A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT
Crack! Thunder fills the night. The rough sea rocks and tosses the
ships sailing toward Alexandria, a city in Egypt. But the sailors are
not worried. They can see in the distance the bright flames at the top
of the lighthouse. The light guides their ships toward the island of
Pharos in the city’s harbor. Soon, they are safely home.
The lighthouse the sailors saw was known as the Pharos of Alexandria.
One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, it was more than 400 feet
(122 meters) high. At its base was a 300-room fortress where soldiers
could fight off approaching enemies. A bonfire burned continuously at
the top of the tower.
The Pharos of Alexandria, built about 2,300 years ago, guided sailors to
safety for more than a thousand years. But then Arabs destroyed part of
it searching for gold that wasn’t there. Later, an earthquake destroyed
more of it. Finally, about 700 years ago, another earthquake toppled it
into the sea. The great Pharos of Alexandria was no more.
