home Fishing methods 7 wonders of the world Lighthouse of Alexandria short description. Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as Pharos - the highest construction of the ancient world

7 wonders of the world Lighthouse of Alexandria short description. Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as Pharos - the highest construction of the ancient world

After the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded a city in the Nile Delta, named after him - Alexandria. In the reign of Ptolemy I, the city achieved wealth and prosperity, and the Alexandrian harbor became a bustling center of maritime trade. With the development of shipping, the helmsmen who brought ships with cargoes to Alexandria felt more and more acutely the need for a lighthouse that would indicate to ships a safe path through the shoals. And in the III century. BC. on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos, which lies in the sea at a distance of 7 stadia (1290 m) from Alexandria, the architect Sostratus, the son of Dexifan of Cnidus, built the famous lighthouse, which became one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.
For the transport of 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 tower suddenly grown on a deserted island, 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 faros lighthouse.
The hundred was completed in the late summer of 1997. In October 1998, this project received the prestigious Project of the Year award, given annually by the International Concrete Institute.

The Alexandrian poet Posidippus (c. 270 BC) in one of his epigrams sang this amazing structure:
The tower on Pharos, the salvation of the Greeks, Sostratus Deksifanov, the Architect of Cnidus, erected, O lord Proteus!
There are no island watchmen on the cliffs in Egypt, But a pier has been drawn from the Earth for anchorage of ships,
And high, cutting through the ether, the tower rises, Everywhere, for many miles, it is visible to the traveler during the day, At night, from afar, they see the sea floating all the time, The light from the great fire at the very top of the lighthouse. Per. L. Blumenau
This lighthouse remained in the days of Roman rule. According to Pliny the Elder, he shone "like a star in the darkness of night." This monumental structure had a height of at least 120 m, and its light was visible at a distance of up to 48 km.
According to Strabo, the lighthouse was built from local limestone and lined with white marble. Decorative friezes and ornaments are made of marble and bronze, columns - of granite and marble. The lighthouse, as it were, grew out of 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. D them, as well as along the entire wall, numerous loopholes were cut.
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, rooms for workers and guards were located at different levels. There were also pantries where fuel and food were stored. On one of the side facades one could read the Greek inscription: “To the Savior Gods - to save the sailors”, where the gods meant the king of Egypt Ptolemy I and his wife Berenice.

The smaller octagonal middle tier was also lined with marble slabs. Eight of its faces were deployed in the directions of the prevailing winds in these places. At the top around the perimeter were numerous bronze statues; some of them could serve as weathercocks indicating the direction of the wind. A legend has been preserved 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 crowned with a cone-shaped dome crowned with a 7-meter bronze statue of Isis-Faria, the patroness of seafarers. However, some researchers believe that there was a statue of the sea god Poseidon.
Light signaling was carried out using a powerful lamp placed at the focus of concave metal mirrors. It is believed that the 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 rooms up to the lighting system. According to another version, fuel was brought along a spiral ramp on carts pulled by horses or mules.

In the underground part of the lighthouse there was a storage drinking water for the military garrison located on the island: both under the Ptolemies and under 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 as early as 641 the lighthouse was in operation. In the XIV century. the earthquake finally destroyed this masterpiece of ancient architecture and construction technology. A hundred years later, the Egyptian Sultan Kait Bey ordered to build a fort on the remains of the foundation of the lighthouse, named after its creator. Today, we can judge the external appearance of the lighthouse only by its images on the coins of the Roman period 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 seabed remains of lighthouse structures that collapsed into the sea as a result of an earthquake. This generated a lot of interest all over the world. In 2001, the Belgian government even took the initiative to recreate the Faros lighthouse on the same spot where it was built 2200 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.

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 flourish, becoming a major center of maritime trade. Soon there was an urgent need for the construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Alexandrian lighthouse. Information and interesting facts

The island of Pharos, located 1290 meters from Alexandria, was chosen as the place 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 Dexifan from Cnidus.

A dam was built to ensure the transport of building materials to the island. The construction itself was carried out according to the standards ancient world lightning fast, took only six years (285-279 BC). The new building immediately "knocked out" the walls of Babylon from the list of classic wonders of the world, and took pride of place there to this day. The height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, according to contemporaries, reached 120 meters. The light projected from the tower of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was visible at a distance of up to 48 kilometers.

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 accommodate workers and guards, storerooms for fuel and food.

The middle tier of the Pharos lighthouse had an octagonal shape with edges oriented according to the winds prevailing here. The upper part of the tier was decorated with statues, some of which functioned as weathercocks.

