue of Isis-Faria (guardian of seafarers). The powerful lamp was projected using a system of concave metal mirrors. There has been a long-standing debate about the delivery of fuel to the top of the Alexandria Lighthouse. Some suggest that delivery was carried out using lifting mechanisms along an internal shaft, while others say that the ascent was carried out using mules along a spiral ramp.
The lighthouse also had an underground part where supplies of drinking water for the garrison were located. It is worth mentioning that the lighthouse also served as a fortress guarding sea route to Alexandria. The Faros lighthouse itself was even surrounded by a powerful fence with bastions and loopholes.
In the 14th century, the wonder of the world, the Faros lighthouse, was destroyed by an earthquake. Currently, the appearance of the seventh wonder of the world is evidenced only by images on Roman coins and the remains of ruins. For example, research in 1996 made it possible to find the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse at the bottom of the sea.
Lighthouse on Roman coins
A hundred years after the destruction, Sultan Qait Bey built a fort in its place. And now there are initiators who want to reconstruct the Faros Lighthouse, in the place where it was originally located - on the island of Faros. But the Egyptian authorities do not yet want to consider these projects, and the Qait Bay fortress continues to guard the site of the former great structure of antiquity.
Kite Bay Fortress
Unfortunately, the earthquake almost completely destroyed the building, but despite this, there were no fewer people wanting to see the lighthouse.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The lighthouse is also called Faros lighthouse, due to its location on the island of Faros on the coast of Alexandria in Egypt. The city received its name from Emperor Alexander the Great. He approached the location of the city very thoughtfully. At first it will seem unusual that Macedonsky did not choose the Nile Delta, where two important strategic routes pass. However, if Alexandria were built on the Nile River, harmful sands and silt would clog its harbor. Thus, the most the best option, because high hopes were placed on the city.
Macedonian planned to create the largest market town, where goods will be delivered from all over the world. Well, of course, such an important center required a harbor. Many famous designers of that time created a project according to which a dam was built connecting the island and the mainland. Thus, two harbors were obtained, receiving ships from both the Nile and the sea.
The emperor’s dream came true only after his death, when Ptolemy I ascended the throne. It was he who made Alexandria the largest trading port city in all of Greece. With the growth and development of navigation, the island increasingly needed a lighthouse. Its construction would secure the navigation of ships at sea, and also attract more sellers and buyers.
Among the sparse landscape, the lighthouse would stand out with its lights, creating a powerful landmark for the lost. According to historians, Alexander the Great also planned to turn the lighthouse into a defensive structure in case of attacks from the sea. Therefore, the plans were to build a huge patrol point.
Construction of the Alexandria Lighthouse
Of course, the construction of such a large-scale facility required large financial and labor resources. Finding them in such a difficult time was not easy. But Ptolemy solved this problem by bringing from conquered Syria a huge number of Jews who became slaves at construction sites. At this time, several other important events for the state take place. Ptolemy signs a peace agreement with Demetrius Poliorcetes and celebrates the death of his blood enemy Antigonus.
In 285 BC. Led by the architect Sostratus of Knidos, the construction of the Pharos begins. To perpetuate his name, the architect creates an inscription saying that he is building this building for sailors. At the top, the inscription was covered with tiles with the name of Ptolemy. However, the secret has now been revealed.
Lighthouse structure
The Alexandria lighthouse had three tiers of a rectangular shape with a side of 30.5 meters. The edges of the lower tier were clearly turned to certain cardinal directions. Its height was 60 meters. The lower tier was decorated with tritons on the sides and was used by workers for personal purposes. Supplies of fuel and food were also stored here.
The middle tier was built in the shape of a polygon, the edges of which were directed towards the winds.
The third tier resembled a cylinder and directly served as a luminary. At the top there was a seven-meter sculpture of Isis-Faria, which sailors revered as their guardian. According to some sources, there was a statue of Poseidon at the top, but this fact has not been proven. Here a complex design of mirrors was created, which significantly increased the range of light. Fuel was supplied to the lighthouse via special ramps carried by mules. It was for ease of movement that the dam was built. The Alexandria lighthouse, in addition to its direct responsibility, served as the defense of the city. There was a military garrison here. For complete safety, thick walls and small towers were erected around the lighthouse.
In general, the entire structure was 120 meters high, becoming the tallest in the world.
The fate of the lighthouse
After a millennium, the structure began to collapse. This happened in 796 during powerful earthquake. All that remains of the majestic structure are 30-meter-high ruins.
The Kite Bay military fort was later built from the wreckage, which now houses several museums inside? Museum of Marine Biology and History Museum.
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
| Lighthouse | |
Alexandrian lighthouse |
|
Alexandrian lighthouse, drawing by archaeologist G. Thiersch (1909) |
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| A country | Egypt |
| Location | Alexandria |
| Lighthouse height | 140 meters |
| Distance | 50 kilometers |
| Active | No |
| Alexandrian lighthouse on Wikimedia Commons | |
Alexandrian lighthouse (Faros lighthouse) - a lighthouse built in the 3rd century BC. e. on the island of Pharos near the Egyptian city of Alexandria, one of the 7 wonders of the world.
