Interesting facts Alexandria lighthouse. Travel from a to z

Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had a practical purpose - the Alexandria lighthouse. It performed several functions at once: it allowed ships to approach the harbor without any problems, and the observation post, located at the top of the unique structure, made it possible to follow the water expanses and notice the enemy in time.

Locals claimed that the light of the Alexandria lighthouse burned enemy ships even before they approached the coast, and if they managed to approach the coast, the statue of Poseidon, located on the dome of an amazing design, emitted a shrill warning cry.

At a time when the height of buildings usually did not exceed three floors, the lighthouse with a height of about one hundred meters could not fail to amaze the imagination of both local residents and guests of the city. Moreover, at the time of the completion of construction, it turned out to be the tallest building of the ancient world and was such for an extremely long time.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was located on the east coast of the small island of Pharos, located near Alexandria, Egypt's main seaport, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

The great commander chose the place for the construction of the city very carefully: he initially planned to build a port in this region, which would be an important trade center.

It was extremely important that he was at the intersection of both water and land routes of the three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, at least two harbors had to be built here: one for ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other for those who sailed along the Nile.

Therefore, Alexandria was not built in the Nile Delta, but a little to the side, twenty miles to the south. When choosing a place for the city, Alexander took into account the location of future harbors, while paying special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything so that the waters of the Nile did not clog them with sand and silt (especially for this, a dam was subsequently built connecting the continent with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great, after a while the city fell under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter - and as a result of skillful management it turned into a successful and prosperous port city, and the construction of one of the seven wonders of the world significantly increased its wealth.

Purpose

The Alexandria lighthouse made it possible for ships to swim into the port without any problems, successfully bypassing pitfalls, shallows and other obstacles of the bay. Due to this, after the erection of one of the seven wonders, the volume of trade of light increased dramatically.

The lighthouse also served as an additional reference point for sailors: the landscape of the Egyptian coast is quite diverse - mostly only lowlands and plains. Therefore, the signal lights at the entrance to the harbor were very useful.

A lower structure would have successfully coped with this role, so the engineers assigned another important function to the Alexandria lighthouse - the role of an observation post: the enemies usually attacked from the sea, since the country was well defended by the desert from the land side.

It was also necessary to establish such an observation post at the lighthouse because there were no natural heights near the city where this could be done.

Construction

Such a large-scale construction required huge resources, moreover, not only financial and labor, but also intellectual. Ptolemy I solved this problem rather quickly: just at that time he conquered Syria, enslaved the Jews and took them to Egypt (some of them later he used to build a lighthouse).

It was at this time (in 299 BC) that he entered into a truce with Demetrius Poliorketus, the ruler of Macedonia (his father was Antigonus, the worst enemy of Ptolemy, who died in 301 BC).

Thus, a truce, a huge number of labor and other favorable circumstances gave him the opportunity to begin construction of a grandiose wonder of the world (although the exact date of the start of construction work has not yet been determined, the researchers are convinced that this happened sometime between 285/299 BC). BC.).

The presence of a dam, built earlier and connecting the island with the continent, greatly facilitated the task.

Initial appearance

The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse was entrusted to the master Sostratus of Cnidia. Ptolemy wished that only his name be inscribed on the building, indicating that it was he who created this magnificent wonder of the world.

But Sostratus was so proud of his work that he first engraved his name on a stone, then applied a very thick layer of plaster on it, on which he wrote the name of the Egyptian ruler. Over time, the plaster crumbled, and the world saw the signature of the architect.

There is no exact information about how exactly one of the seven wonders of the world looked, but some data is still available:

• The lighthouse was surrounded on all sides by thick fortress walls, and in case of a siege, supplies of water and food were stored in its dungeons;
• The height of the ancient skyscraper ranged from 120 to 180 meters;
• The lighthouse was built in the form of a tower and had three floors;
• The walls of the ancient structure were lined with marble blocks and fastened with mortar with a small addition of lead.
• The foundation of the structure was almost square - 1.8 x 1.9 m, and granite or limestone was used as a building material;
• The first floor of the Alexandria lighthouse had a height of about 60 m, while the length of the sides was about 30 m. Outwardly, it resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed at the corners. The roof of the first tier was flat, decorated with statues of Triton and served as the basis for the next floor. Here were located living quarters and utility rooms in which soldiers and workers lived, as well as various inventory was kept.
• The height of the second floor was 40 meters, it had an octagonal shape and was faced with marble slabs;
• The third tier had a cylindrical structure, decorated with statues that played the role of weather vane. Eight columns were installed here that supported the dome;
• On the dome, facing the sea, stood a bronze (according to other versions - gold) statue of Poseidon, whose height exceeded seven meters;
• Under Poseidon there was a platform on which a signal light burned, indicating the way to the harbor at night, while during the day its functions were performed by a huge column of smoke;
• In order for the fire to be seen from a great distance, a whole system of polished metal mirrors was installed near it, reflecting and intensifying the light of the fire, which, according to contemporaries, was visible even at a distance of 60 km;

