Pharos lighthouse description. Lighthouse of Alexandria: photos, description, history and interesting facts

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

Locals claimed that the light of the Alexandria lighthouse 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 shrill warning cry.

At a time when the height of buildings usually did not exceed three floors, the lighthouse with a height of about one hundred meters could not help but amaze the imagination of both local residents and guests of the city. Moreover, at the time of the completion of construction, it turned out to be the tallest building of the ancient world and was such for an extremely long time.

The Alexandria lighthouse was located on the east coast of the small island of Pharos, located near Alexandria - the main seaport Egypt, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.

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 he was at the intersection of both water and land routes of the three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, at least two harbors had to be built here: one for ships arriving from Mediterranean Sea and the other for those who sailed 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, while he paid special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything so that the waters of the Nile did not clog them with sand and silt (especially for this, a dam was subsequently built connecting the continent with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great, after a while the city fell 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.

The purpose

The Alexandria lighthouse made it possible for ships to swim into the port without any problems, successfully bypassing pitfalls, shallows and other obstacles of the bay. Thanks to this, after the erection of one of the seven wonders, the volume of trade of light 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, the signal lights at the entrance to the harbor were very useful.

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

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

Construction

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 later used some of them to build a lighthouse).

It was at this time (in 299 BC) that he made a truce with Demetrius Poliorketus, 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 construction of a grandiose wonder of the world (although the exact date of the start of construction work has not yet been determined, the researchers are convinced that this happened sometime between 285/299 BC). BC.).

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

Initial appearance

The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse was entrusted to the master Sostratus of Cnidia. Ptolemy wished that only his name be 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 first he engraved his name on a stone, 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.

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

• The lighthouse was surrounded on all sides by thick fortress walls, and in case of a siege, supplies of water and food were stored in its dungeons;
• The height of the ancient skyscraper ranged from 120 to 180 meters;
• The lighthouse was built in the shape of a tower and had three floors;
• Walls ancient structure were laid out of blocks of marble and fastened with a mortar with a small addition of lead.
• The foundation of the structure was almost square - 1.8 x 1.9 m, and granite or limestone was used as a building material;
• The first floor of the Alexandria lighthouse had a height of about 60 m, while the length of the sides was about 30 m. Outwardly, it resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed at the corners. The roof of the first tier was flat, decorated with statues of Triton and served as the basis for the next floor. Here were located living quarters and utility rooms in which soldiers and workers lived, as well as various inventory was kept.
• The height of the second floor was 40 meters, it had an octagonal shape and was faced with marble slabs;
• The third tier had a cylindrical structure, decorated with statues that played the role of weather vane. Eight columns were installed here that supported the dome;
• On the dome, facing the sea, stood a bronze (according to other versions - gold) statue of Poseidon, whose height exceeded seven meters;
• Under Poseidon there was a platform on which a signal light burned, indicating the way to the harbor at night, while during the day its functions were performed by a huge column of smoke;
• In order for the fire to 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, which, according to contemporaries, was visible even at a distance of 60 km;

There are several versions of how the fuel was lifted to the top of the lighthouse. The 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 lifted upward.

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

Crash

The Alexandria lighthouse has served people for quite a long time - about a thousand years. Thus, he survived more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers, saw Roman legionaries. This did not particularly affect his fate: whoever ruled Alexandria, everyone made sure that the unique structure stood as long as possible - they restored the building parts that had collapsed due to frequent earthquakes, renewed 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 caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the death toll of Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but it stood for quite a long time - until the XIV century, until the next strongest earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, the Sultan Kait-bey built a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen and these days).

In the mid-90s. The remains of the Alexandria lighthouse were discovered at the bottom of the bay using a satellite, and after a while, scientists, using computer modeling, were able to more or less restore the image of a unique structure.

The Alexandria lighthouse, which belongs to the seven wonders of the Ancient World, has another name - Pharos. It owes the presence of the second name to its location - the island of Pharos, located off the coast of the city of Alexandria, which is located on the territory of Egypt.

