Wonders of the World: Lighthouse of Alexandria

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

One of the seven wonders of the world is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built on the island of Pharos in the third century BC. The building is located near the famous Egyptian city of Alexandria, in connection with which it was given this name. Another option could be the phrase "Faros lighthouse" - from the name of the island on which it is located.

Purpose

The first wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria - was originally intended to help lost sailors who want to get to the shore, safely overcoming the underwater reefs. At night, the path was illuminated by flames and signal beams of light emanating from a huge fire, and during the day by columns of smoke emanating from a fire located at the very top of this sea tower. The lighthouse of Alexandria served faithfully for almost a thousand years, but was badly damaged by an earthquake in 796 BC. After this earthquake, five more very powerful and long tremors were recorded in history, whichfinally disabled this magnificent creation of human hands. Of course, they tried to reconstruct it more than once, but all attempts only led to the fact that a small fortress was left of it, which was built by Sultan Kait Bey in the 15th century. It is this fortress that can be seen today. She is all that remains of this majestic creation of man.

History

Let's go a little deeper into history and find out how this wonder of the world was built, because it's really exciting and interesting. How much has happened, what are the features of the construction and its purpose - we will tell you about all this below, do not be too lazy to just read.

Where is the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The lighthouse was built on a small island called Faros, off the coast of Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. The whole history of this lighthouse was originally associated with the name of the great conqueror Alexander the Great. It was he who was the creator of the first wonder of the world - a thing that all mankind is proud of. On this island, Alexander the Great decided to establish a large port, which he actually did in 332 BC during his visit to Egypt. The structure received two names: the first - in honor of the one who decided to build it, the second - in honor of the name of the island on which it is located. In addition to such a famous lighthouse, the conqueror decided to build another city of the same name - one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. It should be noted that in his entire life, Alexander the Great built about eighteen policies with the name"Alexandria", but it was this one that went down in history and is known to this day. First of all, the city was built, and only then its main attraction. Initially, the construction of the lighthouse was supposed to take 20 years, but no such luck. The whole process took only 5 years, but despite this, the construction saw the world only in 283 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great - during the government of Ptolemy II - the king of Egypt.

Construction Features

Alexander the Great decided to approach the issue of construction very carefully. According to some sources, he has been choosing a place for the construction of the port for more than two years. The conqueror did not want to create a city in the Nile Delta, for which he found a very good replacement. The construction site was pitched twenty miles south, near the dry lake of Mareotis. Previously, there was a platform of the Egyptian city of Rakotis, which in turn slightly facilitated the entire construction process. The whole advantage of the location was that the port was able to receive ships from both the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile River, which was very profitable and diplomatic. This not only increased the conqueror's profits, but also helped him and his followers build strong ties with both merchants and sailors of the time. The city was created during the life of Macedonian, but the lighthouse of Alexandria was the development of Ptolemy the first Soter. It was he who finalized the design and brought it to life.

Alexandria lighthouse. Photo

Looking at the image, we can see that the lighthouse consists of several"layers". Three large marble towers stand on the base of huge stone blocks, with a total weight of several hundred thousand tons. The first tower has the shape of a huge rectangle. Inside it are rooms intended for the housing of soldiers and workers of the port. At the top was a smaller octagonal tower. The spiral ramp was the transition to the upper cylindrical tower, inside which there was a large fire, which served as a source of light. The entire structure weighed several million thousand tons, excluding decorations and appliances inside it. Because of this, the ground began to subside, which caused serious problems and required additional fortifications and construction work.

Start of fire

Despite the fact that the Pharos lighthouse was built during 285 - 283 BC, it began to work only at the beginning of the first century BC. It was then that the whole system of signal lights was developed, working thanks to large bronze disks that direct light into the sea. In parallel with this, a composition of gunpowder was invented that emitted a huge amount of smoke - a way to indicate the way during the day.

Height and distance of outgoing light

The total height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria is from 120 to 140 meters (the difference is the difference in ground height). Thanks to this arrangement, the light from the fire was visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers in bright weather (there is evidence that the light was visible for 100 kilometers or more in calm weather) and up to 45-50 kilometers during a thunderstorm. The direction of the rays wasthanks to the special construction in several rows. The first row was a tetrahedral prism, the height of which reached 60-65 meters, with a square base, an area of 900 square meters. Inventory and everything necessary for supplying fuel and maintaining the "eternal" fire were stored here. The basis for the middle part was a large flat cover, the corners of which were decorated with large statues of Tritons. This room was an octagonal white marble tower 40 meters high. The third part of the lighthouse is built of eight columns, on top of which there is a large dome, which is decorated with a large eight-meter bronze statue of Poseidon. Another name for the statue is Zeus the Savior.

Eternal Flame

Maintaining the fire was a difficult task. More than a ton of fuel was required daily so that the fire could burn with the necessary force. Wood, which was the main material, was delivered in specially equipped carts along a spiral ramp. The carts were pulled by mules, which required more than a hundred for one lift. In order for the light from the fire to spread as far as possible, huge bronze sheets were placed behind the flame, at the foot of each column, with the help of which they directed the light.

Additional purpose

According to some manuscripts and surviving documents, the Lighthouse of Alexandria served not only as a source of light for lost sailors. For soldiers, it became an observation post, for scientists - an astronomical observatory. Accounts say what was therea large number of very interesting technical equipment - clocks of various shapes and sizes, a weather vane, as well as many astronomical and geographical instruments. Other sources speak of the presence of a huge library and a school that taught elementary subjects, but this does not have any significant evidence.

Death

The death of the lighthouse was not only due to several powerful earthquakes, but also due to the fact that the bay almost ceased to be used, as it became very silted up. After the port became unusable, the bronze plates that cast light into the sea were melted down into coins and jewelry. But this was not the end. The complete death of the lighthouse occurred in the 15th century during one of the most powerful earthquakes ever to occur off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. After that, the remains were restored several times and served as a fortress, as well as a home for the few inhabitants of the island.

In today's world

Today, the Pharos lighthouse, a photo of which can be very easily found, is one of the few architectural monuments lost in history and time. This is something that is still of interest to both scientists and ordinary people who like centuries-old things, because many events, literary works and scientific discoveries are associated with it, important for the entire development of the world. Alas, not much is left of the 7 wonders of the world. The lighthouse of Alexandria, or rather only part of it, is one of those structures that humanity can be proud of. Truth,all that remains of it is just the lower tier, which served as a warehouse and a place of residence for the military and workers. Thanks to many reconstructions, the building was not completely destroyed. It was converted into something like a small castle-fortress, inside which the remaining inhabitants of the island lived. This is exactly what you can see when visiting the island of Pharos, which is quite popular among tourists. After a complete refurbishment and refurbishment, the lighthouse has a more modern look, making it a modern building with centuries of history.

Further plans

The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the objects under the protection of UNESCO. Due to this, various repairs are carried out every year in order to protect the fortress from destruction. There was even a time when they talked about completely resuming their former appearance, but this was never done, because then the lighthouse would lose its status as one of the wonders of the world. But it's a must see if you're into history.