There are several versions of how the fuel was lifted to the top of the lighthouse. The adherents of the first theory believe that a shaft was located between the second and third tiers, where a lifting mechanism was installed, with the help of which fuel for the fire was raised upward.

As for the second, it implies that the site where the signal light was burning could be accessed by a spiral staircase along the walls of the structure, and this staircase was so flat that loaded donkeys carrying fuel to the top of the lighthouse could easily climb up the building. ...

Crash

The Alexandria lighthouse has served people for quite a long time - about a thousand years. Thus, he survived more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers, saw Roman legionaries. This did not particularly affect his fate: whoever ruled Alexandria, everyone took care that the unique structure stood as long as possible - they restored the building parts that had collapsed due to frequent earthquakes, renewed the facade, which was negatively affected by wind and salty sea water.

Time has done its job: the lighthouse stopped working in 365, when one of the strongest earthquakes in the Mediterranean caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the death toll of Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but it stood for quite a long time - until the XIV century, until the next strongest earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, the Sultan Kait-bey built a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen and these days).

In the mid-90s. The remains of the Alexandria lighthouse were discovered at the bottom of the bay with the help of a satellite, and after a while, scientists, using computer modeling, were able to more or less restore the image of a unique structure.

Tower on Foros, salvation for the Greeks,
Sostrat Deksifanov,
The architect from Cnidus, erected,
O Lord Proteus!
(Posidippus)

The Alexandria Lighthouse - one of the 7 wonders of the world, was built in the 3rd century BC. BC in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, so that ships can safely pass the reefs on their way to the Alexandrian Bay.

The Seventh Wonder of the World The Lighthouse of Alexandria is actually the eighth wonder. Before its construction, the walls of Babylon were considered the second wonder of the world. When a 130-meter lighthouse was built at the mouth of the Nile, contemporaries were so impressed by this outstanding technical achievement that they simply deleted the walls of Babylon from the list of the Seven Wonders of the World and added the lighthouse to it as the latest, newest miracle.

Lighthouse of Alexandria, drawing by the archaeologist H. Thiersch (1909)

In 332 - 331. BC. Alexander the Great founded the capital of Hellenistic Egypt, Alexandria. Here is the famous Alexandria Mousseion - one of the main scientific and cultural centers of the ancient world, and with it the no less famous Alexandria Library, which contained almost 700 thousand volumes of Greek and Oriental books. Alexandria was the richest city of its time. Many remarkable structures have been erected in Alexandria. These include the Lighthouse of Alexandria on the rocky island of Foros near the Nile Delta.

One of the seven wonders of the ancient world - the Alexandria, or Foros, luminous lighthouse was built in 283 BC. 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. The construction of this gigantic structure took only 5 years.

The main building materials for it were limestone, marble, granite. History has retained the name of the creator of the Pharos lighthouse: on one of the slabs, scientists discovered the inscription “Sostratus, son of Dextiphon, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of the seas”. The inscription was preserved thanks to the architect's resourcefulness - he covered it with a layer of plaster, on which he wrote the name of the ruler of Egypt.

The Pharos lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, which stood on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular and contained rooms where workers and soldiers lived. Above this tower was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper tower. The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder, in which a fire was burning, which helped the ships safely reach the bay.

The height of the lighthouse is enormous: according to some data, 120 meters, according to the descriptions of Ibn-al-Saykh (XI century) - 130 -140 meters, according to some modern publications, even 180 meters. The base of the lower tower is square - side dimensions are 30.5 meters. The lower tower, 60 meters high, was built of stone slabs decorated with exquisite sculptural work, and the flat roof, decorated at the corners with huge statues of Triton, served as the basis for the middle part. The middle, octahedral, 40-meter-high tower is faced with white marble slabs.

