Ptolemy Soter founded the project around 290 B.C.. Sostratus, a contemporary of Euclid, was the architect. For centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, or also known as the Pharaoh's lighthouse was used to mark the harbor, using a fire at night and reflecting sun rays during the day.

     While the outer cast of the lighthouse was covered with white marble, The lighthouse's interior was composed of three stages:

• The lowest square, 55.9 m (183.4 ft) high with a cylindrical core

• The middle, octagonal with a side length of 18.30 m (60.0 ft) and a height of 27.45m (90.1 ft)

• The third part, circular 7.30 m (24.0 ft)high, equivalent to a 40-story modern building.

     The internal core was used as a shaft to lift the fuel needed for the fire. At the top stage the mirror reflected the sunlight during the day while fire was used duirng the night. But before that, the statue of Poseidon stand on the summit of the building.

     In AD 956, an earthquake shook Alexandria but caused little damage to the lighthouse. It was later in 1303 and 1323 that two stronger earthquakes left a sginificant impression on the structure.

     The last of the lighthouse remained when the Egyptian Mamelouk Sultan, built a medieval fort from the fallen rocks and marbles to fortify Alexandria's defense.

     At present, the remains of the lighthouse and the medieval fort can still be seen at the exact location it stood before. Beneath the island, found in the ocean floor were relics of destroyed statues that once stood on the magnificent lighthouse.