Lighthouse of Alexandria Resurfaces: Ancient Stones Recovered for Digital Reconstruction!
After lying submerged for nearly two millennia, 22 colossal stone blocks from the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, have been recovered from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. This remarkable find marks a major milestone in an ambitious project to digitally reconstruct the ancient beacon.
The massive stones, once part of the iconic structure that guided sailors through the perilous waters off Egypt’s northern coast, were retrieved as part of the PHAROS project. Spearheaded by archaeologist and architect Isabelle Hairy from France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in collaboration with Egypt’s Centre d’Études Alexandrines (CEAlex), the initiative is supported by the Fondation Dassault Systèmes and overseen by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Photo Credit: GEDEON Programmes / CEAlex
Among the newly uncovered pieces are lintels and uprights from the grand entrance, threshold stones, paving slabs from the lighthouse’s foundations, and fragments of a previously undocumented pylon. This pylon’s doorway combines Egyptian artistic flair with Greek engineering, an architectural reflection of Alexandria’s multicultural heritage during the Hellenistic period.
Each of the recovered blocks, some weighing up to 80 tonnes, will now be meticulously scanned using photogrammetry. Volunteer engineers from the Dassault Systèmes Foundation will then digitally reconstruct the structure, placing each piece like a puzzle to create a virtual twin of the original lighthouse. Once complete, this digital model will allow both researchers and the public to experience the Lighthouse of Alexandria in its full glory and gain insights into its long-lost structure and its eventual collapse.
Originally constructed in the early 3rd century BCE under Ptolemy I Soter, the lighthouse was designed by the Greek architect Sostratus of Cnidus. Towering over 100 metres high from the island of Pharos, it was the tallest man-made structure on Earth for over 1,600 years. It served as a critical maritime guide until it was heavily damaged by a series of earthquakes, with the most devastating occurring in 1303. The remaining stones were repurposed in 1477 by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa’it Bay to build the fortress that still stands on the site today.
Photo Credit: GEDEON Programmes / CEAlex
Though the lighthouse’s ruins were first spotted in 1968, it wasn’t until 1994 that systematic exploration began under French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur. Since then, over 3,300 artefacts, ranging from sphinxes and columns to obelisks and granite blocks, have been catalogued, with more than 100 scanned in recent years.
This latest recovery phase adds fresh momentum to the effort. Documentary filmmaker Laurence Thiriat, who is capturing the excavation for a forthcoming 90-minute feature to be aired in 2025, described the operation as “an extraordinary step toward reviving a monument lost to time.”
To complement the digital reconstruction, an international team of historians, archaeologists, numismatists, and architects is studying ancient accounts, inscriptions, and coinage dating from the 4th century BCE to the 15th century CE. Their research aims to fill the many gaps left by time, quarrying, and erosion, enriching our understanding of this architectural marvel.
As the PHAROS project progresses, the Lighthouse of Alexandria is not only being recovered stone by stone but also reborn in digital form, bridging ancient history with modern technology and ensuring its legacy continues to illuminate the world.