The upper tower - a lantern - round, with a dome mounted on granite columns, was crowned with a huge bronze statue of the patron saint of the seas Poseidon (or the statue of Zeus the Savior) 8 meters high. At the top of the third tower, charcoal glowed in a voluminous bronze bowl, the reflection of which, using a complex system of mirrors, indicated the location of the harbor for 100 miles.

How the brightness and range of the glow was achieved has not yet been established. According to one version, this effect was achieved using huge mirrors of polished bronze or glass. On the other - thanks to the use of transparent polished stones - lenses. Through the entire lighthouse there was a shaft, around which a ramp and a staircase rose in a spiral. On a wide and sloping ramp, donkey carts drove up to the top of the lighthouse. Fuel for the lighthouse fire was delivered through the mine. Outside, the lighthouse was faced with white marble. 800 talents were spent on the construction (the cost is 20,800 kg of silver, which, according to modern estimates, is equal to 10 million euros).

The tall lighthouse served as an excellent observation post. The system of mirrors was also used to survey the sea space, allowing the detection of enemy ships long before they appeared at the coast. A weather vane, clocks and astronomical instruments were installed here. The lighthouse, erected on the island of Foros, was one of a kind structure due to its huge size and complex system of light reflectors.

All who saw the lighthouse were delighted with tall, slender female figures made of gilded bronze. From time to time, these motionless figures suddenly came to life. These were not just statues, but clever machine guns. Some showed the strength of the wind and sea waves by moving large gold hands on huge blue dials. Others, turning, indicated the direction of the wind or followed the movement of the sun and moon with their hands. Female automatons were also standing near the large Water Clock - klepsydr. They hit the coca. And in the fog and bad weather, another beautiful woman blew into the curved golden horn, warning sailors about the dangerous proximity of shoals and underwater rocks.

Here is how Achilles Tatius described it in his novel "Leucippus and Clitophon": ". The building is bizarre and amazing, the Mountain, lying in the middle of the sea, reached the very clouds, and the water flowed under this structure, and it rose, hanging over the sea." The Alexandria lighthouse stood for about 1500 years, serving as a beacon, helping to navigate the Mediterranean "cybernetos", as the ancient Greeks called the pilots.

The lighthouse twice suffered from earthquakes, but it was restored. By the 12th century A.D. NS. the bay of Alexandria was so filled with silt that ships could no longer use it. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. Bronze plates that served as mirrors were probably melted down into coins.

In May 1100 it was destroyed almost to the ground by a strong earthquake. In 1480, the Mamluk Sultan Kayt Bey built a fortress on the foundation of the lighthouse, which still stands today and bears the name of its creator. The fortress was subsequently rebuilt more than once.

From one of the seven "wonders of the ancient world", it seemed, nothing remained, except for the ruins built into Kite Bay, where they still exist, and the name. Since there were no other lighthouses before the Alexandria lighthouse, there was no name for such structures. According to the name of the island on which it stood, it was called “Faros.” This word later passed into all Romance languages ​​and began to denote any 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 archeology.

7 Wonders of the World - Lighthouse of Alexandria Palau coin.

The Alexandria lighthouse, which belongs to the seven wonders of the Ancient World, has another name - Pharos. It owes the presence of the second name to its location - the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the city of Alexandria, which is located on the territory of Egypt.

In turn, Alexandria got its name from the name of the conqueror of the ancient Egyptian lands - Alexander the Great.

He approached the choice of a place for the construction of a new city rather carefully. At first glance, it may seem strange that the area of ​​the settlement was determined by the Macedonian 20 miles from the south of the Nile Delta. If he had arranged it in the delta, the city would have found itself at the intersection of two waterways important for that area.

These roads were both the sea and the Nile River. But the fact that Alexandria was based south of the delta had a weighty justification - in this place the river waters could not clog the harbor with sand and silt harmful to it. Alexander the Great had high hopes for the city under construction. His plans were to turn the city into a solid trade center, because he successfully located it at the intersection of land, river and sea routes of communication of several continents. But such a significant city for the country's economy needed a harbor.

