Egypt: Replica Pharos Lighthouse plans approved

The lighthouse is thought to have had three distinct sections, as this 2006 computer-generated image shows

Plans to rebuild one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Pharos Lighthouse, have been approved by Egyptian authorities, it's reported.

The feat of ancient engineering, which is also known as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, was completed around 280BC, and is estimated to have been between 110m and 130m high. The plan is to rebuild the lighthouse a few metres away from where it once stood in the coastal city of Alexandria, as the original location is now occupied by the Qaitbay Citadel, the Cairo Post reports. Egypt's permanent committee on antiquities has approved the proposal and now it's just down to the Alexandria's regional government to sign-off on it, Dr Mostafa Amin, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, tells the Youm7 website.

The Pharos Lighthouse was one of the most famous structures of the ancient world. "The original building comprised three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section and a circular section at its top," archaeology professor Fathy Khourshid tells the Cairo Post. It guided ships using a mirror during the daytime, and a fire at night. The lighthouse suffered damage during a series of earthquakes and is believed to have been destroyed by one in the early 14th Century. Bits and pieces of the structure were used to build the Qaitbay Citadel, and more remains were discovered in Alexandria's harbour in 1990s.

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