THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, THE LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA

 

I suppose you could say that The Lighthouse of Alexandria is the only one of the seven wonders that had a truly practical use in addition to it having architectural merit as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

The lighthouse was built on the ancient island of Pharos at the entrance to the great harbour of Alexandria.

Architecturally it was not merely the second tallest building on Earth but possessed great elegance.

Standing at a height of 384 ft it would have been equivalent to a modern forty story building.

A central shaft ran the full height of the structure which was used to lift fuel to the upper level and the whole of the outside was covered with shining white marble and a statue of Poseidon adorned the summit.

Its practicality was most felt by the men of the sea who risked their lives and who benefited as it ensured a safe return to the Great Harbour the great mirror housed in the light house was visible thirty-five miles out to sea there is even a Legend which says the mirror was also used to detect and burn enemy ships before they could reach the shore.

 

The lighthouse was the brainchild of Alexander the Greats commander Ptolemy Soter who assumed power in Egypt after Alexander’s death.

The architect for the project which began around 290 BC was Sostratus, but it was not completed until after the death of Ptolemy Soter when Egypt was ruled by his son Ptolemy Philadelphus.

For centuries the great mirror in the Lighthouse of Alexandria was used to reflect firelight at night and the sun’s rays during the day.

The lighthouse was even depicted on roman coins of the day such was its import.

When Egypt was conquered by the Arabs, they sacked the much-admired Alexandria for its wealth.

Alexandria and the Lighthouse was less important to the Arabs who emphasized this by moving their administrative centre to the lesser city of Cairo.

 

A violent earthquake shook Alexandria In AD 956 but caused very little damage to the Lighthouse but much later in 1303 and again in 1323 two successive stronger earthquakes inflicted greater damage on the structure.

The final indignity was visited upon the lighthouse in 1480 when the Egyptian Mamelouk Sultan, Qaitbay tore down the remains of the lighthouse and built a fort in its place using the stone and marble from its predecessor.

 

Although the Lighthouse of Alexandria has not survived to the present day, it has left its influence on the modern world the name of Pharos lives on as the name for lighthouse all around the Mediterranean.