The Lighthouse of Alexandria, many times also referred to as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy II Soter Philadelphus (280-247 BC). It has been estimated to be more than 320 feet tall. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and for many centuries it was the tallest man-made structure in the world.
The light was produced, so they say, by a furnace at the top of the structure. Completed in twelve years according to historians of the time, it was constructed of mostly limestone and granite, quarried in the desert to the east of Alexandria. The blocks of stones were scientifically analyzed to discover where they originated with mineral and chemical analysis.
Severely damaged three times by different earthquakes and other natural disasters between 796 AD and 1303 C.E., it finally ceased function of any navigational value and the remaining stones were used to build a Citadel or fortress on the site.
In 1995, a team of French Archaeologists dove into the waters of the eastern part of Alexandria’s harbor and discovered some of the Pharos’s remains. Since then, intermittent archaeological finds have been located and photographed. In early 2025, and just recently this July, portions and now larger blocks of paving and foundation stones have been resurfaced.
Twenty-two colossal stones, some weighing as much as 80 tons, including parts of almost everything from the Lighthouse of Alexandria’s threshold, to its base slabs to its door lintels and jambs have been successfully raised in the past few months.
In case you’re wondering, yes, the city of Alexandria was named after its founder, Alexander the Great in 332 BC, on an isthmus (strip of land or peninsula) opposite the Pharos’ location.
These recovery efforts on Egypt’s northern coast are part of an ongoing effort to digitally recreate the entire lighthouse by scanning and analyzing the ruins. This has been a thirty-year long effort called the “PHAROS Project.” The project’s intent is to use both actual blocks and remains and simulations to better understand how it was constructed and how and why it came down. PHAROS is made up of engineers, archaeologists, architects using actual remains, and descriptions and illustrations of the lighthouse from the fourth century B.C.E. through the 15th century C.E. to put together the reconstruction.
What is very important to the history of the Pharos is consistent descriptions of the lighthouse vary little, both artistic and written after earthquakes over the ages and despite ongoing repairs. The tower was made of three tapering or thinning tiers. The lowest section was square. The middle octagonal. The top was circular. At its top was a huge mirror which reflected sunlight during the day and a fire was lit during the night. Roman coins show a statue of Triton at each corner of the middle section and a statue of either Poseidon or Zeus at the very top. About a dozen Arab writers and travelers through the centuries wrote identical and uniform descriptions of the tower.
Repairs after the 956 C.E. earthquake, describe a dome on top after the collapse of the statue at the top. The most destructive earthquake was in 1303 C.E., with an estimated intensity of VIII+. The stub remnant disappeared after 1480 C.E., when the Sultan of Egypt built a medieval fort at the site of the large foundation of the Pharos. Archaeological interest was revived in 1916 C.E., however, it wasn’t until 1968 C.E. that the Pharos was rediscovered.
Why was Pharos built in the first place? Legend has it that the people of the island of Pharos were wreckers, and Ptolemy Soter had the lighthouse built to thwart them. Oh, by the way, lighthouse scholars and lovers, if you got this far in reading this, you may consider yourself a PHAROLOGIST – one who studies lighthouses.