Alexandrian lighthouse

Lighthouse of Alexandria, drawing by archaeologist H. Thiersch (1909)
Lighthouse name
original name	Φάρος της Αλεξάνδρειας
Location
Coordinates	31.214167 , 29.885 31°12′51″ n. w. 29°53′06″ E. d. /  31.214167° s. w. 29.885° E. d.(G) (O)
Height	140 meters
Active
Distance	56 kilometers
on Wikimedia Commons

Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse- one of the 7 wonders of the world, was built in the 3rd century BC. e. in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, 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. It was the world's first lighthouse, and it 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. Sultan Qait Bey 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. The construction of this gigantic structure lasted only 5 years. Architect - Sostratus of Cnidus.

Faros lighthouse consisted of three marble towers standing on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular and contained rooms in which 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 burned.

Guide light

Death of the lighthouse

In the 14th century, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by an earthquake. A few years later, its ruins were used to build a fortress. The fortress was subsequently rebuilt several times.

Literature

Seven wonders of the world

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Alexandrian lighthouse- Alexandrian lighthouse … Russian spelling dictionary

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LIGHTHOUSE, a tower-type structure, usually installed on the shore or in shallow water. Serves as a navigation reference for ships. It is equipped with so-called beacon lights, as well as devices for sending sound signals, radio signals (radio beacon) ... Modern encyclopedia

A tall, tower-shaped building standing on seashore, along the route of ships to indicate the route to seafarers. At night, a fire is maintained on top of the M. Indicative markers are erected in the open sea, on individual small rocks and shallows, and... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Lighthouse, a tower-type structure that serves as a landmark for identifying shores, determining the location of a ship and warning about navigational hazards. M. are equipped with light-optical systems, as well as other technical signaling means: ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros)- a lighthouse on Pharos Island near Alexandria in Egypt, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Built in 285-280. BC. Sostratus of Knidos in order to make it safe for ships to enter the Alexandria harbor. It was a three-tiered tower with a height of... ... Ancient world. Dictionary-reference book.

A tall, tower-shaped structure standing on the seashore, on the route of ships to show the way to seafarers. At night, a fire is maintained on top of M. Indicative markers are erected in the open sea, on individual small rocks and shoals,... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

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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 and became a major center of 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 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 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.

There was also an underground part in the lighthouse where supplies were located drinking water for the garrison. 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 about appearance 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

The sixth wonder of the world is the Lighthouse of Alexandria(aka Faros Lighthouse). It was built in the 3rd century BC on the Mediterranean Sea.

In Egypt, on small island Pharos, near Alexandria, was a bay with great importance for merchant ships. It was for this reason that the need arose for the construction of the Faros lighthouse.

Hardly anyone imagined that outstanding building will go into . At night, the flames reflected by the water surface were visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers, allowing the ships to safely pass the reefs. During the day, instead of light, a column of smoke was used, which was also visible extremely far away.

Having stood for almost 1000 years, the Alexandria Lighthouse was seriously damaged by an earthquake that occurred in 796 AD. When the Arabs came to Egypt (XIV century), they decided to restore the grandiose building, reaching only 30 meters from original height.

However, the reconstruction was not destined to be completed, and by the end of the 15th century, Qait Bey, the famous sultan, founded a fortress on the foundations of the lighthouse. By the way, it still exists.

Interesting facts about the wonder of the world Lighthouse of Alexandria

During the reign of Ptolemy II in Egypt, it was decided to build the famous lighthouse. According to the plan, the implementation of the idea should have taken 20 years, but all residents saw the masterpiece much earlier. The main architect and builder of this structure is Sostratus of Cnidus.

He carved his name on the marble wall of the lighthouse, and then, applying thin plaster, wrote words glorifying Ptolemy. Naturally, after a short period of time the plaster crumbled, and the name of the outstanding master entered the centuries. So, Sostratus completed the construction of the Pharos lighthouse in 5 years, which by the standards of antiquity was generally an instant!

The Alexandria lighthouse consisted of three towers. The first, lowest, rectangular part of the monument served technical purposes. Workers and soldiers lived there, and the tools and equipment necessary to maintain the lighthouse were stored there. A second, octagonal tower rose above the first part.

A ramp wound around it to lift fuel for the fire. The third tier was a majestic cylindrical building equipped with a complex system of mirrors. It was here that the vital fire burned, spreading its light for many kilometers around.

