Egypt
- Diving Off Alexandria
BBC News University of Ulster divers have been passing on their expertise to maritime archaeologists in the historic Egyptian port of Alexandria. Staff from the UU's maritime archaeology centre conducted a 10-day training workshop for 15 archaeologists...
- A Beacon's Rebirth
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref) Can Alexandria's ancient lighthouse, considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, be rebuilt to shine as it did before? Nevine El-Aref poses the question Since its construction between 285 and 246...
- Call To Rebuild Lighthouse Of Alexandria
Egypt Daily Star News The tour guide mentioned in the above article is the same one who, in March, called for the return of mummies to their tombs (also reported in the Daily Star). A tour guide is calling for rebuilding the Lighthouse of Alexandria,...
- Project To Save Remaining Of Alexandria Old Lighthouse
State Information Service Minister of Culture, Farouq Hosni agreed to form a joint Egyptian-French mission for rescuing the remaining of Alexandria old lighthouse. The old lighthouse was drawn in the north area near Alexandria Eastern port. Dr. Zahi Hawas,...
- Alexandria's Submerged Archaeology
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/744/tr1.htm A travel account of diving into Alexandria's underwater archaeolgy: "Thanks to the earthquake that rocked Alexandria in 1323 the Mediterranean has preserved to divers one of the seven wonders of the world...
Egypt
Alexandria Lighthouse
http://www.algomhuria.net.eg/egyptian_mail/m2/
A short article about the Alexandrian Pharos lighthouse:
"The Alexandria Lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The lighthouse, built in the era of Ptolemy II, survived until the Islamic conquest of Egypt. The gate to the lighthouse survived and it's going to be re-erected outside the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, after being salvaged from the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria.
The Pharos was built of stone quarried in the Mex district of Alexandria. Marble and bronze were also used in its construction. The lighthouse consisted of 8 floors, with the upper ones getting progressively smaller. There were 300 rooms on the ground floor, where there were also four huge bronze statues of Triton, the son of Neptune (the god of the sea). The second floor was octagonal and the third round. There was also a wonderful, gigantic mirror inside the lighthouse.
According to the early Arabs, the foundations of the lighthouse were made of glass. Sostratos, the architect, chose glass after experiments with granite, gold, silver, copper and iron.
It was in AD 641 that Amr ibn el-Aas brought Islam to Egypt. However, when al-Zaher Beybars visited Alexandria in 673, he found that the upper part of the Pharos had been damaged, so he ordered it to be restored. Beybars built a mosque actually on top of the lighthouse, replacing the Dome of Ahmed ibn Toloun. But, in 702, a great earthquake destroyed many of Alexandria's buildings, including the famous Pharos."
The Pharos was built of stone quarried in the Mex district of Alexandria. Marble and bronze were also used in its construction. The lighthouse consisted of 8 floors, with the upper ones getting progressively smaller. There were 300 rooms on the ground floor, where there were also four huge bronze statues of Triton, the son of Neptune (the god of the sea). The second floor was octagonal and the third round. There was also a wonderful, gigantic mirror inside the lighthouse.
According to the early Arabs, the foundations of the lighthouse were made of glass. Sostratos, the architect, chose glass after experiments with granite, gold, silver, copper and iron.
It was in AD 641 that Amr ibn el-Aas brought Islam to Egypt. However, when al-Zaher Beybars visited Alexandria in 673, he found that the upper part of the Pharos had been damaged, so he ordered it to be restored. Beybars built a mosque actually on top of the lighthouse, replacing the Dome of Ahmed ibn Toloun. But, in 702, a great earthquake destroyed many of Alexandria's buildings, including the famous Pharos."
- Diving Off Alexandria
BBC News University of Ulster divers have been passing on their expertise to maritime archaeologists in the historic Egyptian port of Alexandria. Staff from the UU's maritime archaeology centre conducted a 10-day training workshop for 15 archaeologists...
- A Beacon's Rebirth
Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref) Can Alexandria's ancient lighthouse, considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, be rebuilt to shine as it did before? Nevine El-Aref poses the question Since its construction between 285 and 246...
- Call To Rebuild Lighthouse Of Alexandria
Egypt Daily Star News The tour guide mentioned in the above article is the same one who, in March, called for the return of mummies to their tombs (also reported in the Daily Star). A tour guide is calling for rebuilding the Lighthouse of Alexandria,...
- Project To Save Remaining Of Alexandria Old Lighthouse
State Information Service Minister of Culture, Farouq Hosni agreed to form a joint Egyptian-French mission for rescuing the remaining of Alexandria old lighthouse. The old lighthouse was drawn in the north area near Alexandria Eastern port. Dr. Zahi Hawas,...
- Alexandria's Submerged Archaeology
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/744/tr1.htm A travel account of diving into Alexandria's underwater archaeolgy: "Thanks to the earthquake that rocked Alexandria in 1323 the Mediterranean has preserved to divers one of the seven wonders of the world...