How it began
The lighthouse stood on the island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. It was built by Sostratus of Cnidus, perhaps for Ptolemy I Soter, and finished in about 280 BCE during the reign of his son Ptolemy II. Ancient writers disagreed about Sostratus's role: Pliny the Elder called him the architect, and Strabo reported a dedication in his name to the "Saviour Gods" on the tower. Britannica describes it as the first structure of its type mentioned in history.
How it works
According to the ancient sources gathered by Hermann Thiersch in 1909, the tower was built in three stages that sloped slightly inward. The lowest was square, the next octagonal and the top cylindrical. A broad spiral ramp led to the top, where a fire burned at night. It is said to have been more than 350 feet (110 meters) high, which made it the tallest man-made structure of its time after the pyramids of Giza. Some accounts mention a large statue on top.
What changed first
The tower guided sailors approaching the harbor of Alexandria. Legend held that the people of Pharos island had been wreckers, and that the lighthouse was built to help bring ships safely into port at night. The work is reported to have taken twelve years and to have cost 800 talents of silver.
What lasted
Britannica calls the Pharos the archetype for all lighthouses built afterward. It was listed among the Seven Wonders of the World, although it does not appear in any list of wonders until the 6th century CE. The tower was badly damaged by earthquakes between 956 and 1303. It was still standing in the 12th century, but by 1477 the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay was able to build a fort from its ruins.
Where it stands today
In 1994 the archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur, called in to survey the seabed before a concrete breakwater was built, mapped hundreds of huge masonry blocks in the waters off Pharos Island. Some are believed to have fallen from the lighthouse in an earthquake in the 1300s. The Egyptian government abandoned the breakwater and planned an underwater park where divers could see the remains.
