The Ancient World: Alexandria’s Long-Lost Lighthouse Rises Again
Stop what you’re doing. Unless you’re currently raising 80-ton granite blocks from the bottom of the Mediterranean—then by all means, carry on.
Because that’s exactly what archaeologists have been doing in the sun-drenched, falafel-scented port city of Alexandria, Egypt: hauling colossal stone chunks of a long-dead celebrity back into the limelight. No, not Cleopatra (though honestly, stay tuned on that one). We’re talking about the Beyoncé of buildings. The Drake of ancient engineering. The Leonardo DiCaprio of limestone.
Yes. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is back, baby.
Or at least, its ghost is.
Thanks to a squad of international archaeologists, engineers, divers, and one very, very strong crane, a new chapter is being written in the saga of the world’s most famous glorified torch tower—and it's turning out to be one heck of a glow-up.
Previously on "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World"
Let’s rewind, just in case your high school world history class was less “Wonder-filled” and more “nap-inducing.”
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, a.k.a. the Pharos of Alexandria (named after the islet it was built on), was one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Think of that list as the Oscars of human ingenuity—minus the red carpet, plus a lot more earthquakes.
Commissioned by Ptolemy I Soter (Alexander the Great’s BFF turned Egypt’s ruler) and completed by his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, around 280 BCE, the lighthouse was a flex in every direction. At an estimated 330 feet tall (that’s 100 meters for our metric-minded friends), it was the third-tallest structure in the ancient world after the pyramids. It boasted a square base, an octagonal midsection, and a cylindrical top, like a stone wedding cake engineered by Zeus.
Its fire-blazing crown, potentially reflected by enormous polished bronze mirrors (let’s call it the world’s first laser pointer), could be seen from up to 30 miles away. That’s right—long before GPS or even sextants, this architectural titan was keeping sailors from accidentally docking in, say, Libya.
Until it wasn’t.
How to Lose a Lighthouse in Ten Earthquakes
The Lighthouse of Alexandria may have been a beacon of hope and navigation, but Poseidon, apparently, wasn’t a fan.
Between the 8th and 14th centuries, a series of increasingly bad-tempered earthquakes gave the Pharos the medieval equivalent of a total home makeover: natural disaster edition. By the time the 1300s rolled around, it had gone from "nautical marvel" to "underwater Jenga set."
Enter the Mamluks, who surveyed the crumbled ruins and thought, “You know what would look great here? A fortress.” And so, like any great celebrity fallen from grace, the lighthouse was repurposed. Think: from Oscars red carpet to niche TikTok cooking tutorials.
By the 15th century, the original lighthouse had disappeared from view entirely. Some said it was lost forever.
But archaeologists had other plans.
Surf’s Up: The 1990s Discovery
Fast forward to 1994. Bill Clinton was president. “The Lion King” was in theaters. And French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur dove into Alexandria’s harbor and hit literal pay dirt.
There, lying dormant beneath the waves, was an archaeological buffet of fallen columns, statues, sphinxes, and building blocks—like Atlantis had had a garage sale.
Empereur’s underwater discoveries reignited interest in the lighthouse. Over 100 major architectural blocks were catalogued and scanned in the years that followed. But, like every good Netflix revival, the story wasn’t over. The best part was yet to come.
2025: The Sequel No One Saw Coming
And now, plot twist: more of the lighthouse has been found. This summer, archaeologists working as part of the Pharos Project recovered twenty-two new stone blocks from Alexandria’s harbor—some weighing up to 90 tons. That’s the equivalent of hoisting 45 SUVs out of the sea with a crane, while scuba divers direct traffic underwater.
The operation was no small feat. It required meticulous planning, boat-mounted platforms, specialized lifting gear, and a serious caffeine budget. The recovered stones include gigantic doorway lintels, threshold slabs, paving blocks, and a ceremonial pylon that may have once welcomed sailors into the lighthouse like a granite bouncer at an ancient VIP lounge.
