The Pharos of Alexandria

The geographer Strabo wrote about the Pharos, or lighthouse, of Alexandria. He said that the Greek architect Sostratus built it “for the safety of those who sail the seas.” It guided ships around sandbars and other dangerous places into one of the busiest harbors of the ancient world. The lighthouse sat on the small, rocky island of Pharos. It was in front of the harbor at Alexandria in Egypt. The building was connected to the city by a causeway, or land bridge. It became very famous in the Mediterranean world. It was so famous that in French, Spanish, and Italian, pharos became the word for “lighthouse.”