Pharos of Alexandria. Historical artwork of the lighthouse known as the Pharos of Alexandria. This lighthouse was built around 300-280 BC on the island of Pharos, off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse was a stone tower over 100 metres tall. No lighthouse as large has been built since. The lighthouse was built by the Alexander the Great's successors, Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II. It is the most recent of the seven wonders of the classical world. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the thirteenth century, only the base remains.