Lighthouse of Alexandria
Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria or The Pharos of Alexandria was a tower built in the 3rd century BC. It was built between 285 BC and 247 BC on the Island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. It served as that port's landmark and its lighthouse. It was one of the first lighthouses. It was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. It may have been the third tallest building after the two Great Pyramids of Khufu and Khafra. The lighthouse counted three floors.The first one was squared, the second was octagonal and the third cylindrical. The whole measured 440 feet and from top one could see ships located 100 miles away. It also carried mirrors which, during the night, reflected the light of a fire. In the daytime, the smoke indicated to the boats the entrance of the port.
The lighthouse was initiated by Ptolemy | Soter, Egypt's first Macedonian ruler and a general of Alexander the Great. The lighthouse was badly damaged in the earthquake of 956 AD, then again in 1303 AD and 1323 AD. Some remains of the lighthouse were found on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbor by divers in 1994 AD. More of the remains have been revealed by satellite imaging. It is possible to go diving and see the ruins.
Diver Discovered Remains of the lighthouse
The Temple of Artemis is also known as Temple of Diana. It was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis. It was completed around 550 BC at Ephesus in present-day Turkey. It was built under the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire.
It was located in ancient city of Ephesus which is nowadays called Selcuk. This temple was stood from the middle of the eighth century to the middle of the third century BC. It was demolished seven times during this period.
The first temple was primitive with 8 on 4 columns. Later king Croesus ordered to destroy it in order to raise a new much larger one. The new sanctuary possessed 127 columns. It was destroyed again to leave place for the new temple. This new temple was drawn by the Greek architect, Chersiphron which was even more gigantic than the previous one. It was 377 feet long and 180 feet wide. It was made almost entirely of marble. This last temple sheltered the statues of Artemis and Zeus. These gods were worshipped by the Greek population. In the seventh century, a flood destroyed the temple. Finally, during the night of 21st of July
in 356 BC, a person called Herostratus set fire to the temple.According to the story his motivation was fame at any cost.Thus the term Herostratus fame.
Remains of the Temple of Artemis
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis. They were built at Al Hillah, 50 kilometer from Baghdad, Iraq by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He built these gardens to please his wife, Amytis of Media, who missed the natural surroundings of her homeland Persia (present day Iran). The gardens were destroyed by several earthquakes after the 2nd century BC.
These gardens were composed of several floors. Each was a terrace of 120 m² supported by vaults and pillars of bricks.An immense staircase made of marble connected the terraces. On the first terrace were planted big palm trees, date palms, pines and cedars. On the second terrace were located the cypresses and lot of fruit trees. On the two last terraces the tulips, the lilies, the irises and the roses.
the court of Nebuchadnezzar
Hanging Gardens Ruins
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu. It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza. It is located near Cairo, Egypt. It is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is believed the pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC.The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
Its dimensions are 761 feet wide and 480 feet height. There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the bedrock upon which the pyramid was built. The so-called Queen's Chamber and King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure. The Great Pyramid consists of more than 2.3 million limestone blocks.
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