Discovery of the Alexandria lighthouse

Since 1990, a team of French and Egyptian researchers directed by the Hellenist scholar, Jean-Yves Empereur, has been excavating the city of Alexander the Great. The team’s most highly publicised discovery has been the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse which have been lying for centuries under eight metres of water close to Qaitbay Fort. In addition to blocks of stone once belonging to the Seventh Wonder of the World, the diver archaeologists have to their surprise discovered a genuine “rubbish dump” of pre-Ptolomeic antiquities including fragments of a Sethi I obelisk, fourteen sphinxes and a collection of statues. Over two thousand blocks have been recorded lying in an area of more than two hectares. Some pieces have already been extracted from the silt and removed from the water. The team now faces years of hard work ahead.