The Lighthouse of Alexandria became the prototype for all lighthouses that followed. Situated on Pharos island the structure was planned by Ptolemy I of Egypt in 284 BC. It was completed by his successor in 280 BC. On the base an inscription proclaims that Sostratus of Cnidus dedicated it to the "savior gods" on behalf of navigators. The building was 400 feet high and light was provided by "eternal" fires of resinous wood and/or oil. Archimedes is said to have designed mirrors that reflected and magnified the light of the fires allowing them to be seen thirty miles at sea, an almost unheard of distance for antiquity. The ruins of fort Qait bay, from the 15th century, now stands in the ruins.

       
Monument
Images Index