The Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse that was built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt. The lighthouse has a white marble cover, stood 384 feet high, and was built during the 3rd century. Of the six vanished Wonders, it was the last to disappear.

The construction of a lighthouse was necessary because the island of Pharos was connected to the mainland by a dike, which gave the city a double harbor and dangerous sailing conditions. The project was conceived and initiated by the commander of Egypt, Ptolemy Soter, around 290 B.C., but was completed after his death, during the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. The architect was Sostratus of Cnidus. The monument was dedicated to Ptolemy Soter and his wife Berenice.

The lighthouse used fire at night and the sun rays during the day to mark the harbor. When the Arabs conquered Egypt, they accidentally brought down the mirror in the lighthouse. It was never restored back into place. A little damage was caused to the lighthouse by and earthquake in A.D. 956. Two stronger earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 did significant damage to the lighthouse. Documentation in 1349 stated that the ruined lighthouse could not even be entered. The Lighthouse of Alexandria did not survive to the present.