The upper tier of a cylindrical shape played just the role of a lantern. It was surrounded by eight columns covered with a dome-cone. The top of the dome of the Pharos lighthouse was decorated with a seven-meter statue of Isis-Faria (the guardian of seafarers). A 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 Lighthouse of Alexandria. Some suggest that the delivery was carried out with the help of lifting mechanisms along the inner shaft, while others say that the lifting was carried out with the help of mules along a spiral ramp.

Also in the lighthouse there was an underground part, where the reserves of drinking water for the garrison were located. It is worth mentioning that the lighthouse also served as a fortress guarding the sea route to Alexandria. The Pharos lighthouse itself was even surrounded by a powerful fence with bastions and loopholes.

In the XIV century, the wonder of the world Faros lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. Currently about appearance The seventh wonder of the world is evidenced only by images on Roman coins and the remains of the ruins. So, for example, research in 1996 made it possible to find the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria at the bottom of the sea.

Lighthouse on Roman coins

A hundred years after the destruction, Sultan Kait Bey built a fort in its place. And now there are initiators who want to reconstruct the Pharos lighthouse, in the place where it was originally located - on the island of Pharos. But the Egyptian authorities do not want to consider these projects yet, and the Qait-bey fortress continues to guard the site of the former great building of antiquity.

Kite Bay Fortress

Alexandrian lighthouse was one of the tallest man-made structures for almost 1000 years and has survived almost 22 earthquakes! Interesting, isn't it?

In 1994, French archaeologists discovered several ruins in the waters off the coast of Alexandria. Large blocks and artifacts have been found. These blocks belonged to the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Built by the first Ptolemy, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also called the Pharos Lighthouse, was the only ancient marvel with the actual purpose of helping sailors and ships enter the harbor. It was located on the island of Pharos in Egypt and was a fine example of ancient architecture. The lighthouse was a source of income and a milestone for the city.

Story

◈ Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in 332 BC.

◈ After his death, Ptolemy I Soter declared himself as pharaoh. He built a city and commissioned a lighthouse.

◈ Pharos was a small island connected to Alexandria by an embankment called the Heptastadion.

◈ Alexander named 17 cities after himself, but Alexandria is the only city that survives and flourishes.

◈ Unfortunately, Alexander could not see this beautiful structure in his city since he died in 323 BC.

Construction

◈ The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built between 280 and 247 BC. This is about 12 - 20 years for construction. Ptolemy I died before its completion, so it was discovered by his son Ptolemy of Philadelphia.

◈ Construction cost was about 800 talents, equivalent to $3 million today.

◈ The lighthouse was about 135 meters high. The lowest part was square, the middle one was octagonal and the top was round.

◈ Limestone blocks were used to build the lighthouse. They were sealed with molten lead to withstand strong waves.

◈ Spiral staircases led to the top.

◈ In a huge curved mirror, light was reflected during the day, and at night a fire burned at the very top.

◈ The light of the beacon could be seen according to various data at a distance of 60 to 100 km.

◈ Unconfirmed sources say that the mirror was also used to identify and burn enemy ships.

◈ 4 statues of the god Triton stood at the four corners on top and a statue of Zeus or Poseidon in the center.

◈ The designer of the lighthouse was Sostratus of Knidos. Some sources credit him with sponsorship as well.

◈ Legend has it that Ptolemy did not allow Sostratus to inscribe his name on the walls of the lighthouse. Even then, Sostratus wrote "Sostratos, son of Dextiphon, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of the seas" on the wall, and then put plaster on top and wrote the name of Ptolemy.

Destruction

◈ The lighthouse was badly damaged during an earthquake in 956 and again in 1303 and 1323.

◈ Although the Lighthouse survived almost 22 earthquakes, it finally collapsed in 1375.

◈ In 1349, the famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta visited Alexandria, but could not climb the lighthouse.

◈ In 1480 the remains of the stone were used to build the fort of Kite Bay on the same site.

◈ Now there is an Egyptian military fortress on the site of the lighthouse, so researchers cannot get there.

Meaning

◈ The monument has become an ideal model for a lighthouse and has important architectural significance.

◈ The word "Pharos" - lighthouse comes from the Greek word φάρος in many languages such as French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.

◈ Lighthouse of Alexandria is mentioned by Julius Caesar in his writings.

◈ The lighthouse remains the civic symbol of the city of Alexandria. His image is used on the flag and seal of the province, as well as on the flag of Alexandria University.

One of the most outstanding monuments of the ancient world is now under water in ruins. But everyone can swim around the ruins with equipment.

