The last of the Seven Wonders is the only one that had a practical purpose.
In his writings, the geographer Strabo speaks of the Pharos, or lighthouse, of Alexandria. He records that the Greek architect Sostratus built the Pharos “for the safety of those who sail the seas.” It guided ships safely around sandbars and other dangerous obstacles into one of the busiest harbors of the ancient world. The lighthouse sat on the small, rocky island of Pharos, in front of the harbor at Alexandria in Egypt. It was connected to the city by a causeway, or land bridge. Over time it became so famous throughout the Mediterranean world that in French, Spanish, and Italian, pharos became the word for “lighthouse.”