For its arrangement, it was required to implement many complex engineering and construction solutions. An important necessity was the construction of a dam that could connect the coast to Pharos, and a breakwater to protect the harbor from sand and silt. Thus, Alexandria received two harbors at once. One harbor was to receive merchant ships sailing from the Mediterranean, and the other - ships that came along the Nile River.

The dream of Alexander the Great to transform a simple city into a prosperous trade center came true after his death, when Ptolemy I Soter came to power. It was under him that Alexandria became the richest port city, but its harbor was dangerous for sailors. As both shipping and maritime trade developed continuously, the need for a lighthouse was felt more and more acutely.

The tasks for this structure were as follows - to secure the navigation of ships in coastal waters. And such concern would lead to an increase in sales, since all trade was carried out through the port. But due to the monotonous landscape of the coast, the sailors needed an additional reference point, and they would be quite satisfied with a signal light illuminating the place of the entrance to the harbor. According to historians, Alexander the Great pinned other hopes on the construction of the lighthouse - to ensure the city's safety from the attacks of the Ptolemies, who could attack from the sea. Therefore, to detect enemies who could be at a considerable distance from the coast, a sentry post of impressive size was needed.

Difficulties in the construction of the Alexandria lighthouse

Naturally, the construction of such a solid structure required many resources: financial, labor and intellectual. But it was not easy to find them at that turbulent time for Alexandria. But nevertheless, an economically favorable environment for the construction of a lighthouse was due to the fact that Ptolemy, who conquered Syria in the title of tsar, brought countless Jews to his country and made them slaves. So the lack of manpower required for the construction of the lighthouse was made up for. No less important historical events then were the signing of the peace agreement by Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius Poliorketes (299 BC) and the death of Antigonus, the enemy of Ptolemy, whose kingdom was given to the Diadochi.

The construction of the lighthouse began in 285 BC, and all work was directed by the architect Sostratus of Cnidus... Wanting to immortalize his name in history, Sostratus carved an inscription on the marble wall of the lighthouse, indicating that he was building this structure for the sake of sailors. Then he hid it under a layer of plaster, and on it he glorified Tsar Ptolemy. However, fate wanted humanity to recognize the name of the master - gradually the plaster fell off and revealed the secret of the great engineer.

Design features of the Alexandria lighthouse

The Pharos structure, designed to illuminate the harbor, had three tiers, the first of which was represented by a square with sides of 30.5 m. All four faces of the lower square tier were facing all cardinal points. It reached a height of 60 m, and its corners were decorated with statues of tritons. The purpose of this room was to accommodate workers and guards, as well as to equip pantries for storing supplies of food and fuel.

The middle tier of the Alexandria lighthouse was built in the form of an octagon, the edges of which were oriented towards the direction of the winds. The upper part of this tier was decorated with statues, and some of them were weather vane.

The third tier, made in the form of a cylinder, was a lantern. It was surrounded by 8 columns and covered with a dome-cone. And on its top they erected a 7-meter statue of Isis-Faria, who was considered the guardian of sailors (some sources claim that it was a sculpture of Poseidon - the king of the seas). Due to the complexity of the metal mirror system, the light from the fire lit at the top of the lighthouse was intensified, and the guards monitored the sea space.

As for the fuel needed to keep the lighthouse in flames, it was delivered along a spiral ramp in carts pulled by mules. A dam was built between the mainland and Pharos to facilitate shipping. If the workers did not do this, the fuel would have to be transported by boats. Subsequently, the dam, washed up by the sea, became an isthmus that currently separates the western and eastern harbors.

The Alexandria lighthouse was not only a lamp - it was also a fortified fortress guarding the sea route to the city. Due to the presence of a large military garrison in the building of the lighthouse, an underground part was also provided for supplying drinking water. To enhance security, the entire structure was surrounded by strong walls with watchtowers and loopholes.

In general, the three-tiered lighthouse tower reached a height of 120 m and was considered the tallest structure in the world.... Those travelers who saw such an unusual structure, subsequently enthusiastically described the unusual statues that served as an adornment of the lighthouse tower. One sculpture pointed to the sun with a hand, but lowered it down only when it went beyond the horizon, the other served as a clock and hourly reported the current time. And the third sculpture helped to recognize the direction of the wind.