The history of the seventh Wonder of the World - the Lighthouse of Alexandria - is associated with the foundation in 332 BC. Alexandria, a city that was named after the great Roman general Alexander the Great. It should be noted that during his career the conqueror founded about 17 cities with similar names, but only Egyptian project managed to survive to this day.

Alexandrian lighthouse

Foundation of the city to the glory 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 south, near the swampy Lake Mareotis. Alexandria was supposed to have two large harbors - one was intended for merchant ships coming from mediterranean sea, and the second - for ships sailing 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 light the way for ships going to the harbor of the city at night and in bad weather.

Construction of a lighthouse on the island of Pharos

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 Sostratus, a resident of Cnidia. The work continued for a little over 20 years, and as a result, the Lighthouse of Alexandria became the first building of this type in the world and the most tall building the ancient world, not counting, of course, the pyramids of Giza.

The height of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was approximately 450-600 feet. At the same time, the building was absolutely unlike any of the architectural monuments available at that time. The building was a three-tiered tower, the walls of which were made of marble slabs fastened with lead mortar. Most Full description The Lighthouse of Alexandria was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi - the famous Arab traveler - in 1166. He noted that in addition to performing purely practical functions, the lighthouse served as a very noticeable attraction.

The fate of the great lighthouse

The Pharos Lighthouse has been illuminating the way for sailors for over 1500 years. But strong tremors in 365, 956 and 1303 A.D. the building was badly damaged, and the most powerful earthquake of 1326 finally destroyed one of the greatest architectural structures in the world. In 1994, the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria were discovered by archaeologists, and subsequently the image of the structure was more or less successfully restored using computer modeling.

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

The locals claimed that the light of the Lighthouse of Alexandria 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 piercing warning cry.

Alexandrian lighthouse: short description to the report

The height of the old lighthouse was 140 meters - much higher than the surrounding buildings. In ancient times, buildings did not exceed three floors, and against their background, the Faros lighthouse seemed huge. Moreover, at the time of completion of construction, it turned out to be the tallest building in the ancient world and was such for an extremely long time.

Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on east coast small island of Pharos, located near Alexandria - the main seaport Egypt, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. He is also known in history as.

He is among the most famous miracles the ancient world, along with, and.
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 the Lighthouse of Alexandria be located at the intersection of both water and land routes of three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, it was necessary to build at least two harbors here: one for ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other for sailing 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, paying special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything so that the Nile waters did not clog them with sand and silt (a dam connecting the continent was subsequently built specifically for this with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great (who, according to legend, was born on the day of destruction), the city was 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.

Lighthouse of Alexandria on the island of Pharos: purpose

The lighthouse of Alexandria made it possible for ships to sail into the port without problems, successfully bypassing pitfalls, shallows and other obstacles in the bay. Due to this, after the construction of one of the seven wonders, the volume of light trade 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, signal lights in front of the entrance to the harbor were most welcome.

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

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

Construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria

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. He subsequently used some of them to build a lighthouse.
It was at this time (in 299 BC) that he concluded a truce with Demetrius Poliorketos, the ruler of Macedonia (his father was Antigonus, the worst enemy of Ptolemy, who died in 301 BC).

Thus, a truce, a huge amount of labor and other favorable circumstances, gave him the opportunity to begin the construction of a grandiose wonder of the world. Although the exact date of the start of construction work has not yet been determined, researchers are convinced that it happened somewhere between 285/299 BC. BC e.

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

The construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria was entrusted to the master Sostratus from Cnidia. Ptolemy wished that only his name was 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. And then he put 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.

What did the Faros Lighthouse look like?

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

So that the fire could be seen from a great distance, a whole system of polished metal mirrors was installed near it, reflecting and amplifying the light of the fire. He, according to contemporaries, was visible even at a distance of 60 km;

There are several versions of how the fuel was raised to the top of the lighthouse. 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 up.

As for the second, it implies that it was possible to get to the site on which the signal fire was burning by a spiral staircase along the walls of the structure, and this staircase was so gentle that loaded donkeys carrying fuel to the top of the lighthouse could easily climb up the building. .

Lighthouse of Alexandria: wreck

He served from 283 BC. until the 15th century, when a fortress was erected instead. Thus, he survived more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers, saw Roman legionnaires. This did not particularly affect his fate: no matter who ruled Alexandria, everyone made sure that the unique structure stood for as long as possible. They restored the parts of the building that had collapsed due to frequent earthquakes, updated 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 Sea caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the death toll of the Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but stood still for quite a long time - until the XIV century, until another strong earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, the Sultan of Kait Bey erected a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen and these days). After that, they remained the only ancient wonder of the world that has survived to this day.

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