The Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. It was build around 290 BCE. It was so well built that it stood for 1500 years. It took several earthquakes to finally bring it down.
This Lighthouse was built on the Island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt. Sometimes it's referred to as Pharos Lighthouse. It was a working lighthouse that helped ships find their way safely into harbor. It was also a tourist attraction. Visitors could buy food at the observation platform on the first level. Anyone who wished to do could climb nearly to the top. There were not many places in the ancient world that visitors could climb a man-made structure, 300 feet up, to view the sea.
The Lighthouse at Alexandria was not included as one of the 7 wonders by some ancient Greek writers. They thought other structures were far more impressive. But Philo, who created the list of 7 ancient wonders that we use today, was a Greek engineer and mathematician. He understood the demands that went into the construction of this amazing lighthouse. Because it was so well constructed, the lighthouse stood for over 1500 years. Scientists believe an earthquake finally brought the lighthouse down about 200 years before Columbus discovered America. For something so big, built so long ago, it is incredible that it lasted so long! It took more than one earthquake to bring it down.
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