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The moving of the masonry blocks
through the use of balloons
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It was necessary to move the very heavy blocks, sometimes weighing more than 70 tons, by using blown-up balloons. The information was then analysed and classified in computer files so as to establish the cartography of the site. These data served as a basis for the reconstitution of the Pharos monument in 3D.
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Map of the Masonry Blocks |
The delegation under Jean-Yves Empereur is convinced that they have found the first components of the lighthouse at Alexandria. They have itemised a dozen specific masonry blocks that are part of a monumental edifice which collapsed east of the island of Pharos. The impressive size of these Aswan granite blocks (more than 11 metres in height and 50 to 70 tons in weight) that only the Egyptians knew how to sculpt, together with their underwater position exactly opposite the Qaitbay Fort indicates that they are part of the Pharos of Alexandria. These components could be pieces from door and window frames
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| The French delegation's conclusion also relies on several ancient accounts and more recently on those of geographers, of Greek, Arab or French travellers or engineers who even then described the position of the lighthouse as being on this very site. These include the geographer Strabo, who passed through Alexandria in 25 BC, the traveller Abd el-Latif el Bagdadi, who visited Alexandria in 1200-1201 AD), or the French engineer G. Jondet. |
