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The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the only wonder of the ancient world that had a practical use. It guided sailors through the night to the Great Harbor. The lighthouse was on the island Pharos. After the death of Alexander The Great, commander Ptolemy Soter became ruler of Egypt. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the last of the six wonders to vanish. After the Lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed, a general named Mamalouk Sultan, Quaitbay decided to build a medieval fort on the same place where the lighthouse stood using the marble and stone that had fallen from the lighthouse. In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great founded at least 17 cites named after himself in his kingdom. The lighthouse wasn't just a dull thing in history. Cleopatra actually committed suicide in the lighthouse. She jumped into the large flame. Ouch! So that's how the lighthouse is so famous, because one of the most famous people in the world committed suicide. After the lighthouse was built it made an influence on the world. It was the only one that actually helped somebody. Hundreds of people could have died if not for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Great Harbor was a very, very, big harbor that held ships for the city of Alexandria. Did you know that in many languages the word Pharos means lighthouse? People have a good idea of what the lighthouse looked like from Roman coins. The lighthouse was 400 feet high and it also was some how amazingly seen many miles out at sea. Once the lighthouse was completed it was right away hailed a wonder of the world. It was the first large lighthouse to ever be constructed. The Lighthouse of Alexandria stood for more than 1,000 years, and all of those years were grand, and great. Once the lighthouse was built the word spread all over the world, in every nook, and cranny. Soon everybody knew about the lighthouse.
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