Alexandria Lighthouse brief description. Lighthouse of Alexandria: brief description of the report. What happened to the Alexandria lighthouse

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Lighthouse Alexandria

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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 the way to the 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 severely 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.

Year started: approximately 283 BC.

Coordinates: 31°12′51″ n. w.

• 29°53′06″
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  • See the Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse in the program “I want to believe!

About the lighthouse in the Ukrainian program

During the time of the first Ptolemies, a lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos. According to ancient and medieval authors, it was taller than the tallest pyramid. But at the time Strabo visited it, the lighthouse was no longer very different from other structures. It was half destroyed. Its highest part had collapsed, and its remains lay near the tower, which had been covered with a temporary wooden roof, "and lived in it several watchmen."

The construction of lighthouses began in ancient times and was connected, first of all, with the development of navigation. At first these were just fires located on high banks. Then there are artificial structures. The Alexandria Lighthouse was built in 283 BC. e., the construction of this gigantic, for those times, structure lasted only 5 years. But before we begin to describe this wonder of the world, we should learn a little about the geography and history of the area where it was built.

Alexandria Alexandria, founded in 332 BC, 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, built according to a single plan. In Alexandria there was a sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, and here was a museum - the abode of muses, a center of arts and science. So this is how an etymological thread is laid from the muses to"museum". Museyon is at once an academy of sciences, a dormitory for scientists, a technical center, a school, and the world’s greatest library, which contained up to half a million scrolls. A passionate scribe and a vain man, King Ptolemy II suffered because the library did not have some unique manuscripts of Greek playwrights. He sent an embassy to Athens so that the Athenians would borrow the scrolls for a while to copy. Arrogant Athens demanded a fabulous deposit - 15 talents, almost half a ton of silver. Ptolemy accepted the challenge. The silver was delivered to Athens, and the agreement had to be reluctantly fulfilled. But Ptolemy did not forgive such distrust of his bibliophilic inclinations and his word of honor. He left the deposit to the Athenians and the manuscripts to himself. But that's not the point...

The harbor of Alexandria, perhaps the busiest and busiest in the whole world, was uncomfortable. The port in this harbor was founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e. The city flourished due to maritime trade. But by the 12th century AD. e. Alexandria Bay became so filled with silt that ships could no longer use it. From then on, the period of decline of Alexandria began, about which very little is known today...

Present-day Alexandria has more than 2 million inhabitants, it stretches for 25 kilometers along a sand spit that once cut the sea bay, forming a large salt Lake. But modern Alexandria has completely different outlines. In the north-west, where there is now an elongated peninsula with a densely populated Arab quarter and the magnificent Abu al-Abbas Mosque, in ancient times there was a sea, or rather, two sea piers - the Grand Pier and the Pier of Happy Return. From the sea side they were covered by the rocky island of Pharos, which served as a natural pier.

History of the building

The Nile carries a lot of silt; in the shallow water among the rocks and shoals, very skillful pilots were required. To ensure the safety of navigation, it was decided to build a lighthouse on the island of Pharos, on the approach to Alexandria. In 285 BC, the island was connected to the mainland by a dam, and the architect Sostratus of Knidos began work. Construction took only five years: Alexandria was an advanced technical center and the richest city of the then world, the builders had at their disposal a huge fleet, quarries and the achievements of Museyon academicians.

This structure, just like the pyramids, arose from the sweat and labor of slaves, and during construction the whips of the overseers also whistled. But it had two fundamental differences: firstly, the lighthouse on the island of Foros brought “public benefit”, and secondly, at the time when this last miracle of the ancient world was created, technology had reached considerable heights. The Archimedes screw and pulley, lifting devices, and various construction tools were already known. The main building materials for the lighthouse were limestone, marble, and granite. The construction was led by the famous Greek architect Sostratus of Knidos. At the end of the work, he carved the inscription on the stone of the structure: “Son of Dexiphanes Sostratus - to the guardian gods, for the benefit of those who swim.” Sostratus covered this inscription with cement and on top indicated the name of Ptolemy Soter, who was ruling at that time. Sostratus did not hope to live until the time when the plaster crumbled, and it was not in his interests to find out the ruler’s reaction to this act. After all, having done this, he risked violating the decrees of the Ptolemies. However, soon the cement crumbled, and everyone saw the first inscription. Possidip, a contemporary of Sostratus, sang it in verses that have survived the lighthouse and brought to us the name of its creator.

