Pharos of Alexandria

Hello, little friend. I stand right where the land meets the big, blue sea. When the sun wakes up, it makes my white stones feel warm and shiny. I watch the little boats dance on the water all day long. I am so very tall. I reach up, up, up, all the way to the fluffy clouds. I am the great Lighthouse of Alexandria, but you can call me Pharos.

A kind king named Ptolemy wanted to keep all the sailors safe. He worried about their boats hitting the tricky rocks hiding in the water. So, a long, long time ago, around the year 280 BCE, he asked clever builders to make me. They stacked big, strong blocks one on top of the other, higher and higher. At my very top, they put a special room. Inside, a big, bright fire burned all night, and a shiny mirror helped my light glow even brighter. I was like a friendly star, telling all the boats, “Come this way. It’s safe over here.”

I was so proud to shine my light. For hundreds and hundreds of years, I helped so many boats find their way home. People thought I was so special that they called me one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. After a very, very long time, the ground did a big shake, and I fell down into the sea. But my story still shines bright. Every lighthouse you see today, with its blinking light, is a little piece of me. They are all still doing my favorite job: keeping people safe on the water.