Pharos (gr. Φάρος)
Pharos is the ancient name of the lighthouse of Alexandria; one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World built in the 3rd century B.C. by Ptolemy I Soter and his son Ptolemy Philadelphos. With a height variously estimated at between 115 and 150 m it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries and survived the longest of the Seven Wonders – with the sole exception of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The name Pharos originally derives from a small island just off the coast of Alexandria were the lighthouse was build. The oldest written evidence of Pharos is Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey. It was finally destroyed by two earth-quakes in 1303 and 1323. A reproduction is standing in the chinese city of Changsha.