And this name was widely known in the ancient world. Modern scientists have found that structures like “ hanging gardens» Semiramis, there were several, and one of them was the “hanging promenade” on the island of Knidos. Its architect and engineer was Sostratos. He is credited with another grandiose construction: during the battles for Memphis, he allegedly diverted the waters of the Nile to capture the city.

Description of the lighthouse

The lighthouse turned out to be in the form of a three-story tower 120 meters high (the first and most dangerous “rival” Egyptian pyramids). At its base it was a square with a side of thirty meters; the first sixty-meter floor of the tower was made of stone slabs and supported a forty-meter octagonal tower, lined with white marble. On the third floor, in a round tower surrounded by columns, a huge fire was always burning, reflected by a complex system of mirrors. Firewood for the fire was delivered up a spiral staircase, so flat and wide that carts drawn by donkeys could drive along it to a hundred-meter height. The tower contained many ingenious technical devices: weather vanes, astronomical instruments, clocks. However, it is impossible to perceive this description, conveyed to us by one of the ancient inhabitants of Alexandria, as the only true one: each of those whose descriptions have reached us still tried to somehow embellish what they saw, since Alexandrian lighthouse was truly a grandiose structure for the world of that time.

Among other descriptions we find the following: “ 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 common features of these two descriptions are visible. As a result, today the following description can be accepted as the most accurate and truthful.

The lighthouse had a height of 180 meters from base to top. This calculation was made based on the testimony of the historian Josephus. According to other descriptions, its height was only 120 meters. Ibn al-Sayha (11th century) gives the figure 130-140 meters. According to modern experts, from a purely practical point of view, such a height was unnecessary, even if we take into account that ancient lighthouses should have been higher due to the weakness of their fire. The greatest European lighthouse at the mouth of the Garonne near Bordeaux has a height of 59 meters above sea level. It was built by the Romans, taking the lighthouse on the island of Foros as a model. It remained in its original form until the 16th century, then it was rebuilt. The lighthouse on Cape Hatteras is 58 meters high, the lighthouse on the coral reefs off Florida is 48 meters high. None of the modern lighthouses reaches the height of Alexandria.

The Ptolemies built this fantastic skyscraper on a rock not only for practical purposes. First of all, the lighthouse was a symbol of the power of their empire, a symbol of wealth and greatness, like a light in the darkness. This structure had a base in the shape of a square with sides of 180-190 meters (other sources give other figures). On this foundation stood a palace with four towers at the corners. From its center rose a massive quadrangular tower 70-80 meters high, which gradually narrowed, ending in battlements. On this tower stood another, narrower, but also quite high, which ended with a stone platform. On this site there were columns in a circle supporting a cone-shaped tower, which was crowned by an 8-meter-high statue of the patron of the seas, Poseidon. According to some reports, at the top of the tower there was a statue of Zeus the Savior, and not his brother Poseidon.

At the top of the third tower, a fire was lit in a voluminous bronze bowl, the reflection of which, using a complex system of mirrors, was visible 100 miles away. A shaft ran through the entire lighthouse, around which a ramp and stairs rose. Carts drawn by donkeys drove along a wide and sloping ramp to the top of the lighthouse. Fuel for the lighthouse was delivered through the mine.

The tall lighthouse also served as an observation post. A complex system of reflectors was also used to view the sea, making it possible to detect enemy ships long before they appeared off the coast.