In turn, Alexandria got its name from the name of the conqueror of the ancient Egyptian lands - Alexander the Great.

He approached the choice of a place for the construction of a new city rather carefully. At first glance, it may seem strange that the area of ​​the settlement was determined by the Macedonian 20 miles from the south of the Nile Delta. If he had arranged it in the delta, the city would have found itself at the intersection of two waterways important for that area.

These roads were both the sea and the Nile River. But the fact that Alexandria was based south of the delta had a weighty justification - in this place the river waters could not clog the harbor with sand and silt harmful to it. Alexander the Great had high hopes for the city under construction. His plans were to turn the city into a solid shopping center, because he successfully located it at the intersection of land, river and sea routes of communication of several continents. But such a significant city for the country's economy needed a harbor.

For its arrangement, it was required to implement many complex engineering and construction solutions. An important necessity was the construction of a dam that could connect the coast to Pharos, and a breakwater to protect the harbor from sand and silt. Thus, Alexandria received two harbors at once. One harbor was to receive merchant ships sailing from the Mediterranean, and the other - ships that came along the Nile River.

Alexander the Great's dream of transforming a simple city into a prosperous trade center came true after his death, when Ptolemy I Soter came to power. It was under him that Alexandria became the richest port city, but its harbor was dangerous for sailors. As both shipping and maritime trade developed continuously, the need for a lighthouse was felt more and more acutely.

The tasks for this structure were as follows - to secure the navigation of ships in coastal waters... And such concern would lead to an increase in sales volumes, since all trade was carried out through the port. But due to the monotonous landscape of the coast, the sailors needed an additional reference point, and they would be quite satisfied with a signal light illuminating the place of the entrance to the harbor. According to historians, Alexander the Great pinned other hopes on the construction of the lighthouse - to ensure the city's safety from the attacks of the Ptolemies, who could attack from the sea. Therefore, to detect enemies who could be at a considerable distance from the coast, an impressive outpost was needed.

Difficulties in the construction of the Alexandria lighthouse

Naturally, the construction of such a solid structure required many resources: financial, labor and intellectual. But it was not easy to find them at that turbulent time for Alexandria. But nevertheless, an economically favorable environment for the construction of a lighthouse was due to the fact that Ptolemy, who conquered Syria in the title of tsar, brought countless Jews to his country and made them slaves. Thus, the lack of manpower required for the construction of the lighthouse was made up for. No less important historical events then were the signing of the peace agreement by Ptolemy Soter and Demetrius Poliorketes (299 BC) and the death of Antigonus, the enemy of Ptolemy, whose kingdom was given to the Diadochi.

The construction of the lighthouse began in 285 BC, and all work was directed by the architect Sostratus of Cnidus... Wanting to immortalize his name in history, Sostratus carved an inscription on the marble wall of the lighthouse, indicating that he was building this structure for the sake of sailors. Then he hid it under a layer of plaster, and on it he glorified Tsar Ptolemy. However, fate wanted humanity to recognize the name of the master - gradually the plaster fell off and revealed the secret of the great engineer.

Design features of the Alexandria lighthouse

The Pharos structure, intended to illuminate the harbor, had three tiers, the first of which was represented by a square with sides of 30.5 m. All four sides of the lower square tier were facing all cardinal points. It reached a height of 60 m, and its corners were decorated with statues of tritons. The purpose of this room was to accommodate workers and guards, as well as to equip pantries for storing supplies of food and fuel.

The middle tier of the Alexandria lighthouse was built in the form of an octagon, the edges of which were oriented towards the direction of the winds. The upper part of this tier was decorated with statues, and some of them were weather vane.