The height of the sixth wonder of the world, the Faros lighthouse, ranged from 120 to 140 meters. At the very top there was a statue of the god of the seas, Poseidon.

Some travelers, describing the miracle that amazed them, mentioned unusually constructed statues. The first one pointed with her hand at , throughout the day, and when the sun set, her hand dropped.

The second statue chimed every hour day and night. The third constantly indicated the direction of the wind, playing the role of a weather vane.

In the 12th century AD, ships stopped using the Alexandria Bay because it became extremely muddy. This is what caused the outstanding building to fall into complete disrepair. Even later, in the 14th century, due to an earthquake wonder of the world Alexandria lighthouse completely collapsed.

In its place a fortress was erected, which changed its appearance more than once. Now that's it historical place The base of the Egyptian fleet is located and, despite various proposals, the authorities are not considering the idea of ​​restoring the lighthouse.

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Alexandrian lighthouse

In 285 BC. e. The island was connected to the shore by an artificial dam about 750 meters long. The construction of the lighthouse was entrusted to the famous architect Sostratus of Knidos. He set to work with enthusiasm, and five years later the three-story tower, about 120 meters high, was completed. The first floor in the form of a square was made of large slabs. Its walls, about 30.5 meters long, faced the four cardinal directions - north, east, south and west. The second floor was an octagonal tower, lined with marble slabs and oriented in the direction of the eight main winds. The round lantern of the third floor was crowned with a dome, on which stood a seven-meter bronze statue of the god of the seas, Poseidon.

Alexandrian lighthouse.

Alexandrian lighthouse

In 332-331. BC. King Alexander the Great founded Alexandria in the Nile Delta, which became the capital of Hellenistic Egypt. The city was remarkable because it was built according to a single plan. The richest quarter was Brucheyon - a quarter of palaces, gardens, parks and royal tombs. Here was also the tomb of Alexander the Great, whose body was brought from Babylon, where he died in 323 BC. The fame of Alexandria was greatly promoted by the world-famous Museion (temple of the muses), a place for scientific studies and an educational refuge for scientists working in various branches of science. Museyon became the center scientific life the brilliant Egyptian capital, something like an academy of sciences.

Alexandria Lighthouse on Faros Island

Mathematics and mechanics developed especially successfully in Alexandria. Such outstanding scientists as the mathematician Euclid, who outlined the foundations of geometry in his work “Elements,” and the inventor Heron of Alexandria, who was far ahead of his time, lived and worked here. He created various machines and built a device that was, in fact, a real steam engine.

Sometimes the creations of scientists captured the imagination of their contemporaries. One of these miracles was Alexandrian lighthouse. It was built on a rock that rose to east coast Faros Islands. Due to shoals, underwater rocks, sediments and sediments on the seabed, ships approached the harbors of Alexandria very carefully.

Height of Alexandria Lighthouse

In 285 BC. e. The island was connected to the shore by an artificial dam about 750 meters long. The construction of the lighthouse was entrusted to the famous architect Sostratus of Knidos. He set to work with enthusiasm, and five years later the three-story tower, about 120 meters high, was completed.

• The first floor in the form of a square was made of large slabs. Its walls, about 30.5 meters long, faced the four cardinal directions - north, east, south and west.
• The second floor was an octagonal tower, lined with marble slabs and oriented in the direction of the eight main winds.
• The round lantern of the third floor was crowned with a dome, on which stood a seven-meter bronze statue of the god of the seas, Poseidon.

The dome rested on eight polished granite columns. The lighthouse fire burned here. Its light intensified, reflecting in a system of metal mirrors. Sailors saw him from afar, 60 kilometers away. Fuel for the fire was carried upstairs on donkeys along a gentle spiral staircase.

Some researchers believe that there was an elevator inside the building that lifted firewood and people serving Alexandrian lighthouse.

The lighthouse was also a fortress. There was a large garrison here. In the underground part of the tower, in case of a siege, there was a huge tank for drinking water. Alexandrian lighthouse it also served as an observation post - an ingenious system of mirrors made it possible to observe the sea from the top of the tower and detect enemy ships long before they sailed to the city.

The octagonal tower was decorated with numerous bronze statues that served as weather vanes or were equipped with various mechanisms. Travelers talked about the statues and miracles.

One of them seemed to always point her hand at the Sun along the entire path of its movement across the sky and lowered her hand when it set. The other chimed every hour day and night. There was also a statue that pointed its hand to the sea if an enemy fleet appeared on the horizon, and uttered a warning cry when enemy ships approached the harbor.