The fate of the Alexandria lighthouse

After standing for almost a thousand years, the Alexandria lighthouse began to collapse. It happened in 796 A.D. due to a powerful earthquake, the upper part of the structure simply collapsed. From the huge 120-meter building of the lighthouse, only ruins remained, but even they reached a height of about 30 m. A little later, the wreckage of the lighthouse was useful for the construction of a military fort, which was rebuilt several times. This is how the Pharos lighthouse turned into Fort Qayt Bey - it got this name in honor of the Sultan who built it. Inside the fort there is a historical museum, in one of its parts there is a museum of marine biology, and opposite the building of the fort there are the Aquariums of the Museum of Hydrobiology.

Plans for the restoration of the Alexandria lighthouse

From the once majestic Alexandria lighthouse, only its plinth remained, but it is completely built into the medieval fortress. Today it is used as the base of the Egyptian navy. The Egyptians plan to carry out work to recreate the lost wonder of the world, and some countries of the European Union wish to join this venture. Italy, France, Greece and Germany are planning to include the construction of the lighthouse in a project called "Medistone". Its main tasks are the reconstruction and preservation of African monuments dating back to the Ptolemaic era. Experts have estimated the project at $ 40 million - that is how much it will take to build a business center, a hotel, a diving club, a chain of restaurants and a museum dedicated to the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The first (lower) tier of the lighthouse with a square base resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed at the corners. The towers were oriented to the cardinal points. The height of the tier reached about sixty meters. The flat roof of the lower tier served as the basis for the second tier. Here on the roof were installed statues of newts. Inside the first tier there was a garrison guarding the lighthouse and service 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. Inside the second tier, a ramp was supposedly built, along which fuel for the signal light 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 platform, among the columns, a signal fire was kindled. The beacon 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. One got the impression that Poseidon guarded Pharos lighthouse, gazing intently into their sea expanses.

Pharos, aka the Alexandria lighthouse - one of the seven wonders of the world - was located on the eastern coast of the island of Pharos within the boundaries of Alexandria. It was the first and only lighthouse of such gigantic proportions at that time. The builder of this structure was Sostrat 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 been known for a long time that the remains of a lighthouse are under water in the Pharos region. But the presence of an Egyptian naval base on this site prevented any research from being carried out. It was only in 1961 that Kemal Abu el-Sadat discovered statues, blocks and boxes made of marble in the water.

On his initiative, a statue of the goddess Isis was removed from the water. In 1968, the Egyptian government asked UNESCO for an examination. An archaeologist from Great Britain was invited, who in 1975 presented a report on the work done. It contained a list of all the finds. Thus, the significance of this site to archaeologists has been confirmed.

Active research

In 1980, a group of archaeologists from different countries began excavations on the seabed in the Pharos region. 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, covering an area of ​​more than 2 hectares. In addition, studies have shown that there are objects on the seabed that are older than the lighthouse. Many columns and capitals of granite, marble, limestone belonging to different eras were extracted from the water.

The discovery of the famous obelisks called "Cleopatra's needles" and brought to Alexandria by order of Octavian Augustus in 13 BC was of particular interest to scientists. NS. 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 delta by Alexander the Great in 332–331 BC. NS. The city was built according to a single plan developed by the architect Dinohar and was divided into quarters 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 fought among themselves and divided the huge power of Alexander, Ptolemy settled in Egypt and made Alexandria one of the richest and most beautiful capitals of the ancient world.

Home of the Muses

The glory of the city was largely facilitated by the creation of Ptolemy Museyon ("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 by favorable conditions, scientists from different parts of the Hellenistic world flocked here. Funds were generously released from the royal treasury for various experiments and scientific expeditions.

The splendid Library of Alexandria also attracted scholars to Museion, which contained about 500 thousand scrolls, including the works of the outstanding Greek playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. King Ptolemy II allegedly asked these manuscripts from the Athenians for a while, so that the scribes could make copies of them. The Athenians asked for a huge bail. The king paid meekly. But he refused to return the manuscripts.

A well-known scientist or poet was usually appointed as the custodian of the library. For a long time this post was held by the outstanding poet of his time, Callimachus. Then he was replaced by the famous geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes. He managed to calculate the diameter and radius of the Earth and made only an insignificant error of 75 kilometers, which, given the possibilities available at that time, does not detract from his merits.

Of course, the tsar, rendering hospitality and financial support to scientists and poets, pursued his own goals: to increase the glory of his country as a scientific and cultural center in the world and, thus, his own. In addition, poets and philosophers had to praise his virtues (real or perceived) in their works.