The third tier, made in the form of a cylinder, was a lantern. It was surrounded by 8 columns and covered with a dome-cone. And on its top they erected a 7-meter statue of Isis-Faria, who was considered the guardian of sailors (some sources claim that it was a sculpture of Poseidon - the king of the seas). Due to the complexity of the metal mirror system, the light of the fire lit at the top of the lighthouse was intensified, and the guards monitored the sea space.

As for the fuel needed to keep the lighthouse on fire, it was delivered along a spiral ramp in carts pulled by mules. A dam was built between the mainland and Pharos to facilitate shipping. If the workers did not do this, the fuel would have to be transported by boat. Subsequently, the dam, washed up by the sea, became an isthmus that currently separates the western and eastern harbors.

The Alexandria lighthouse was not only a lamp - it was also a fortified fortress guarding the sea route to the city. Due to the presence of a large military garrison in the building of the lighthouse, an underground part was also provided for supplying drinking water. To enhance security, the entire structure was surrounded by strong walls with watchtowers and loopholes.

In general, the three-tiered lighthouse tower reached a height of 120 m and was considered the tallest structure in the world.... Those travelers who saw such an unusual structure, subsequently enthusiastically described the unusual statues that served as the decoration of the lighthouse tower. One sculpture pointed to the sun with a hand, but lowered it down only when it went beyond the horizon, another served as a clock and hourly reported the current time. And the third sculpture helped to recognize the direction of the wind.

The fate of the Alexandria lighthouse

After standing for almost a thousand years, the Alexandria lighthouse began to collapse. It happened in 796 A.D. due to a powerful earthquake, the upper part of the structure simply collapsed. Of the huge 120-meter building of the lighthouse, only ruins remained, but even they reached a height of about 30 m. A little later, the wreckage of the lighthouse was useful for the construction of a military fort, which was rebuilt several times. This is how the Pharos lighthouse turned into Fort Qayt Bey - it got this name in honor of the Sultan who built it. Inside the fort is historical Museum, in one of its parts there is a Museum of Marine Biology, and opposite the building of the fort are the Aquariums of the Museum of Hydrobiology.

Plans for the restoration of the Alexandria lighthouse

From the once majestic Alexandria lighthouse, only its plinth remained, but it is also fully integrated into medieval fortress... Today it is used as the base of the Egyptian navy. The Egyptians plan to carry out work to recreate the lost wonder of the world, and some countries of the European Union wish to join this venture. Italy, France, Greece and Germany are planning to include the construction of the lighthouse in a project called "Medistone". Its main tasks are the reconstruction and preservation of African architectural monuments dating back to the Ptolemaic era. Experts have estimated the project at $ 40 million - that is how much it will take to build a business center, a hotel, a diving club, a chain of restaurants and a museum dedicated to the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Island and lighthouse

The lighthouse was built on small island Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Alexandria. This bustling port was founded by Alexander the Great during a visit to Egypt in 332 BC. NS. The structure was named after the island. It must have taken 20 years to build, and was completed around 280 BC. NS. , during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.

Three towers

The Pharos lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, which stood on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular, it 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.

Guide light

The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder, in which a fire was burning, which helped the ships safely reach the bay.

Polished bronze mirrors

A large amount of fuel was required to maintain the flame. The tree was brought along a spiral ramp on carts pulled by horses or mules. Bronze plates stood behind the flames, directing the light out into the sea.

The death of the lighthouse

By the XII century A.D. NS. the bay of Alexandria was so filled with silt that ships could no longer use it. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. The bronze plates, which served as mirrors, were probably melted down into coins. In the XIV century, the lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. A few years later, the Muslims used the wreckage to build the military fortress of Qayt Bay. The fortress was subsequently rebuilt more than once and still stands on the site of the world's first lighthouse.

