Editing Lighthouse of Alexandria (section)

==Pharos in culture==
The lighthouse remains a civic symbol of the city of [[Alexandria]] and of the [[Alexandria Governorate]] with which the city is more or less coterminous. A stylised representation of the lighthouse appears on the flag and seal of the Governorate and on many public services of the city, including the seal of [[Alexandria University]].

===In architecture===
* A well-preserved ancient tomb in the town of [[Abusir (Lake Mariout)|Abusir]], {{convert|48|km}} southwest of Alexandria, is thought to be a scaled-down model of the Alexandria Pharos. Known colloquially under various names&nbsp;– the ''Pharos of Abusir'', the ''Abusir funerary monument'' and [[Burg al-Arab]] (Arab's Tower)&nbsp;– it consists of a 3-storey tower, approximately {{convert|20|m}} in height, with a square base, an octagonal midsection and cylindrical upper section, like the building upon which it was apparently modelled. It dates to the reign of [[Ptolemy II]] (285–246 BC), and is therefore likely to have been built at about the same time as the Alexandria Pharos.
* The design of [[minaret]]s in many early Egyptian [[Islam]]ic [[mosque]]s followed a three-stage design similar to that of the Pharos, attesting to the building's broader architectural influence.<ref>{{cite book|last=Petersen|first=Andrew|title=Dictionary of Islamic Architecture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIaEAgAAQBAJ|page=188|publisher=Routledge|year=1996|isbn=9781134613663}}</ref>
* The [[George Washington Masonic National Memorial]], located in [[Alexandria, Virginia]], is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse.<ref name="Ferris">"*Ferris, Gary W. ''Presidential Places: A Guide to the Historic Sites of U.S. Presidents.'' Winston-Salem, N.C.: J.F. Blair, 1999. p.21"</ref>
* A fictionalized version of the structure –&nbsp;known as the "Pharos Lighthouse" –&nbsp;serves as the park icon, centerpiece, and identifier of [[Universal Islands of Adventure]] theme park, opened in 1999 at the [[Universal Orlando]] Resort. The real, functioning lighthouse resides in the park's Port of Entry area.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

===In literature===
* [[Julius Caesar]], in his ''[[Commentarii de Bello Civili|Civil Wars]]'' (Part III, 111–112), describes the Pharos and its strategic importance. Gaining control of the lighthouse helped him subdue Ptolemy XIII's armies (48 BC):

{{blockquote|source= Caesar, .civ.; or Anon.,.Alex |quote= Now because of the narrowness of the strait there can be no access by ship to the harbour without the consent of those who hold the Pharos. In view of this, Caesar took the precaution of landing his troops while the enemy was preoccupied with fighting, seized the Pharos and posted a garrison there. The result was that safe access was secured for his corn supplies and reinforcements.<ref>It was common for Caesar in his writings to refer to himself in the third person.</ref>}}

* The Romano-Jewish historian [[Josephus]] (37 – c. 100 AD) describes it in his book ''[[The Jewish War]]'' (4.10.5) when he gives a geographical overview of Egypt.
* It was described in the ''[[Zhu fan zhi]]'' ("Records of Foreign Peoples") by [[Zhao Rugua]] (1170–1228), a [[History of China|Chinese]] customs inspector for the southern port city of [[Quanzhou]] during the [[Song dynasty]].<ref>Needham, Joseph (1986). ''Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 3: Civil Engineering and Nautics''. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. p. 662.</ref>
* [[Ibn Battuta]] visited the lighthouse in 1326, finding "one of its faces in ruins," yet he could enter and noted a place for the guardian of the lighthouse to sit and many other chambers.  When he returned in 1349, he "found that it had fallen into so ruinous a condition that it was impossible to enter it or to climb up to the doorway".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Battutah|first1=Ibn|title=The Travels of Ibn Battutah|date=2002|publisher=Picador|location=London|isbn=9780330418799|pages=6–7}}</ref>

===Other===
* In classical antiquity, an annual Jewish festival was held on the island of Pharos to honour the [[Septuagint|translation]] of the [[Hebrew Bible|Jewish Scriptures]] into Greek, traditionally believed to have been completed there under [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy II]]. On this occasion, a large Jewish crowd, along with some non-Jewish visitors, would gather on the beach for a grand picnic. Jewish philosopher [[Philo|Philo of Alexandria]] (c. 20 BCE – c. 50 CE) shed light on the site's symbolism, writing that the Jews honoured "the place where the light of that translation first shone out," expressing gratitude to God for this gift.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barclay |first=John M. G. |title=Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora: from Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE–117 CE) |date=1998 |publisher=T&T Clark |isbn=978-0-567-08651-8 |edition= |location=Edinburgh |pages=424}}</ref>
* [[Pharos (crater)|Pharos]], the largest known [[impact crater]] and only named surface feature on [[Neptune]]'s moon [[Proteus (moon)|Proteus]], is named after the island of Pharos.<ref name="usgsPharos">{{cite web | title = Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Pharos on Proteus | publisher = USGS Astrogeology | work = Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | url = https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/4684?__fsk=-1708907535 | access-date = 4 November 2021
}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Flag_of_Alexandria.svg|Flag of the Alexandria Governorate, featuring the lighthouse
File:Book of Wonders folio 36a cropped.jpg|The lighthouse as depicted in the ''[[Book of Wonders]]'', a late 14th-century Arabic text
File:Pharos at Abuqir.jpg|The Pharos of [[Abusir (Lake Mariout)|Abusir]], an ancient funerary monument thought to be modelled after the Pharos at Alexandria, with which it is approximately contemporaneous
</gallery>