Lighthouse of Alexandria - wonder of the world

The Faros lighthouse stood until the 14th century. By 1326, when it was finally destroyed by an earthquake, the height of the lighthouse was no more than 30 meters, that is, a quarter of its original height. But even in this form, this monument of ancient architecture aroused the admiration of Arab authors (in 640, Alexandria was conquered by the Arabs).

The remains of the high pedestal of the tower have survived to this day, but for architects and archaeologists they are completely unacceptable, since they turned out to be built into a medieval Arab fortress.

In ancient times, the word “faros” began to be used to refer to all lighthouses. The memory of the miracle of construction technology has reached us in the word “headlight”.

Alexandria Lighthouse - one of the oldest engineering structures humanity. It was built between 280 and 247 BC. e. on the island of Faros, located...

From Masterweb

22.05.2018 02:00

The Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of the oldest engineering structures of mankind. It was built between 280 and 247 BC. e. on the island of Faros, located off the coast ancient city Alexandria (territory of modern Egypt). It was thanks to the name of this island that the lighthouse was also known as the Faros lighthouse.

The height of this grandiose structure, according to various historians, was approximately 120-140 meters. For many centuries, it remained one of the tallest structures on our planet, second only to the pyramids at Giza.

Beginning of lighthouse construction

The city of Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, was conveniently located at the intersection of numerous trade routes. The city developed rapidly, everything came into its harbor more ships, and the construction of a lighthouse became an urgent necessity.

Some historians believe that, in addition to the usual function of ensuring the safety of sailors, the lighthouse could have a related, no less important function. In those days, the rulers of Alexandria feared a possible attack from the sea, and such a colossal structure as the Alexandria Lighthouse could serve as an excellent observation post.

Initially, the lighthouse was not equipped with a complex system of signal lights; it was built several hundred years later. At first, signals were given to ships using smoke from a fire, and therefore the lighthouse was effective only during the daytime.

The unusual design of the Alexandria lighthouse

Such a large-scale construction was a grandiose and very ambitious project for those times. However, the construction of the lighthouse was completed in a very short time - it lasted no more than 20 years.

For the construction of the lighthouse, a dam was quickly built between the mainland and the island of Pharos, through which the necessary materials were delivered.

It is simply impossible to talk briefly about the Alexandria Lighthouse. The huge structure was built from solid marble blocks, connected to each other for greater strength with lead brackets.

The lower, largest level of the lighthouse was built in the shape of a square with sides approximately 30 meters long. The corners of the base were designed strictly according to the cardinal directions. The premises located on the first level were intended for storing necessary supplies and housing numerous guards and lighthouse workers.

A reservoir was built at the underground level, the supply of drinking water of which should have been sufficient in case of even a prolonged siege of the city.

The second level of the building was made in the shape of an octagon. Its edges were oriented in exact accordance with the wind rose. It was decorated with unusual bronze statues, some of which were movable.

The third, main level of the lighthouse was built in the shape of a cylinder and topped with a large dome. The top of the dome was decorated with a bronze sculpture no less than 7 meters high. Historians still have not come to a consensus whether this was an image of the god of the seas, Poseidon, or a statue of Isis-Faria, the patroness of sailors.

How was the third level of the lighthouse arranged?

For that time, the true miracle of the Alexandria Lighthouse was the complex system of huge bronze mirrors. The light from the fire, which was constantly burning on the upper platform of the lighthouse, was reflected and greatly amplified by these metal plates. In ancient chronicles they wrote that the shining light coming from the Alexandria lighthouse was capable of burning enemy ships far out to sea.

Of course, this was an exaggeration of inexperienced guests of the city who saw this for the first time ancient miracle light - Alexandria lighthouse. Although in fact the light of the lighthouse was visible for more than 60 kilometers, and for ancient times this was a huge achievement.

A very interesting engineering solution for that time was the construction of a spiral staircase-ramp inside the lighthouse, along which the necessary firewood and combustible materials were delivered to the upper tier. Enormous amounts of fuel were required to operate smoothly, so mule-drawn carts were constantly going up and down an inclined staircase.

The architect who built the miracle

At the time of the construction of the lighthouse, the king of Alexandria was Ptolemy I Soter, a talented ruler, under whom the city turned into a thriving trading port. Having decided to build a lighthouse in the harbor, he invited one of the talented architects of that time, Sostratus of Knidos, to work on it.

