Lighthouse of Alexandria facts for kids
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos, was a super tall tower built a very long time ago, between 285 and 247 BCE. It stood on the island of Pharos near the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Its main job was to act as a lighthouse, guiding sailors safely to the harbor.
During the day, a giant mirror at the top of the tower would reflect sunlight far out to sea. At night, a big fire was lit to show the way. The word "pharos" is still used for "lighthouse" in some languages today!
Building the Great Lighthouse
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was one of the most amazing buildings of its time. It was so tall that it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. For many centuries, it was one of the tallest man-made structures on Earth, only shorter than the two Great Pyramids of Khufu and Khafra.
Historians believe the lighthouse was built by Ptolemy I Soter, who was a king of Egypt. A famous story says that the architect, Sostratus, wanted to put his own name on the building. However, King Ptolemy wanted his name there instead.
So, Sostratus cleverly carved his name into the stone base of the lighthouse. He then covered it with a layer of plaster, and on top of the plaster, he wrote an inscription honoring the king. Over hundreds of years, the plaster wore away, and Sostratus's original inscription was finally revealed!
The lighthouse was incredibly tall, reaching between 115 and 145 meters (about 384 to 469 feet) high. Imagine a building taller than a 30-story skyscraper! Sadly, this amazing structure was eventually destroyed by powerful earthquakes.
Finding the Lighthouse Today
Even though the Lighthouse of Alexandria is gone, parts of it still exist! In 1994, divers explored the bottom of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour. They discovered many remains of the ancient lighthouse lying on the seabed.
Some of these ancient stones were brought up from the water and put on display for people to see. There was even a TV show called Nova that showed how these discoveries were made. Later, special satellite images helped find even more parts of the lighthouse underwater. If you're an experienced diver, you can even go diving to see some of these incredible ruins yourself!
Images for kids
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The Lighthouse on coins minted in Alexandria in the second century AD (1: reverse of a coin of Antoninus Pius, and 2: reverse of a coin of Commodus).
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Lighthouse of Alexandria by Philip Galle; 1572, Rijksmuseum
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A size comparison between a 1909 (inner shape) and a 2006 study (outer shape) of the building.
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3D reconstruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria
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Lighthouse remains found in the Mediterranean Sea.
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The lighthouse as depicted in the Book of Wonders, a late 14th-century Arabic text
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The Pharos of Abusir, an ancient funerary monument thought to be modelled after the Pharos at Alexandria, with which it is approximately contemporaneous
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Flag of the city of Alexandria
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See also
In Spanish: Faro de Alejandría para niños
