After the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded a city named after him - Alexandria in the Nile Delta. During the reign of Ptolemy I, the city achieved wealth and prosperity, and the Alexandrian harbor became a lively center of maritime trade. With the development of navigation, the helmsmen, who brought ships with cargo to Alexandria, felt the need for a lighthouse more and more sharply, which would show ships a safe route among the shallows. And in the III century. BC. on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos, lying in the sea at a distance of 7 stadia (1290 m) from Alexandria, the architect Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, built the famous lighthouse, which became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
For the supply 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 sprung up on a deserted island, contemporaries were shocked. From the list of the seven wonders of the world, "miracle number 2" - the walls of Babylon was immediately deleted, and its place was taken by Pharos lighthouse.
100 was completed in late summer 1997. In October 1998, this project received the prestigious Project of the Year award, awarded annually by the International Concrete Institute.

The Alexandrian poet Possidippus (c. 270 BC) glorified this amazing structure in one of his epigrams:
The tower on Pharos, salvation to the Greeks, Sostratus Dexiphanes, the Architect of Cnidus, erected, O Lord Proteus!
There are no island keepers on the cliffs in Egypt, But a pier was drawn from the Earth for anchorage of ships,
And high, dissecting the ether, the tower rises, Everywhere for many miles it is visible to the traveler during the day, At night, from afar, they see those floating by the sea all the time, Light from a large fire at the very top of the lighthouse. Per. L. Blumenau
This is how the lighthouse remained during the Roman rule. According to Pliny the Elder, he shone "like a star in the darkness of the nights." This monumental structure had a height of at least 120 m, and its light could be seen at a distance of up to 48 km.
According to Strabo, the lighthouse was built from local limestone and faced with white marble. Decorative friezes and ornaments are made of marble and bronze, columns are made of granite and marble. The lighthouse seemed to grow out of the center of a spacious courtyard, surrounded by a powerful fence, at the corners of which there were powerful bastions 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 faced with squares of white marble, had a height of 60 m. At the corners of it were installed monumental statues depicting tritons. Inside the first tier, premises 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 gods-saviors - for the salvation of sailors", where the gods meant the king of Egypt Ptolemy I and his wife Berenice.

The smaller octagonal middle tier was also faced with marble slabs. Eight of its faces were deployed in the directions of the prevailing winds in these places. Above the perimeter were numerous bronze statues; some of them could serve as weather vane indicating the direction of the wind. The legend has survived that one of the figures with an outstretched hand followed the movement of the sun and lowered his hand only after its sunset.
The upper tier was in the shape of a cylinder and served as a lantern. It was surrounded by eight polished granite columns and topped with a cone-shaped dome topped with a 7-meter bronze statue of Isis Faria, the patron saint 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 in the focus of concave metal mirrors. It is believed that lifting mechanisms installed inside the tower delivered the fuel to the top - in the middle of the lighthouse there was a shaft leading from the lower rooms up to the lighting system. According to another version, the fuel was brought along a spiral ramp on carts drawn by horses or mules.

In the underground part of the lighthouse there was a drinking water storage for the military garrison located on the island: both under the Ptolemies and under the Romans, the lighthouse simultaneously served as a fortress, preventing the entry of enemy ships into 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 the lighthouse was still in operation in 641. In the XIV century. an earthquake finally destroyed this masterpiece ancient architecture and construction equipment. A hundred years later, the Egyptian Sultan Kite Bey ordered to build a fort named after its creator on the remains of the lighthouse foundation. Today we can judge the appearance of the lighthouse only by its images on coins of the Roman time 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 on seabed remnants of lighthouse structures that collapsed into the sea as a result of an earthquake. This has generated a lot of interest around the world. In 2001, the Belgian government even took the initiative to rebuild the Pharos lighthouse on the same site where it was built 2,200 years ago. However, now the walls of the fortress of Qayt Bey still rise here, and the Egyptian government is in no hurry to agree to its demolition.

