They're restoring an iconic lighthouse. Legends have circulated about it for centuries.

At the beginning of this summer, archaeologists began excavating granite blocks that once made up one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Alexandria Lighthouse.

The famous lighthouse in Alexandria, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world , may soon be given a second life.

The Pharos Lighthouse, also known as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, was built around 280 BC primarily to guide incoming ships safely into port.

The city of Alexandria was founded and named after the Macedonian king Alexander the Great . The structure, which stood over 100 meters tall, was an engineering marvel at the time. It had a multi-level structure consisting of a square base , an octagonal central section , and a cylindrical top .

Hermann Thiersch, Lighthouse of Pharos, 1909 / photo: Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Over the years, the structure has suffered extensive damage from numerous earthquakes . Ultimately, the lighthouse was destroyed in the 1375 earthquake, and in 1480, the remains of the building were used to build a local fort. And yet, it turns out the famous lighthouse can be rebuilt… well, sort of.

Earlier this summer, archaeologists began excavating the enormous granite blocks that once formed the famous Pharos Lighthouse from the port of Alexandria . Twenty-two blocks, weighing up to 90 tons, were extracted using a boat , a platform , and a crane .

Archaeologists have excavated granite blocks that once formed the famous lighthouse of Pharos / photo: GEDEON Programmes / CEAlex

The excavation is the result of years of preparations in a project led by researchers from the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Egyptian Centre for Alexandrian Studies, almost six decades after the lighthouse ruins were first identified by archaeologist Kamel Abul Saadat .

According to one of the researchers, Thomas Faucher , quoted by Artnet , the discovery is of great importance.

"Its rediscovery underwater gives us access to the physical remains of this legendary monument, offering a unique opportunity to understand its structure and appearance," he said.

The project builds on work begun in the 1990s, when archaeological excavations identified thousands of architectural elements , of which approximately 100 of the most important ones have been scanned. The ongoing Pharos project aims to expand the database created at that time. Recent excavations have uncovered, among other things, threshold stones , foundation slabs , enormous lintels , and vertical blocks that were intended to form the entrance to the lighthouse.

The scanned elements will be sent to engineers and researchers, who will ensure a digital reconstruction of the lighthouse's appearance is as faithful as possible . Will this be possible? We're keeping our fingers crossed!