Death of the lighthouse

The inscription of Sostratus was seen by Roman travelers. At that time the lighthouse was still functioning. With the fall of the Roman Empire, it stopped shining, the upper tower, which had decayed over the centuries, collapsed, but the walls of the lower floor still stood for a long time.

The Alexandria lighthouse stood for 1,500 years, helping the Mediterranean “cybernetos” (as the ancient Greeks called helmsmen) navigate. The lighthouse suffered from earthquakes and weathering of the stone, but during the times of the emperors Claudius and Nero it was restored. Its fire was extinguished forever during an earthquake in the 4th century. During Arab rule in the mid-7th century, it served only as a daylight. During the time of the first Mamluk sultans (mid-13th century), the mainland moved so close to the island that the piers were covered with sand and it was no longer needed as a daylight lighthouse. At the very beginning of the 14th century, it was dismantled into stones, and a medieval Turkish fortress was erected on the ruins of the lighthouse. The bronze plates that served as mirrors were probably melted down into coins. This fortress was subsequently rebuilt more than once and still stands on the site of the world's first lighthouse.

In the 1960s, while exploring coastal waters, an unknown Italian diver, descending to a shallow depth near the Sultan's fortress, found two marble columns. During further work, a statue of the goddess Isis of Pharos, which once stood in a nearby temple, was raised from the bottom. In 1980, a group of archaeologists discovered seabed remains of the Faros lighthouse. At the same time, at a depth of 8 meters, the ruins of the palace of the legendary Queen Cleopatra were discovered...

Fire visibility range:

Description of fire, sign

Height of the structure.

Alexandria lighthouse, standing on east coast Pharos Island, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the distant past, the city harbor of Alexandria was shallow and rocky, so in order to protect sea ​​vessels out of trouble, a stone lighthouse was built on the approach to the city. The first and only Pharos or Alexandria lighthouse on Greek soil was built by Sostratus of Knidos. Construction began in 283 BC. e. and lasted only 5 years. In the time of Ptolemy, the lighthouse erected was higher than the tallest pyramid. For its construction, Sostratus of Cnidus used all the latest inventions and achievements of Alexandrian scientists. He immortalized his name on the marble wall of the majestic structure. The inscription read: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of sailors,” he buried it under a layer of plaster, on top of which he wrote praises to King Ptolemy Soter. But time put everything in its place and the world learned the true name of the architect and builder of one of the wonders of the world, after a thin layer of plaster fell off the wall. The lighthouse was a grandiose three-tiered structure, 120 meters high. Its lower floor had four faces facing the parts of the world (north, east, west and south), the eight faces of the second tier had the directions of the eight main winds, the top third floor was a lighthouse dome with a majestic seven-meter statue of Poseidon.

One of the statues that adorned the lighthouse tower showed the time of day with the direction of her hand, so during the solstice in the sky she held her hand up, as if pointing to the sun; after sunset, sailors could see the statue with her hand down. Another statue chimed every hour day and night, another indicated the direction of the blowing wind. Scientists came up with a complex system of metal mirrors for the lighthouse, which helped to amplify the light of the fire so that sailors could see it from afar. All this is unique and fantastic for that time period. It is not for nothing that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was included in one of the seven wonders of the world. The territory of the lighthouse was surrounded by a fortress wall, behind which there was an entire military garrison.

The lighthouse regularly performed its duties until the 14th century. With the fall of the Roman Empire, it ceased to shine. Having stood for 1,500 years, the lighthouse survived severe earthquakes and the effects of natural forces in the form of wind and rain. During this long period, enormous even for a stone, it began to collapse. Its fire went out forever, unable to withstand the earthquake (IV century). The upper tower, which had decayed over centuries, collapsed, but the walls of the lower floor still stood for a long time.

Even when it was half destroyed, its height was about 30 m. In the middle of the 13th century, the mainland came very close to the island and the lighthouse was no longer needed at all. At the beginning of the 14th century, it was dismantled into stones, and a medieval Turkish fortress was built on its ruins, which still stands on the site of the world's first lighthouse.