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

In Egypt, on the small island of Pharos, not far from Alexandria, there was a bay of great importance for merchant ships. It is for this reason that the need arose for the construction of the Pharos lighthouse.

Hardly anyone imagined that an outstanding structure would enter. In the dark, the flames reflected by the water surface were visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers, allowing ships to safely pass the reefs. In the daytime, instead of light, a plume of smoke was used, also visible from extremely far away.

After standing 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 the original height.

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

Interesting facts about the wonder of the world Alexandria lighthouse

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 building is Sostratus of Cnidus.

On the marble wall of the lighthouse, he carved his name, and then, applying thin plaster, wrote the words glorifying Ptolemy. Naturally, after a short time, the plaster sprinkled, 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 was used for technical purposes. Workers and soldiers lived there, and the tools and equipment necessary to maintain the lighthouse were kept. The second, octagonal tower towered over 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 a vital fire burned, spreading its light for many kilometers around.

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

Some travelers, describing the miracle that struck them, mentioned the unusually arranged statues. The first pointed her hand at, throughout the day, and when the sun went down, her hand dropped.

The second statue sounded 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 Alexandrian bay due to the fact that it became extremely muddy. This is what caused the outstanding structure to fall into complete decay. Even later, in the XIV 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 on this historical site the base of the Egyptian fleet is located and, despite various proposals, the authorities do not consider the idea of ​​restoring the lighthouse.

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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 Sostratus of Cnidus. Nowadays, 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 the 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 and thus your 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 through 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 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 Ancient world neither in size nor 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, about the 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 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.

One of the classic wonders, one way or another associated with the name of Alexander the Great, is the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Alexandria, founded in 332, is located in the Nile Delta, on the site of the Egyptian town of Rakotis. It was one of the first cities of the Hellenistic era to be built according to a single plan, and it quickly grew into a major commercial city and an enlightened city. There were many amazing and wonderful things in this city. There was also the famous Museion (Museum-Temple of the Muses), where the astronomical observatory, school, anatomical theater, workshops were located. At various times, many brilliant Greek scientists lived and worked in Museion - the creator of geometry Euclid, the pioneer of surgery Herophilus. Archimedes received his education and worked here. The remarkable mechanic Geron worked here for many years, who built the first automata and wrote the fascinating book Theater of Automata about them.

A passionate scribe and a vain man, Tsar Ptolemy II suffered from the fact that the city's library did not have some of the unique manuscripts of Greek playwrights. He sent an embassy to Athens for the Athenians to borrow scrolls for a while, to copy. Arrogant Athens demanded a fabulous pledge - 15 talents, almost half a ton, silver. Ptolemy accepted the challenge. The silver was delivered to Athens, and the Greeks had to reluctantly fulfill the treaty. But Ptolemy did not forgive such distrust of his bibliophilic inclinations and his word of honor. He left a deposit to the Athenians, and the manuscripts to himself ...

The city had two harbors: one for the op Nile traffic, and the other for the Mediterranean sea trade. Both harbors had to remain deep and clean.
Rows of ships with various goods were drawn to the city. But to get to the local port, they had to maneuver between treacherous reefs, of which there were a lot on the way to Alexandria. Bad weather increased the risk of shipwreck.
It was necessary to somehow secure navigation.
At first, they wanted to improve visibility for sailors by lighting fires on the shore (as the Athenians did in the 5th century BC), but this was not enough to give signals to ships sailing far from the coast.
"Lighthouse! That's what we need, ”- it dawned on Ptolemy one of the sleepless nights.
The ruler was lucky - according to the map, at a distance of a little more than a kilometer from Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea was the island of Pharos, where Ptolemy ordered to build a lighthouse.

Erection Alexandria lighthouse entrusted to the engineer Sostratus, a resident of Knidia. Construction began in 285 BC, for which a dam was even built between the mainland and the island. Work on the Pharos lighthouse lasted approximately 5 to 20 years and was completed at the end of the 3rd century. BC. True, the very system of signal lights appeared only 100 years later.
Alexandria was an advanced technical center and the richest city of the then world, a huge fleet, quarries were at the service of the builders, the best Alexandrian architects and scientists were involved in the construction - they came up with the project of a lighthouse, consisting of three tiers.