Natural sciences, mathematics and mechanics were widely developed. The famous mathematician Euclid, the founder of geometry, and the outstanding inventor Heron of Alexandria, whose works were long ahead of their time, lived in Alexandria. For example, he created a device that was actually the first steam engine.

In addition, he invented many different automatic machines that are driven by steam or hot air. But in the era of the universal spread of slave labor, these inventions could not find application and were used only for the entertainment of the royal court.

The most ingenious astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, long before Copernicus, said that the Earth is a ball that revolves around its axis and around the Sun. Among his contemporaries, his ideas caused only a grin, but he remained unconvinced.

Creation of the Alexandria lighthouse

The developments of Alexandrian scientists were applied in real life. An example of outstanding achievements of science was the Alexandria lighthouse, considered at that time one of the wonders of the world. In 285 BC. NS. the island was connected to the shore by a dam - an artificially poured isthmus. And five years later, by 280 BC. BC, 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 turned to four cardinal directions: north, south, east, west - and were made of limestone.
• The second floor was made in the form of an octagonal tower faced 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 upstairs was so convenient that all the necessary materials, including fuel for the fire, were lifted up on donkeys.

A sophisticated system of metal mirrors reflected and amplified the light of the lighthouse, and it was clearly visible to mariners from afar. In addition, the same system made it possible to monitor the sea space and detect enemy ships long before they appeared within sight.

Special pointers

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 vane indicating the direction of the wind.

Travelers talked about the wonderful properties of the statues. One of them allegedly always pointed her hand at the sun, tracing its path across the sky, and dropped her hand when the sun went down. The other beat every hour throughout the day.

It was said that there was even a statue that, when enemy ships appeared, pointed to the sea and issued a warning cry. All these stories do not seem so fantastic if we remember the steam machines of Heron of Alexandria.

It is possible that the scientist's achievements were used in the construction of the lighthouse, and the statues could produce any mechanical movements and sounds when a certain signal was received.

Among other things, the lighthouse was also an impregnable fortress with a powerful garrison. In the underground part, in case of a siege, there was a huge cistern with drinking water.

The Pharos lighthouse had no analogues in the Ancient World either in size or in terms of technical data. Before that, ordinary bonfires were usually used as lighthouses. It is not surprising that the Alexandria lighthouse with its complex system of mirrors, colossal size and fantastic statues seemed to all people a real miracle.

Who created the Alexandria lighthouse

The builder of this miracle, Sostratus of Cnidus, carved an inscription on the marble wall: "Sostratus, the son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the gods-saviors 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 a magnificent lighthouse appeared in the eyes of those around him.

Although the lighthouse was located on the east coast of the island of Pharos, it is more often referred to as Alexandria rather than Pharos. This island is mentioned in Homer's poem "The Odyssey". During Homer's time, he was in the Nile Delta, opposite the small Egyptian settlement of Rakotis.

But by the time of the construction of the lighthouse, according to the remarks of the Greek geographer Strabo, he had significantly approached the shores of Egypt and was one day's journey from Alexandria. With the start of construction, the island was connected to the coast, actually turning it from an island into a peninsula. For this, a dam was artificially poured, which was called Heptastadion, since its length was 7 stages (a stage is an ancient Greek measure of length, which is 177.6 meters).

That is, in terms of the measurement system we are used to, the length of the dam was about 750 meters. On the side of Pharos was the main, the Great Harbor of Alexandria. This harbor was so deep that a large ship could anchor off the coast.

Nothing is eternal

The tower is my helper for sailors who have lost their way.
Here at night I light the bright fire of Poseidon.
She was about to collapse from the dull rustling wind,
But Ammonius strengthened me again with his labors.
After the fierce ramparts, they stretch out their hands to me
All sailors, honoring you, O earth vibrator.

Nevertheless, the lighthouse stood until the XIV century and even in a dilapidated state reached a height of 30 meters, continuing to amaze with its beauty and grandeur. To date, only a pedestal has survived from this famous wonder of the world, which is built into a medieval fortress. Therefore, there are practically no opportunities for archaeologists or architects to study the remains of this grandiose structure. Now there is an Egyptian naval port on Pharos. And on the western side of the island is another lighthouse, which does not resemble in any way its great predecessor, but also continues to show the way for ships.