Currently, only the base of the lighthouse has been preserved, which is entirely built into the medieval fortress. In 1962, in coastal waters, at a depth of 7 m, scuba divers discovered the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse. A cracked column and the famous statue of Poseidon, which crowned the dome of the lighthouse, were raised from the bottom of the sea.

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

In Egypt, on the small island of Pharos, not far from Alexandria, there was a bay that was of 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 the outstanding structure would be included in. At night, flames reflected water surface, were visible at a distance of more than 60 kilometers, allowing 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 what happened 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, 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

The Faros (Alexandria) lighthouse - one of the seven wonders of the world - was located on the eastern shore of the island of Pharos within the boundaries of Alexandria and was the first and only lighthouse of such a gigantic size at that time. The builder of this structure was Sostratus of Cnidus.

It has long been known that there are remains of a lighthouse underwater in the Faros area. But the presence at this place naval base prevented any research from being carried out. It was only in 1961 that Kemal Abu el-Sadat discovered statues, blocks and marble boxes in the water. On his initiative, a statue of the goddess Isis was removed from the water. In 1968, the Egyptian government approached UNESCO with a request for an examination. An archaeologist from Great Britain was invited, who presented a report on the work done in 1975. It contained a list of all finds. Thus, the significance of this site for archaeologists was confirmed.

In 1980, a group of archaeologists from different countries began excavations on the seabed in the Faros area. 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, occupying an area of ​​more than 2 hectares. In addition, studies have shown that on the seabed there are objects more ancient than the lighthouse. Many columns and capitals made of granite, marble, and limestone belonging to different eras were recovered from the water.

Of particular interest to scientists was the discovery of the famous obelisks, called “Cleopatra’s needles” and brought to Alexandria by order of Octavian Augustus in 13 BC. e. Subsequently, many of the finds were restored and exhibited in museums in different countries.

Alexandria, the capital of Hellenistic Egypt, was founded in the Nile Delta by Alexander the Great in 332–331 BC. e. The city was built according to a single plan developed by the architect Dinohar, and was divided into blocks 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 were fighting among themselves and dividing Alexander's huge power, Ptolemy settled in Egypt and made Alexandria one of the richest and most beautiful capitals Ancient world.

The glory of the city was greatly facilitated by the creation by Ptolemy of the Museion (“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 flocked here from different parts of the Hellenistic world. Funds were generously allocated from the royal treasury for various experiments and scientific expeditions.

Scientists were also attracted to the Museion by the magnificent Library of Alexandria, which contained about 500 thousand scrolls, including works by the outstanding playwrights of Greece Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. King Ptolemy II allegedly asked the Athenians to borrow these manuscripts so that the scribes could make copies of them. The Athenians asked for a huge deposit. The king paid without complaint. But he refused to return the manuscripts.

A famous scientist or poet was usually appointed as the keeper of the library. For a long time, this post was occupied by the outstanding poet of his time, Callimachus. Then he was replaced by the famous geographer and mathematician Eratosthenes. He was able to calculate the diameter and radius of the Earth and made only a minor error of 75 kilometers, which, given the capabilities available at that time, does not detract from his merits.

Of course, the king, providing hospitality and financial support to scientists and poets, pursued his goals: to increase the glory of his country in the world as a scientific and cultural center and, thereby, your own. In addition, poets and philosophers were expected to praise his virtues (real or imaginary) in their works.

Natural sciences, mathematics and mechanics were widely developed. The famous mathematician Euclid, the founder of geometry, lived in Alexandria, as well as the outstanding inventor Heron of Alexandria, whose work was long ahead of its time. For example, he created a device that was actually the first steam engine. In addition, he invented many different machines driven by steam or hot air. But in the era of the general spread of slave labor, these inventions could not find application and were used only for the entertainment of the royal court.

The most brilliant astronomer Aristarchus of Samos, long before Copernicus, stated that the Earth is a ball that rotates around its axis and around the Sun. His ideas only caused a smile among his contemporaries, but he remained unconvinced.