This was not just some ancient Lego set. This was the skeletal structure of a world wonder. A miracle of Hellenistic architecture. An ode to math, marble, and maritime safety.
And what are archaeologists doing with their haul? Rebuilding it? Hauling it to a museum?
Nope.
They're going virtual.
Virtual Reality, Ancient History
Instead of slapping the blocks back together with archaeological duct tape, researchers from France’s National Center for Scientific Research and Egypt’s Centre for Alexandrian Studies are going full 21st century.
They're building a digital twin of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Yes, a digital twin. Because what else would you do with 3,000-year-old building blocks but turn them into a VR experience?
Using a blend of photogrammetry (that’s archaeologist-speak for “making a 3D model by taking a ridiculous number of photos”), laser scans, historical texts, and guesswork polished by decades of academic rivalry, the team is reconstructing the lighthouse in stunning, click-and-drag-able detail.
Every threshold slab, every ceremonial pylon, every 80-ton doorframe is being virtually reassembled like a cosmic puzzle—except instead of 1,000 tiny cardboard pieces, you’ve got 100 stone behemoths that once held up a skyscraper of fire.
The Louvre of the Sea
Thomas Faucher, one of the researchers on the project, put it best: “The rediscovery of the lighthouse provides access to the physical remains of this legendary monument, offering a unique opportunity to understand its construction and appearance.”
Translation? This is not just an academic exercise. This is the closest we’ve ever come to resurrecting a wonder of the ancient world.
And unlike the OG lighthouse—which sadly couldn’t be streamed on Netflix—this digital version will be accessible to everyone. Eventually, visitors (and probably bored teens in history class) will be able to virtually explore both the classical and medieval incarnations of the lighthouse, from its original Greek-style elegance to its later Islamic dome-topped form.
That’s right—like a Beyoncé album, the Lighthouse of Alexandria had eras.
Why This Matters (Besides Being Super Cool)
Let’s be clear. This isn’t just some “dust off the ruins, make a 3D model, go home” kind of project.
The lighthouse represents a crossroads of empires, technologies, and worldviews. Built by the Greeks in an Egyptian city founded by a Macedonian conqueror. Modified by Islamic rulers. Destroyed by nature. Rediscovered by French and Egyptian archaeologists. Now reborn in a cloud server.
It’s a global monument—one that speaks to millennia of collaboration, conquest, science, disaster, and now... digitization.
Plus, only one of the Seven Wonders—the Great Pyramid of Giza—is still standing. All the others are gone, baby, gone. But with this virtual reconstruction, the Lighthouse of Alexandria will join the Great Pyramid in saying: “Not so fast.”
In the world of history, where destruction is the default setting, a comeback like this is the ultimate mic drop.
So… Can We Visit Yet?
Not quite. The virtual model is still under construction. The engineers from Dassault Systèmes are sorting through thousands of images, site scans, and dusty old diagrams. It’s like building a SimCity version of a 2300-year-old skyscraper using half-buried Tetris blocks and fanfiction from Pliny the Elder.
But when it’s done? You’ll be able to tour the lighthouse from your couch. Marvel at its three-tiered design. Watch the fire blaze atop its summit. Pretend you're a merchant ship captain in 250 BCE yelling “Land ho!” while steering your boat toward that glittering light on the Pharos.
And maybe—just maybe—you’ll realize that the past isn’t buried. It’s just waiting for a really good internet connection.
The Bottom Line
They said it was lost. Forgotten. Gone to the ages. But just when you thought the Lighthouse of Alexandria was out of the picture, it swipes right on history and matches with a high-tech revival.
It may have collapsed under the force of earthquakes over 700 years ago, but it’s standing tall again—in pixels, at least.
So whether you’re an archaeology nerd, a travel junkie, a history lover, or just someone who appreciates a good redemption arc, raise your metaphorical torch (or your literal ring light).
The Lighthouse is back. And this time, it's fireproof.
Sources Used:
Dassault Systèmes Foundation official release
CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Centre d’Études Alexandrines (CEAlex)
Artnet News
Live Science
Public domain images and ancient accounts