Lighthouse of Port Said
Encyclopedia
The Lighthouse of Port Said is one of the most important architectural and tourist landmarks in the city of Port Said
in Egypt
. Considered a unique example for the evolution of architecture during the nineteenth century in the city, the lighthouse was designed by François Coignet
at the request of the Khedive
of Egypt and Sudan, Ismail the Magnificent. Construction was completed in 1869, one week prior to the inauguration of the Suez Canal
to guide the ships passing in the canal. The lighthouse is a tower that has an octagonal shape with 56 m high.
, the national infrastructure project undertaken during Ismail's reign. Ismail commissioned French architect François Coignet to design the lighthouse, and oversee its construction. Coignet used the novel technique of building the lighthouse out of reinforced concrete
. The lack of nearby stone quarries and the cost of importing stone from elsewhere caused those in charge of construction to become interested in the use of concrete.
At the time, the lighthouse was a paragon of modernism worthy of an international reputation. The lighthouse was constructed by layering liquid 20 – 25 cm in thickness. To ensure the structural cohesion of the whole, iron wall ties were inserted. The use of concrete was doubly innovative: employed as a distinct material, not merely a substance for filling, and strengthened with metal rods. Quite simply, reinforced concrete had been invented. The use of electric light (powered with an arc lamp) made it possible to display a consistent flashing light and it was a state of the art lighthouse at the time.
Nothing of original Port Said remains except for the lighthouse, pushed to the interior of the city by the gradual silting of the port, and, therefore, no longer of use for its original purposes of guiding ships. In 2010, intellectuals called for turning it into a museum of maritime transport. In January 2011, the lighthouse of Port Said was officially registered as a national monument in Egypt.
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Considered a unique example for the evolution of architecture during the nineteenth century in the city, the lighthouse was designed by François Coignet
François Coignet
François Coignet was a French industrialist of the nineteenth century. He was a pioneer in the development of structural prefabricated and reinforced concrete. Coignet was the first to use iron-reinforced concrete as a technique for constructing building structures.- Biography :Coignet, along with...
at the request of the Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
of Egypt and Sudan, Ismail the Magnificent. Construction was completed in 1869, one week prior to the inauguration of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
to guide the ships passing in the canal. The lighthouse is a tower that has an octagonal shape with 56 m high.
History
From 1868 until the end of his reign, Khedive Ismail ordered the construction of lighthouses at different points across Egypt's Mediterranean coast. Among these, the lighthouse of Port Said had special significance owing to its connection to the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, the national infrastructure project undertaken during Ismail's reign. Ismail commissioned French architect François Coignet to design the lighthouse, and oversee its construction. Coignet used the novel technique of building the lighthouse out of reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
. The lack of nearby stone quarries and the cost of importing stone from elsewhere caused those in charge of construction to become interested in the use of concrete.
At the time, the lighthouse was a paragon of modernism worthy of an international reputation. The lighthouse was constructed by layering liquid 20 – 25 cm in thickness. To ensure the structural cohesion of the whole, iron wall ties were inserted. The use of concrete was doubly innovative: employed as a distinct material, not merely a substance for filling, and strengthened with metal rods. Quite simply, reinforced concrete had been invented. The use of electric light (powered with an arc lamp) made it possible to display a consistent flashing light and it was a state of the art lighthouse at the time.
Nothing of original Port Said remains except for the lighthouse, pushed to the interior of the city by the gradual silting of the port, and, therefore, no longer of use for its original purposes of guiding ships. In 2010, intellectuals called for turning it into a museum of maritime transport. In January 2011, the lighthouse of Port Said was officially registered as a national monument in Egypt.
External links
- http://www.myportsaid.info/Lighthouse.html (in English)
- http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2010/1016/fe2.htm (in English)