Wonders of the World: The Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria

Finished the same year as the Colossus of Rhodes, in 280BC, the Pharos guided ancient ships into the bustling harbor of Alexandria for centuries. At 110m(350 Feet) it was the second tallest man made structure after the Great Pyramids when it was build. Ancient sources describe the Pharos as being constructed on an island in three stages. The first had a square base, the second was ocatagonal and the third was a cylinder, all sightly tapered upward towards the beacon. If the light was bright enough at night, ships would have been able to see it from over 37km away!