Pharos+of+Alexandria

By: Jayden The seventh wonder of the ancient world was located in Alexandria, Egypt more than 700 years ago. It was the first lighthouse in the world. The lighthouse (or Pharos-the Egyptian word for lighthouse) was a huge stepping stone in architecture for ancient Egypt. The Pharos of Alexandria is a very important key to learning about the history and architecture of ancient Egypt. THE BASICS Between 285 and 280 B.C., over a period of twelve years, along with a good deal 0f slave labor and money, the Pharos was complete. The architect was Sostratos, a Greek form the Asia Minor city of Cnidus. His name is also on the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and on Delos. Most scholars believe that Sostratos didn’t use a complete Greek style was borrowed from the Pharaonic Tradition. (Compoint & Colt, Nardo, Dunn)
 * THE LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA **

THE LIGHTHOUSE ITS-SELF The base tier was resting on massive blocks of red granite joined together by molten lead. Resources say that the Pharos stood on the eastern point of the island. This structure was at an unthinkable height considering the time period it was constructed. From the top to the bottom the heights (this is estimated by the way) go: fifteen feet, fifteen feet, twenty-six feet, ninety-eight feet, and then one hundred-ninety-seven feet adding up to three hundred-eighty-six feet including the thirty-five feet above sea level. The lighthouse consisted of three main sections. The lowest level stood in a square eighteen stories tall. This level contained dozens of rooms used for living quarters or storing food. Next there was a platform and then the ninety-eight foot octagonal middle section. Inside there would have been a staircase rather than a ramp leading up to another observation deck. At this platform, visitors could but food and drinks. The third level was cylindrical standing at twenty-six feet. On top a small Muslim mosque stood where, in ancient times, the fire constituted the Pharos’ famous beacon. “Atop the third level was surrounded by a circle of tall pillars supported a small cone-shaped roof on the top of which the statue of Zeuse Soter stood.” (Nardo) Evidence suggests the statue of Zeuse was at least fifteen feet tall. Now compared to a modern day building this wouldn’t be such a spectacular site, but this was back between 285 and 280 B.C. when technology wasn’t as great, this was quite something to see. (Compoint & Colt, Dunn, Nardo) TOURISM Nearly all ancient writers mentioned the Pharos. All agreed it was large, solid, and sturdy. It was apparently a tourist attraction from the start. I suppose it may have been such a big tourist attraction because the Pharos was the height of “one hundred men” the tallest structure at the time. Possibly it’s just because nearly all ancient writers mentioned the lighthouse, or perhaps it was because there were few places people could “ascend a man-made tower to get such a perspective.” (Dunn) But there is also the fact that the light from the lighthouse could be seen from far out at sea. It guided in-coming vessels (another word for boat or ship) until 1375 with its beacon of light. How was the light created though? Well to answer that question a large, curved, bronze mirror “amplified” a fire’s light. It was assumed the fire was fueled by wood (most likely imported from foreign countries) or animal dung or some other types of fuel. Some believe a “windlass hoisted fuel to the parapet, where a fire burned continuously and a huge wrought-glass mirror designed by Archimedes reflected the sun’s rays to ships 70 miles out at sea”. (Compoint & Colt) Perhaps this is why it was a good tourism site. Don’t forget all the famous people that visited the Pharos, such as Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and many others. There were many Arab travelers that provided comprehensive descriptions. A man named Abou Haggag el-Andaloussi visited Alexandria in 1166 and made very detailed examinations. (Compoint & Colt, Dunn, Nardo) COMING TO AN END All great things have to end eventually, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria is one of those great things. By medieval time the upper section had already been destroyed. But what happened to the rest of the Pharos? A mosaic (picture made from chips of colored stone or glass) made around the 1200’s proves that it was still standing then. Other sources prove that it survived for nearly two millennia. It had also been proven that it lasted through many violent storms. Twenty-two earthquakes between 320 and 1303 A.D. and a large title wave that affected the eastern Mediterranean in 365 A.D. to be more specific. Around August 1303, the life of the seventh wonder of the ancient world ended. So now Alexandria has lost their symbol, their tourist site, they lost a lot of money. It’s a little ironic to think that “prior to destruction, it underwent a number of modifications by the late rulers” (Dunn) then it was demolished by an earthquake. An even more ironic thought: the ruins remained for over a century until a man by the name of Mamluk Sultan Qait Bey had the ruins cleared to build his “fort”. (Dunn, Nardo) THE CITADEL OF QAITBAY When Mamluk Sultan Qait Bey had the Pharos’ ruins cleared he decided to build a military fort in the same exact spot. This construction lasted two years. He also had a fortress and mosque (a space used for public worship by Muslims) put inside. Bey provided the fort with a strong, brave legion and various weapons. In 1882, British fleets bombed Alexandria, thus causing a lot of damage. It’s still standing, but it’s currently a maritime museums.

UNDERWATER MUSEUMS So we know what happened to the island, but what about the lighthouse? A couple years ago an Egyptian woman was filming underwater when she found a lot of ancient ruins. The emperor at the time sent a team of 30 divers and they found more than 2,000 relics! That’s enough to fill dozens of museums. “There were obelisks and bas-reliefs dating back to 2,000 B.C., the time of the Pharaohs. The massive lighthouse blocks came from when Greece ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. And there were columns from the Christian-dominated Alexandria 3rd and 4th centuries A.D.” (Compoint & Colt) Another article stated “For the past 18 years, marine archaeologist Frank Goddio and his team…have been excavating the site. They have found statues, sphinxes, ancient coins, artwork, and even remnants of the palace of one of history’s most famous women: Cleopatra.” (Hamalainen) Some other findings consist of heavier blocks of granite ranging from 49 to 69 tons. (Boukhari) Archaeologists have also found ruins of the Lighthouse’s first and second levels weighing up to 70 tons. (Gauch) That equals to 1400 pounds! This site is now an underwater archaeological park. But it was recently made into the world’s first underwater museum where you can “find yourself face to face with sphinxes and colossal statues” and see many brightly colored fish swimming by. In the museum its-self, visitors are able to walk in giant fiberglass tunnels through the palaces submerged halls and view underwater artifacts from ancient times. This one site has provided the world with not only fascination, but history of the past. (Compoint & Colt, Hamalainen, Boukhari)

CONCLUSION <span style="font-family: 'calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 19px;">What about the future? Does anyone know? I’ve been asking that same question forever, so don’t feel too bad. Well after doing all of this research, I’ve come to the conclusion that it will remain an underwater museum and it will continue to the conclusion that it will remain an underwater museum and it will continue to educate our society about the wonders of the ancient world.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 19px;">Works Cited

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Compoint, Stephane Colt, George Howe. "Raising Alexandria." //Life// 19.5 (1996): 70. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Boukhari, Sophie. "Swimming With The Sphinxes." //UNESCO Sources// 87 (1997): 16. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. Web. 2 Nov. 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif';">Dunn, Jimmy “Pharos’ Lighthouse of Alexandria.” //Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria.// 1996-2011 <http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pharoslighthouse.htm> found 1 November

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Gauch, Sarah. "Diving for sunken treasure -- of stone." //Christian Science Monitor// 26 Apr. 1995: 14. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. Web. 2 Nov. 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Hamalainen, Karina. "Underwater Museum." //Science World// 67.3 (2010): 3. //MAS Ultra - School Edition//. Web. 2 Nov. 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 15px;">Nardo, Don. //Artistry in stone: great structures of ancient Egypt//. Farming Hills, MI: The Thomson Corporation, 2005.