According to various sources, the height of the Alexandria lighthouse was from 115 to 137 meters (the first and most dangerous "rival" Egyptian pyramids).
For reasons of practicality, it was erected from marble blocks, fastened with lead mortar.
The first level of the Alexandria lighthouse was pyramidal with planes oriented to 4 cardinal points. Its ledges were decorated with statues of newts. Premises on this level were intended to accommodate workers and soldiers, store equipment, fuel and food.
Eight faces of the second stage of the Pharos lighthouse were designed by ancient architects according to the wind rose. 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.
The third tier of the structure had a cylindrical shape and ended with a dome on which stood a 7-meter bronze statue of the ruler of the seas, Poseidon. But they say that in fact, the top of the dome of the Pharos lighthouse was decorated with a statue of a woman - the guardian of the sailors Isis-Faria.

At that time, mankind did not yet know electricians, and a giant fire was kindled at the very top of the Alexandria lighthouse for signals to sailors. Its light was visible up to 100 kilometers around. 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. Ancient legends said that the radiance emanating from the Pharos lighthouse was capable of burning enemy ships even before approaching the shore.

At night, powerful tongues of flame indicated the direction of the ships, in the daytime - clouds of smoke. To keep the fire burning, the Romans established an uninterrupted supply of firewood to the top of the Alexandria lighthouse. They were pulled out on carts drawn by mules and horses. For this, a gentle spiral road was built inside the Pharos lighthouse, one of the first ramps in the world. Although some scientists argue that the firewood was dragged to the top by lifting mechanisms.

The Alexandria lighthouse was surrounded by a powerful fence with loopholes, so it could serve as a fort and an observation post. From the top of the lighthouse, it was possible to see the enemy fleet long before it approached the city. In the underground part of the structure, supplies of drinking water were kept in case of a siege.
The tower contained many ingenious technical devices: weather vane, astronomical instruments, clocks.

Sostratus of Cnidus was very proud of his brainchild. Fearing oblivion, the engineer went on a risky violation of the decrees of the Ptolemies and on the wall of the first tier he carved the inscription: "Sostratus of Cnidia, son of Dextiphan, dedicated to the gods-saviors for the sake of sailors." But the loyal subject was afraid of the wrath of the Egyptian ruler, who usually takes all the merit to himself, so he hid the phrase under a thick layer of plaster, on which he carved the name of the vain Ptolemy Soter. Sostratus did not hope to live up to the time when the plaster crumbled, and it was not in his interests to find out the reaction of the ruler to this act. But the pieces of clay fell off very quickly, and even during the life of the Pharos lighthouse, travelers could read the name of its true creator. Possidippus, a contemporary of Sostratus, glorified him in poetry that survived the lighthouse and brought to us the name of its creator.
The lighthouse of Alexandria was described by ancient historians and travelers, including the "father of history" Herodotus. The most Full description The Pharos lighthouse in 1166 was compiled by Abu el-Andalussi, a famous Arab traveler, who said that the lighthouse was not only a useful structure, but also a worthy decoration of Alexandria.

Alarms about the destruction of the Alexandria lighthouse began to appear during the fall of the Roman Empire. It was not maintained in proper condition, and there was no time stately structure began to decline. The current brought mud into the bay, ships could no longer enter the port of Alexandria, and the need for a lighthouse on the island of Pharos gradually disappeared. Over time, the bronze mirror plates of the Alexandria lighthouse were taken apart and melted down - it is assumed that they "dispersed" around the world in the form of coins and settled in the collections of numismatists.
The majestic building did not want to surrender for a long time and fought to the last, withstanding three earthquakes and collapsing during the fourth in 1375.

