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This is Professor Egypt reporting in again. This time I went to the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was located on the ancient island of Pharos, now within the present-day city of Alexandria, Egypt. After the death of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Soter assumed power of the Greek Empire's Egyptian control. He witnessed the founding of the city and established his capital there. Off of the coast of Alexandria lies a small island: Pharos. It was connected to the mainland by means of a dike, which gave the city a double harbor. However, the dangerous sailing conditions and flat coastline in the region made the construction of a lighthouse necessary. The project was conceived and initiated by Ptolemy Soter around 290 BC. It was not completed until after his death. When the Arabs conquered Egypt, The City of Alexandria was highly admired. Ever since then, the capital of Egypt has been at Cairo (near the Great Pyramids of Giza). The lighthouse began to fall apart when earthquakes rocked Alexandria in AD 956, 1303, and 1323. The lowest square, 183.4 ft high with a cylindrical core; the middle octagonal with a side length of 60 ft. and a height of 90.1 ft.; and the third circular twenty-four ft. high. The total height of the lighthouse including the foundation base was about 384 ft. tall. In ancient times, a statue of Poseidon adorned the summit of the lighthouse. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the last of the six wonders that disappeared to do so. If you want to see information on the only remaining wonder, the Great Pyramid, please look at my other report on this wonder (which is also in this web site). Unless I can find information on other could be wonders of the world in Egypt, this is Professor Egypt, signing off. |
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