Step inside the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Travellers may soon step into the grandeur of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria in digital form, following a major archaeological and engineering project to reconstruct the lost wonder virtually.

Thirty years after French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur discovered the underwater ruins of the lighthouse in 1995, efforts to reconstruct the structure have advanced significantly. A team led by Isabelle Hairy of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) has completed a major phase in the project.

Working off the coast of Egypt, the team has successfully lifted 22 of the lighthouse’s largest surviving stone blocks from the seabed, including threshold stones, lintels, jambs weighing up to 80 tons, and even parts of a newly identified pylon from the Hellenistic era.

The fragments, previously submerged beneath the Mediterranean, are now being studied, scanned and digitally reassembled in what is considered one of the most extensive 3D reconstruction efforts in archaeological research.

More than 100 blocks had already been scanned underwater over the past decade. Now, engineers at La Fondation Dassault Systèmes are using advanced simulation technology to test theories of the lighthouse’s original architecture and how it collapsed, refining a complete digital twin of the lost marvel.

The results will soon be accessible to the public, allowing anyone with a VR headset or screen to explore the towering ancient lighthouse as it once stood. The virtual model is designed to present the exterior structure of the lighthouse in detail. It will offer a reconstruction of the inner chambers and vantage points that once guided ships into the ancient port of Alexandria.

Built at the beginning of the third century BCE by Ptolemy I, the Lighthouse of Alexandria guided sailors approaching a treacherous coastline. The incredible towering structure stood has a height of 100 meters, and its beacon made the Egyptian city a shining hub at the heart of Mediterranean trade. Symbolising the city’s power and the prestige of its builders, Pharos can be regarded as humanity’s first skyscraper.

Its technical brilliance and architectural genius, emblems of the era’s scientific and artistic peak, allowed it to withstand time and history for over 1,600 years.

A documentary project

Gedeon Programmes, a renowned French producer of history and science documentaries, helped cofinance the 1995 Alexandria Lighthouse rescue mission and produced the film The Seventh Wonder of the World which was broadcasted on France 2 and major international channels such as the BBC, PBS, ZDF, RAI, and NHK.

In 2025, Gedeon Programmes is supporting the CEAlex’s mission by funding the barge and crane used to lift the lighthouse blocks. This operation was filmed by Gedeon Programmes’ teams, led by director Laurence Thiriat, for a 90-minute documentary set to premiere in prime time on France Télévisions.