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See what "Pharos lighthouse" is in other dictionaries:

- (Alexandria lighthouse), a lighthouse on the eastern bank of the island. Pharos within the boundaries of Alexandria, the Hellenistic capital of Egypt; one of the Seven Wonders of the World (see SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD). The builder of this miracle of technology, the first and only lighthouse in the entire Greek world ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The marble tower built on the island of Pharos by Ptolemy Philadelphus, which had 300 cubits in height and consisted of several floors, gradually tapering upward. At the top of it, a fire was made at night, visible far into the sea. The construction of this tower ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

See in Art. seven wonders of the world. (Source: "Art. Contemporary Illustrated Encyclopedia." Edited by Prof. AP Gorkin; Moscow: Rosmen; 2007.) ... Art encyclopedia

Lighthouse- Lighthouse, UK. LIGHTHOUSE, a tower-type structure, usually installed on the shore or in shallow water. Serves as a navigational reference for ships. Equipped with so-called beacon lights, as well as devices for giving sound signals, ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

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

Lighthouse- After the transformation of Alexandria into the most revived. center of the sea trade of Ptolemaic Egypt should have counted on the arrival of a significant number of ships at night. This necessitated the construction of M., since firing up ... ... Dictionary of antiquity

Lighthouse- after the transformation of Alexandria into the most revived. center of the sea trade of Ptolemaic Egypt should have been counted on to arrive at it at night too. the number of ships. This necessitated the construction of M., since the kindling of fires on ... ... Ancient world... encyclopedic Dictionary

A lighthouse, a tower-type structure that serves as a reference point for identifying the banks, determining the position of the vessel and warning of navigational hazards. M. are equipped with light-optical systems, as well as other technical means of signaling: ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos)- a lighthouse on the island of Pharos near Alexandria in Egypt, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Built in 285,280 BC. Sostratus of Cnidus in order to make the entry of ships into the harbor of Alexandria safe. It was a three-tiered tower with a height ... ... The ancient world. Reference dictionary.

A tower-like structure located in or near navigable waters. It serves as a visible landmark during the day and emits continuous light or flashes of light at night to alert sailors to hazards and help them identify ... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Books

• 100 Great Wonders of the World, Ionina Nadezhda Alekseevna. Great pyramids Hanging gardens Semiramis, Pharos lighthouse, Parthenon, Notre Dame Cathedral, Eiffel Tower, Cathedral of Christ the Savior ... The world is still making legends about them, delightedly ...

The first (lower) tier of a lighthouse with a square base resembled a fortress or castle with towers installed at the corners. The towers were oriented to the cardinal points. The height of the tier reached about sixty meters. The flat roof of the lower tier served as the basis for the second tier. Here, on the roof, statues of newts were installed. Inside the first tier, there was a garrison guarding the lighthouse and service personnel, as well as the necessary equipment and supplies of water and food in case of a siege.

II (middle) tier

The second (middle) tier with an octagonal base rose another forty meters. Inside the second tier, a ramp was supposedly built, along which fuel was raised for a signal light to the third (upper) tier.

III (upper) tier

On the third cylindrical tier, columns were installed to support the dome of the lighthouse. On the platform, among the columns, a signal fire was kindled. The beacon light was reflected and amplified by a whole system of polished bronze plates.

A huge golden statue of Poseidon was installed on the dome of the lighthouse. One got the impression that Poseidon guarded Pharos lighthouse, gazing intently into their sea expanses.

After the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC. Alexander the Great founded in the Nile Delta a city named after him - Alexandria. 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 pilots, 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 seven wonders of the world, "miracle number 2" - the walls of Babylon was immediately deleted, and its place was taken by the Pharos lighthouse.
one hundred 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 Posidippus (c. 270 BC) sang 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 watchmen 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 lighthouse remained in the days of 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. Monumental statues depicting tritons were installed in its corners. 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 of ancient architecture and construction technology. A hundred years later, the Egyptian Sultan Kite Bey ordered to build a fort on the remains of the lighthouse foundation, named after its creator. Today we can judge the appearance of the lighthouse only by its images on 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 Alexandria Research Center, managed to find the remains of the structures of the lighthouse on the seabed, which 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.