The developments of Alexandrian scientists found application in real life. Example outstanding achievements science and became the creation of the Alexandria Lighthouse, considered in ancient times one of the wonders of the world. In 285 BC. e. The island was connected to the shore by a dam - an artificially formed isthmus. And five years later, by 280 BC. e., the construction of the lighthouse was completed.

It 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 facing the four cardinal directions: north, south, east, west - and were made of limestone. The second floor was made in the form of an octagonal tower, lined 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 up was so convenient that all the necessary materials, including fuel for the fire, were carried up on donkeys. A complex system of metal mirrors reflected and amplified the light of the lighthouse, and it was clearly visible to sailors from afar. In addition, the same system made it possible to monitor the sea and detect enemy ships long before they appeared within sight.

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 vanes indicating the direction of the wind. Travelers talked about the miraculous properties of the statues. One of them allegedly always pointed her hand at the sun, tracing its path across the sky, and lowered her hand when the sun set. The other chimed every hour throughout the day. They said that there was even a statue that, when enemy ships appeared, pointed to the sea and uttered a warning cry. All these stories do not seem so fantastic if we remember the steam automata of Heron of Alexandria. It is quite possible that the scientist’s achievements were used in the construction of the lighthouse, and the statues could produce some 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 tank with drinking water.

The Faros lighthouse had no analogues in Ancient world neither in size nor in technical data. Before this, ordinary fires were usually used as beacons. It is not surprising that the Lighthouse of Alexandria, with its complex system of mirrors, colossal dimensions and fantastic statues, seemed to all people a real miracle.

The builder of this miracle, Sostratus of Cnidus, carved the inscription on the marble wall: “Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes of Cnidus, dedicated to the savior gods 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 the magnificent lighthouse appeared to the eyes of those around him.

Alexandrian lighthouse

Although the lighthouse was located on the eastern shore of the island of Pharos, it is more often called the Alexandrian lighthouse rather than the Faros lighthouse. This island is mentioned in Homer's poem "Odyssey". In Homer's time it was located in the Nile Delta, opposite the small Egyptian settlement of Rakotis. But by the time the lighthouse was built, according to the Greek geographer Strabonne, it had moved significantly closer to the shores of Egypt and was one day’s journey from Alexandria. With the start of construction, the island was connected to the coast, essentially turning it from an island into a peninsula. For this purpose, a dam was artificially built, which was called Heptastadion, since its length was 7 stages (a stage is an ancient Greek measure of length, which is equal to 177.6 meters). That is, translated into our usual measurement system, the length of the dam was approximately 750 meters. The main harbor, the Great Harbor of Alexandria, was located on the Pharos side. This harbor was so deep that a large ship could anchor off the shore.

The tower is an assistant to sailors who have lost their way.

Here at night I light the bright fire of Poseidon.

The muffled wind was about to collapse,

But Ammonius strengthened me again with his labors.

After the ferocious waves they stretch out their hands to me

All sailors, honoring you, O shaker of the earth.

Nevertheless, the lighthouse stood until the 14th century and even in a dilapidated state reached a height of 30 meters, continuing to amaze with its beauty and grandeur. To date, only the pedestal, which is built into the medieval fortress, has survived from this famous wonder of the world. Therefore, there are practically no opportunities for archaeologists or architects to study the remains of this grandiose structure. Now there is an Egyptian military port on Pharos. And on the western side of the island there is another lighthouse, which in no way resembles its great predecessor, but also continues to show the way for ships.

The sixth miracle. Lighthouse of Alexandria The last of the classical wonders, one way or another connected 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. This was one of the

Patriarch of Alexandria The Patriarch of Alexandria was called in the Middle Ages and is still called by the title “pope” (Toi 3, p. 237). Therefore, the expression Pope of Old Rome, often found in medieval texts, could mean not the Bishop of Rome in Italy, but