IN ancient times the only name that could be immortalized on the constructed structure was the name of the ruler. But the architect who built the lighthouse was very proud of his creation and wanted to preserve for posterity the knowledge of who really was the author of the miracle.

Risking the wrath of the ruler, he carved the inscription on one of the stone walls of the first level of the lighthouse: “Sostratus of Cnidia, son of Dextiphanes, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of seafarers.” Then the inscription was covered with layers of plaster and the required praises addressed to the king were carved on top of it.

Several centuries after construction, pieces of plaster gradually fell off, and an inscription appeared, preserving in stone the name of the man who built one of the seven wonders of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

First of its kind

In ancient times in different countries The flames and smoke of fires were often used as a warning system or to transmit signals of danger, but the Lighthouse of Alexandria became the first specialized structure of its kind in the whole world. In Alexandria they called it Pharos, after the name of the island, and all the lighthouses that were built after it also began to be called faros. This is reflected in our language, where the word “headlight” means a source of directional light.

The ancient description of the Alexandria Lighthouse contains information about unusual “living” sculptures and statues, which can be called the first simple automata. They turned, made sounds, and performed simple actions. But these were not chaotic movements at all, one of the statues pointed its hand at the Sun, and when the Sun set, the hand automatically lowered. Another figure had a clock mechanism built into it, which marked the beginning of a new hour with a melodious ringing. The third statue was used as a weather vane, showing the direction and strength of the wind.

The brief description of the Lighthouse of Alexandria by his contemporaries failed to convey the secrets of the structure of these statues or the approximate diagram of the ramp along which fuel was delivered. Most of these secrets are lost forever.

Lighthouse destruction

The light of this fire unique structure showed sailors the way for many centuries. But gradually, during the decline of the Roman Empire, the lighthouse also began to decline. Less and less money was invested in maintaining it in working order, and the harbor of Alexandria was gradually becoming smaller due to large quantity sand and silt.

In addition, the area where the Alexandria Lighthouse was built was seismically active. A series of strong earthquakes caused serious damage to it, and the disaster of 1326 finally destroyed the seventh wonder of the world.

Alternative version of destruction

In addition to the theory that explains the decline of the colossal structure due to insufficient funding and natural disasters, there is another interesting hypothesis about the reasons for the destruction of the lighthouse.

According to this theory, the enormous military importance that the lighthouse had for the defenders of Egypt was to blame. After the country was captured by the Arabs, Christian countries, and especially the Byzantine Empire, hoped to recapture the people of Egypt. But these plans were greatly hampered by the Arab observation post located at the lighthouse.

Therefore, a rumor was spread that somewhere in the building in ancient times the treasures of the Ptolemies were hidden. Believing, the Arabs began to dismantle the lighthouse in an attempt to get to the gold, and in the process damaged the mirror system.

After this, the damaged lighthouse continued to function for another 500 years, gradually deteriorating. Then it was finally dismantled, and a defensive fortress was erected in its place.

Possibility of recovery

The very first attempt to restore the Alexandria Lighthouse was made by the Arabs in the 14th century AD. e., but it was possible to build only a 30-meter semblance of a lighthouse. Then construction stopped, and only 100 years later the ruler of Egypt, Qait Bey, built a fortress in its place to protect Alexandria from the sea. At the base of this fortress, part of the foundation of the ancient lighthouse and almost all of its underground structures and reservoir remained. This fortress still exists today.

Often, enthusiastic historians consider the possibility of recreating this famous building in its original state. But there is one problem - there is practically no reliable description of the Alexandria Lighthouse or its detailed images, on the basis of which it would be possible to accurately restore its appearance.

Touch history

For the first time, some fragments of the lighthouse were discovered by archaeologists at the bottom of the sea in 1994. Since then, an expedition of the European Institute of Underwater Archeology has discovered an entire quarter of ancient Alexandria at the bottom of the harbor, the existence of which scientists had not previously guessed. The remains of many ancient structures remain underwater. There is even a hypothesis that one of the found buildings may be the palace of the famous Queen Cleopatra.

The Egyptian government approved a large-scale reconstruction of the ancient lighthouse in 2015. In the place where it was built in ancient times, they plan to build a multi-story copy of the great lighthouse. Interestingly, the project involves the construction of an underwater glass hall at a depth of 3 meters, so that all lovers ancient history could see the ruins of the ancient royal quarter.

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