Pharos Lighthouse
The great lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, whose fire was visible 50 kilometres at sea and whose name became the word for lighthouse in multiple languages.
The Story of Pharos Lighthouse
The Pharos lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos in the harbour of Alexandria, Egypt, during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus around 280 BC. Designed by Sostratus of Cnidus, it stood approximately 100-130 metres tall — one of the tallest structures in the ancient world. The tower had three sections: a square base, an octagonal middle section, and a cylindrical top where the fire burned. A polished bronze or glass mirror reflected and amplified the firelight, making it visible to ships far at sea. The lighthouse served the commercial and military fleet of Ptolemaic Egypt, guiding vessels into the greatest port in the Mediterranean. It survived for over 1,500 years before earthquakes progressively destroyed it between the 10th and 14th centuries AD. Sultan Qaitbay built a fortress on its foundations in 1480 using some of its fallen blocks. Underwater archaeologists have found massive granite blocks from the lighthouse in the harbour.
Parents
Sostratus of Cnidus (architect)
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word for "lighthouse" in French (phare), Italian (faro), Spanish (faro), Portuguese (farol), and Romanian (far) all derive from "Pharos" — the lighthouse was so iconic that its proper name became the common noun for all lighthouses in Romance languages. No other building in history has so completely replaced the generic word for its category. It would be as if every skyscraper in the world were called a "Burj."
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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