Today in Superhistory we talk to you about the Lighthouse of Alejandria, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Discover all the secrets of one of the most important monuments in the history of Humanity.
wonders of the ancient world
The 7 wonders of the ancient world were seven monuments, located in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, which were considered the largest constructions made by man during the Ancient Age. Considered this way by several classical writers, especially from the Hellenistic period, such as Antipater of Sidon, the list of the seven wonders has not always been composed of the same protagonists. However, finally, a consensus was reached on which were the seven monuments that should have the title of “wonder of the world”: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Of all of them, the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Colossus of Rhodes were the last to be built and experts indicate that all the wonders together only coincided in time for less than a century.
Lighthouse of Alejandria
The Lighthouse of Alejandria It was located on the island from which it takes its name and amazed its contemporaries not only for the beauty of its execution, but also for its height. It is considered that the Lighthouse was one of the tallest structures that man could build before our era and it is estimated that he could have measured more than 130 meters high.
Its construction was commissioned by Ptolemy I, successor of Alexander the Great, shortly after his accession to the throne in 305 BC. C. Let us remember that Alexander the Great had founded the city of Alexandria in the Nile Delta, next to the island of Faro, which was joined to the city through a land mass that received the name of Heptastadion. At that point the great port of the city, which would make Alexandria one of the most important commercial centers of antiquity.
Thus, to facilitate transportation during the hours of less light and set a terrestrial reference that would help navigators, Ptolemy commissioned this glorious construction precisely on the aforementioned island. This monument was so important that it took the name of the island where it was located and became the model to be followed by all subsequent constructions of the same type. To such an extent his fame has endured, that today we still call «lighthouse» to all those constructions that are made with the same purpose as the ancient monument of Hellenistic Alexandria.
We have left some descriptions that allow us to imagine the magnificence that the Lighthouse of Alexandria could have had in its time of greatest splendor. The most famous one we owe to the Arab traveler Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn Mohammed el-Balawi el-Andaloussi, who apparently visited the Lighthouse around the year 1166 AD. According to these references, experts have concluded that the Lighthouse was made up of light stone blocks, probably limestone, and was made up of three main parts. So I would have a quadrangular base, an octagonal body and a small circular cusp that would be where the light was located that served as a reference to the navigators who approached Alexandria.
Molten lead was probably used to seal the blocks so that they would be resistant to the passage of time and the force of the waves. According to the references we keep, in the highest area there would be a large mirror that would serve to reflect the sunlight during the day, while, at night, a large fire would be lit that would fulfill this referential function. It would also be decorated with statues at its base and an image of Poseidon or Zeus crowned the wholealthough there are different theories about its decoration.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria survived its creation for hundreds of years. In fact, those responsible for its destruction were a series of earthquakes that began to damage its structure and, finally, caused its total collapse. The first serious damage occurred in the earthquake of 956, although the most serious damage was suffered in the 1303 earthquake, which had its epicenter in the nearby city of Crete. Already badly damaged, it could not withstand the third attack it had to suffer when the earth trembled again in the year 1323. The construction collapsed and its remains remained for more than a century in the same place that saw its glory, until, In the year 1480, the Sultan of Egypt Al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Din Qa’it Bay used part of the materials and structure of the fallen Lighthouse to build a fortress.
However, unlike what has happened with other wonders of the ancient world that have totally disappeared today, the archaeological investigation has allowed us to recover some remains of what was the wonderful Lighthouse of Alejandria. Since 1968, the existence of remains of the old Lighthouse that currently rested under water was verified. In 1994, some of these remains were refloated and brought to dry land, while it was certified that a larger quantity than imagined rested underwater, with remains of other buildings and works of art that had accumulated there over the centuries. .
The Egyptian government projected that, by the year 2015, a true underwater museum would have been built that could bring the incredible works that had been discovered underwater to the eyes of its visitors. However, the political turmoil that has plagued the region has made it impossible for this project to be carried out for the time being. Therefore, the remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria are still waiting, underwater in the Nile Delta, to once again show even a glimpse of the former glory that made it one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
Structure of the Lighthouse of Alexandria
We are going to analyze the different parts in which travelers and sailors structured the lighthouse of Alexandria.
Bottom
The base or the lower part of the lighthouse has a fairly wide square shape, which narrowed as the structure rose. In order to get to this part, you could access it through a elevated ramp over the sea that reached the middle part.
middle part
The central part of the lighthouse had an internal staircase, which allowed us to access the upper part of it. It continued with the same dynamic of the lower part, the higher it went the narrower it became. From the point of view of form, it became octagonal shape.
Upper part
The last part of all, the upper part, was a 20-meter tower, which ended at the top with a lighthouse to guide sailors, especially at night and on days when sea conditions were quite unfavourable. In this upper part was a representation of Zeusthe Greek god, with the aim of caring for and ensuring the safety of sailors.