The world’s first known lighthouse is no longer standing, but its grandeur will never be forgotten. It was in the far-off year 280 bC that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built by Socrates of Cnidus. The huge tower about 150 metres tall was erected on Pharos Island and it guided the entry of ships into the busy harbour of Alexandria. But around 1700 years later and after having withstood 22 earthquakes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria collapsed after a new natural catastrophe and in 1375 it sank in the Mediterranean.
In history remains the fact that the lighthouse of Alexandria has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in the year 200 bC, together with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia,the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Great Pyramid of Gyssa.
