Pharos Project Researchers Recover 22 Monumental Blocks from Ancient Lighthouse

Recovering the Giants of the Mediterranean

Off the coast of Alexandria, a site long known to harbor the remains of the legendary lighthouse has finally yielded its most significant physical components. After years of underwater exploration, the Pharos project has successfully brought 22 massive stone blocks to the surface. According to reporting from Futura, these recovered elements—which include door frames, sills, lintels, and pavement slabs—weigh between 70 and 80 tonnes each, offering a stark reminder of the sheer scale of the original structure.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, constructed in the 3rd century BCE under Ptolemy I Soter, stood over 100 meters tall. Designed by Sostrate of Cnide, it served as a vital beacon for maritime navigation in the eastern Mediterranean for over a millennium. Its eventual destruction was the result of a series of earthquakes, with the 1303 seismic event dealing the final blow to the structure.

Decades of Underwater Discovery

While this recent recovery is a major technical achievement, the presence of these ruins has been known to the scientific community for decades. Underwater observations of the site began as early as 1968. A significant turning point occurred in 1994, when archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur led a campaign that successfully cataloged over 3,300 objects, including sphinxes, obelisks, and granite columns scattered across the seabed.

View this post on Instagram about pharos project researchers recover, Yves Empereur

The current operation, led by Isabelle Hairy at the CNRS, represents the culmination of nearly 30 years of continuous underwater research. The team believes the massive blocks recovered recently likely constituted the lighthouse’s monumental entrance, a space that once showcased a fusion of Greek and Egyptian architectural styles.

Digital Reconstruction and the Pharos Project

The recovery effort is paired with advanced technology to ensure the history of the site is preserved. Each of the 22 newly retrieved blocks is undergoing high-precision photogrammetry scanning. This data is being integrated into a digital collection that now includes over 100 blocks scanned over the last decade.

The objective of this exceptional and spectacular operation is to study and scan these architectural elements, to add them to a collection of more than 100 blocks already digitized underwater over the last decade. Dassault Systèmes Foundation

Researchers are treating the reconstruction like a massive, complex puzzle. By combining the physical evidence of the retrieved stones with historical descriptions and ancient representations of the building, the team aims to create a coherent digital model of the lighthouse as it stood in antiquity. This work effectively allows the structure to emerge from the sea once more, at least in a virtual space.

From Ancient Beacon to Modern Heritage

The site of the lighthouse has a history of material reuse that dates back to the 15th century. In 1477, many of the stones remaining from the collapsed structure were incorporated into the construction of the Citadel of Qaitbay, which still stands on the site today. By mapping the recovered fragments back to their original positions, the Pharos project is providing new insight into how these materials were integrated into the ancient skyline of Alexandria.

As the digital modeling progresses, the silhouette of the lighthouse continues to sharpen. The ongoing collaboration between archaeological expertise and modern scanning technology ensures that even though the original monument was lost to time and tectonic activity, its architectural legacy is being systematically pieced back together.