Lighthouse of Alexandria
منارة الإسكندرية
A tall lighthouse on the Alexandria coast of finely cut stone. Al-Idrisi gives its height as about three hundred cubits, says fire burned in it day and night to guide ships, and that it was called Fanus. 1
At a glance
- Region
- Egypt & Nile
- Review
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Overview
The Lighthouse of Alexandria: a tall lighthouse on the coast of Alexandria, built of finely cut stone. al-Idrisi reports that its height is about three hundred cubits, that a fire was lit in it night and day to guide ships, and that it was called a lantern. 2
In the eighth century
Ibn Fadl Allah al-Umari reports that nothing remained of it but what is in the state of ruins and faded traces. He reports, on the authority of Ibn Zafir, that Ibn Qalaqis and the notable Ali ibn al-Darwi climbed it. The first described its dome, from which his companions seemed to see stars, and it seemed to him that the sea beneath it was a cloud. 3
Sources
- Al-Idrisi, Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq (Cairo: Maktabat al-Thaqafa al-Diniyya, 2002), 2 vols., p. 320
- Al-Idrisi, Nuzhat al-Mushtaq fi ikhtiraq al-afaq (Cairo: Maktabat al-Thaqafa al-Diniyya, 2002), 2 vols., p.320
- Masalik al-absar fi mamalik al-amsar — al-Umari (1924 printing), p.241
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Lighthouse of Alexandria”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/al-manara-iskandariyya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.