History of construction
The lighthouse was built so that ships could safely pass the reefs on their way to Alexandria Bay. At night they were helped in this by the reflection of flames, and during the day by a column of smoke. The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but in 796 AD. e. was heavily damaged by the earthquake. Subsequently, the Arabs who came to Egypt tried to restore it, and by the 14th century. the height of the lighthouse was about 30 m. At the end of the 15th century, the Sultan of Qait Bay erected a fortress on the site of the lighthouse, which still stands today.
The lighthouse was built on small island Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Alexandria. This busy port was founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e. The building was named after the island. Its construction was supposed to take 20 years, and it was completed around 283 BC. e. , during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt. Construction of this giant structure lasted only 5 years. Architect - Sostratus of Cnidus.
The Faros lighthouse consisted of three marble towers standing on a base of massive stone blocks. The first part of the tower was rectangular and contained rooms in which workers and soldiers lived. Above this part was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper part. The upper part of the tower was shaped like a cylinder in which a fire burned.
Guide light
Death of the lighthouse
Research
In 1968, under the auspices of UNESCO, the ruins of the lighthouse were explored by the famous underwater archaeologist Honor Frost: much later, in 1997, for this expedition she received the medal “For innovative underwater archeology in Egypt” from the French government.
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Literature
- Shishova I. A., Neihardt A. A. Seven wonders of the ancient world
- . Peter A. Clayton
Notes
An excerpt characterizing the Alexandria Lighthouse
The Battle of Borodino, with the subsequent occupation of Moscow and the flight of the French, without new battles, is one of the most instructive phenomena in history.
All historians agree that the external activities of states and peoples, in their clashes with each other, are expressed by wars; that directly, as a result of greater or lesser military successes, the political power of states and peoples increases or decreases.
No matter how strange historical descriptions how some king or emperor, having quarreled with another emperor or king, gathered an army, fought with the enemy army, won a victory, killed three, five, ten thousand people and, as a result, conquered the state and an entire people of several million; no matter how incomprehensible it may be why the defeat of one army, one hundredth of all the forces of the people, forced the people to submit, all the facts of history (as far as we know it) confirm the justice of the fact that greater or lesser successes of the army of one people against the army of another people are the reasons or, according to at least significant signs of an increase or decrease in the strength of nations. The army was victorious, and the rights of the victorious people immediately increased to the detriment of the vanquished. The army suffered defeat, and immediately, according to the degree of defeat, the people are deprived of their rights, and when their army is completely defeated, they are completely subjugated.
This has been the case (according to history) from ancient times to the present day. All Napoleon's wars serve as confirmation of this rule. According to the degree of defeat of the Austrian troops, Austria is deprived of its rights, and the rights and strength of France increase. The French victory at Jena and Auerstätt destroys the independent existence of Prussia.
But suddenly in 1812 the French won a victory near Moscow, Moscow was taken, and after that, without new battles, not Russia ceased to exist, but the army of six hundred thousand ceased to exist, then Napoleonic France. It is impossible to stretch the facts to the rules of history, to say that the battlefield in Borodino remained with the Russians, that after Moscow there were battles that destroyed Napoleon’s army.
After the Borodino victory of the French, there was not a single general battle, but not a single significant one, and the French army ceased to exist. What does it mean? If this were an example from the history of China, we could say that this phenomenon is not historical (a loophole for historians when something does not fit their standards); if the matter concerned a short-term conflict, in which small numbers of troops were involved, we could accept this phenomenon as an exception; but this event took place before the eyes of our fathers, for whom the issue of life and death of the fatherland was being decided, and this war was the greatest of all known wars...
The period of the 1812 campaign from the Battle of Borodino to the expulsion of the French proved that a won battle is not only not the reason for conquest, but is not even a permanent sign of conquest; proved that the power that decides the fate of peoples lies not in the conquerors, not even in armies and battles, but in something else.
French historians, describing the position of the French army before leaving Moscow, claim that everything in the Great Army was in order, except for the cavalry, artillery and convoys, and there was no fodder to feed horses and cattle. Nothing could help this disaster, because the surrounding men burned their hay and did not give it to the French.
The won battle did not bring the usual results, because the men Karp and Vlas, who after the French came to Moscow with carts to plunder the city and did not personally show heroic feelings at all, and all the countless number of such men did not carry hay to Moscow for the good money that they They offered it, but they burned it.
Let's imagine two people who went out to duel with swords according to all the rules of fencing art: fencing lasted for quite a long time; suddenly one of the opponents, feeling wounded - realizing that this was not a joke, but concerned his life, threw down his sword and, taking the first club he came across, began to swing it. But let us imagine that the enemy, having so wisely used the best and simplest means to achieve his goal, at the same time inspired by the traditions of chivalry, would want to hide the essence of the matter and would insist that he, according to all the rules of art, won with swords. One can imagine what confusion and ambiguity would arise from such a description of the duel that took place.
The fencers who demanded fighting according to the rules of art were the French; his opponent, who threw down his sword and raised his club, were Russians; people who try to explain everything according to the rules of fencing are historians who wrote about this event.
Since the fire of Smolensk, a war began that did not fit any previous legends of war. The burning of cities and villages, retreat after battles, Borodin’s attack and retreat again, abandonment and fire of Moscow, catching marauders, rehiring transports, guerrilla warfare - all these were deviations from the rules.