In the 14th century A.D. Egypt was settled by nimble Arabs. First, they rolled up their sleeves and tried to rebuild the Alexandria lighthouse. But their zeal was enough only for a 30-meter structure - then the construction work stalled. Why the Arabs did not continue the restoration of the Pharos lighthouse - history is silent.
And only 100 years later, in the place where the Alexandria lighthouse was erected, the Sultan of Egypt, Kait Bey, built a fortress - it still stands there, having safely survived to this day. From the Alexandria lighthouse itself, only the plinth remained, completely built into the fortress.

The lighthouse, or rather, all that remains of it, was discovered in 1994 - some fragments of the building were found at the bottom of the sea - archaeologists were delighted with this message from the historical past. And in May 2015, the Egyptian government decided to rebuild the Pharos lighthouse in the same place where the original was once erected.
The biggest difficulty when trying to build an exact copy of the structure is the absence of "lifetime" images of the Alexandria lighthouse, so the architects will have to pant, relying only on information from descriptions in several written Arabic sources and photos of the ruins.
The appearance of the Pharos lighthouse was reconstructed using computer simulations - the reconstructions of the lighthouse are a bit like the New York skyscraper Empire States Building.
Another possible hint for creating a project for a future lighthouse could be a tomb in the Egyptian city of Abusir. It was built in the same period as the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The people even call the tower the Abusir lighthouse. Historians suggest that it was specially built as a miniature copy of the Pharos lighthouse.

By the way, a copy of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in Window of the World, a Chinese amusement park.
And interestingly - it is assumed that in the first attempts to determine the radius of the Earth, ancient Greek scientists used the Alexandria (Pharos) lighthouse.

Alexandria is the second most important city in modern Egypt. It was founded in the 4th century. BC NS. Alexander the Great. And in the III century. BC NS. here appeared one of the seven wonders of the world - the Alexandria lighthouse. It was the world's first lighthouse, that is, a structure that provides orientation for ships.

The lighthouse was built on the small island of Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea. The huge structure was erected in just five years instead of the planned twenty and was completed around 283 BC. NS. Construction took place under Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.

There are numerous descriptions of this wonder of the world, supplemented in last years data from underwater archaeological expeditions. The total height of the lighthouse was 120-140 meters (the Cheops pyramid is 147 meters, and the height Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg - 122 meters). The Pharos lighthouse was composed of three marble towers, located on a base of massive stone blocks. The first rectangular tower housed rooms for workers and soldiers. Each side of the lower stone prism was 30 meters long. The height of this part of the lighthouse was 60 meters. The second was a forty-meter octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper tower. The upper tower had a cylindrical shape, it was on it that the fire burned, which helped the ships to pass the reefs and reach the bay. Eight columns made up a cylindrical colonnade with a dome, which housed an eight-meter statue of Poseidon (or Zeus the Savior).

The light was visible at a distance of 60-100 kilometers. This was ensured by the use of polished bronze mirrors that stood behind the flames and directed the light out into the sea. Fuel (wood) was brought along a spiral ramp on carts pulled by mules.

The architect was Sostratus of Cnidus. The exact dates of the life of this creator are unknown. He was originally from Asia Minor Caria. His father was the architect Dexifan, a teacher and co-author of a number of structures. Sostratus built a number of buildings in Delphi and a hanging promenade in Cnidus. On the stone blocks of the Pharos lighthouse, the inscription was engraved: "Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes, a cnidian, to the savior gods for the health of the sailors." Some sources believe that Sostratus of Cnidus contributed a considerable share from his personal funds to the construction of the wonder of the world, which cost 800 talents.

The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but in 796 AD. NS. was badly damaged by an earthquake. The Arabs tried to restore the lighthouse, which by the end of the XIV century. towered 30 meters. A hundred years later, a fortress was erected on this place.

The type of structure, which began with the Pharos lighthouse, still exists today. The word "lighthouse" began to be used figuratively. In Soviet times, there were "people-beacons", that is, the foremost workers, on which all the others were called upon to be equal. The light of the lighthouse began to be perceived as a symbol of hope for salvation, as a finishing point on a long journey, as something that people dream about. The miracle remains.