According to lefigaro.fr, the Supreme Council for Antiquities in Egypt has approved the new project of President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi consisting in rebuilding the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria (also known as Pharos of Alexandria).
Following the announcement of starting the construction of a second Canal Suez late in April, the president’s announcement about building of a new administrative capital of the country has fuelled rumours on a replica of Lighthouse of Alexandria will be built too.
Egyptian authorities still need the consent of the governor of Alexandria just to be able to start construction of a replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, considered one of the seven wonders of the Antiquity.
Destroyed by an earthquake in 1303, the lighthouse could be soon rebuilt in Egypt, Moustapha Amin (the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Antiquities) said.
The construction, set for the island of Pharos, will be raised following the project approval. Due to its size and a very effective play of lights, the Lighthouse will light up a perimeter of 50 kilometers around it.
Today, some excerpts from the old lighthouse that was destroyed by the earthquake are still visible, as they were used in the construction of the Qaitbay Citadel.
The only survivor of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Pharos of Alexandria has guided sailors for almost 18 centuries, using reflective mirrors and lights in daytime and fireworks at night. Replica edifice will be built just a few dozen meters southwest of the original monument site, currently occupied by Qaitbay Citadel.
Secretary of the Permanent Egyptian Antiquities, Amin Moustapha, told the Post that Cairo Committee members had approved last week, “an old project, proposed earlier by Alexandria governorate, which aims to bring the lighthouse back to life”. A “feasibility study” for this project had already been proposed to the governorate of Alexandria, to take a decision in the coming weeks.
Built around 280 BC, the Lighthouse of Alexandria had a height between 110 and 130 meters. For several centuries, it was the tallest building ever built by humans.
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“Original monument was built of three parts: a low squared section, which was the core, an intermediate octagonal section octagonal and a circular section at the top” said Fathy Khourshid – archeology professor – for Cairo Post. Heavily damaged as a result of earthquakes the building collapsed at the end of 14th century AD. Fragments of the lighthouse were then used to build the Qaitbay citadel. Others were discovered on the seabed near the port of Alexandria in the 1990s.