The Light of Alexandria in the Middle Ages, until its Collapse in the Mamluk Period
Altan Çetin, Alyaguot Yousif Hassan AhmedThe question that led to the research and writing of this article was created by the information that Ibn Battuta gave in his travel book about a lantern he saw when he set out on his travels but that was later destroyed. The scope of this article is about the history of the Lighthouse of Alexandria based on medieval Islamic period literature. More specifically, the main issue that determined the scope is to reveal what happened to the Lighthouse of Alexandria particularly the structural problems and repairs until its collapse in the Mamluk period. The study wanted to find out when and how this lighthouse was finally destroyed. This event took place in the Mamluks period and ultimately resulted in the disappearance of the lighthouse and the construction of a castle in the Qaitbay period. In this study, Islamic period sources, which provided information about the lighthouse from the 9th to the 15th centuries, were used. The method used to solve the determined problem was through evaluating and comparing historical literature. When and how was the Lighthouse of Alexandria destroyed during the Mamluk period? The lighthouse, one of the ancient wonders of the world, fell victim to the devastating earthquakes that Egypt was subjected to. In the period between 796-1480, Egypt was exposed to about 57 major and minor earthquakes, and about 22 of them affected the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Earthquakes of 796, 884, 956, 1303, 1334, 1341, 1348 caused the Alexandria Lighthouse to collapse. As we learned from historic records, Egyptian rulers had the lighthouse repaired at different times. For example, one of them was Mamluk Sultan Baibars. The historic literature revealed the fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria occurred in 1375 when a severe earthquake caused it to collapse completely.
Memlûkler Döneminde Yıkılışına Kadar Orta Çağ’da İskenderiye Feneri
Altan Çetin, Alyaguot Yousif Hassan AhmedMakalenin yazımına yol açan ana sebep İbn Battuta’nın seyahatnamesinde yola çıktığında gördüğü fenerin döndüğünde yıkılmış olduğuna dair verdiği bilginin oluşturduğu sorudur. Bu makalenin kapsamı Orta Çağ İslami dönem kaynaklarına dayanılarak İskenderiye Feneri’nin genel durumudur. Bunun ötesinde kapsamı belirleyen asıl husus ise fener yapısının geçirdiği sorunlar, yaşadığı tamirler bağlamında Memlûk devrinde yıkılışına kadar ki durumun ortaya konulmasıdır. Makalenin yazılmasındaki asıl amaç bu fenerin nihai olarak ne zaman ve nasıl yıkıldığı sorusuna cevap bulmaktır. Memlûkler devrinde vuku bulan ve nihai olarak fenerin ortadan kalkıp yerine Kayıtbay döneminde kalenin yapılmasıyla sonuçlanan süreç bu makalenin ana araştırma nesnesidir. Bu inceleme de fener hakkında 9. Asırdan 15. Asra kadar bilgi veren İslamî dönem kaynaklarından yararlanılmıştır. Yöntem olarak buradaki bilgilerin değerlendirilmesi ve karşılaştırılması suretiyle belirlenen problemin çözümü hedeflenmiştir. Peki bu makaleye yol açan sorunun cevabı neydi? Bu fener Memlûkler devrinde ne zaman ve nasıl yıkıldı? Dünyanın kadim harikalarından biri olan İskenderiye Feneri, Mısır'ın maruz kaldığı yıkıcı depremlerin kurbanı oldu. 796-1480 yılları arasındaki dönemde Mısır yaklaşık 57 büyük ve küçük depreme maruz kalmış ve bunların yaklaşık 22'si İskenderiye Feneri'ni de etkilemiştir. 796, 884, 956, 1303, 1334, 1341, 1348 depremleri İskenderiye Feneri'nin yıkılmasına neden olmuştur. Kaynaklardan öğrendiğimiz kadarıyla Mısır hükümdarları feneri farklı dönemlerde tamir ettirmiştir. Mesela Memlûk Sultanı Baybars bunlardandır. Bundan sonrası için de memlûk kaynaklarında fenerin akıbetine dair bilgiler vardır: 1375 yılında meydana gelen şiddetli depremin İskenderiye Feneri'nin tamamen yıkılmasına sebep olduğunu kaynaklardan öğreniyoruz.
Ibn Battuta visited the Lighthouse of Alexandria twice in 1326 and 1349 and gave valuable information about it before it was destroyed: “At the end of my long travels, when I returned to the Maghreb in Seven hundred and Fifty, I wanted to see the lighthouse again, but since it was completely ruined, I neither wanted to go inside nor. It was not possible to go up to the door of the building,” This analysis was carried out in pursuit of the answer to exactly when and how this structure, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed. While existing information about the lighthouse does not fully show its fate, the issues it faced and its final collapse are clarified within the framework of Islamic sources.
The Alexandria Lighthouse, in its original shape until the conquest of Egypt in 641-642, attracted the attention of Muslim historians and travelers, and the length, width and shape of the Alexandria lighthouse were described in history, geography and in Islamic travel books. The Lighthouse of Alexandria has been the main subject in the writing of many Muslim writers, describing it in a generally consistent manner with the lighthouse that researchers agree is closest to the actual image of the lighthouse. The historian and geographer Ibn Hurdâzbih stated in his book Kitab al-Masalik wa al-Mamalik that there were 366 rooms in the Alexandria lighthouse and that there was a mosque on top. The Lighthouse of Alexandria continued to fulfill its main purpose until the conquest of Egypt. Despite the importance of the lighthouse, it did not attract the attention of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs, but the powerful Turkish ruler Ahmad b. Tolun (868-883) recognized the value of this architectural and civil achievement. In 796, the Alexandria Lighthouse was exposed to a severe earthquake which caused great damage, not only to the upper floor (dome) but also the cylindrical third floor collapsed and suffered great damage. Ibn Tolun had a mosque built on these damaged parts in a wooden dome. Iranian traveler Nasir-i Husrow visited Egypt in 1047 during the Fatimid rule. Nasir, who also visited the city of Alexandria, gave important information about the lighthouse: "I saw a lighthouse in Alexandria, it was still undeveloped", which means that the lighthouse was still standing and in good condition at that time. Al-Balawi, an Andalusian poet and scientist, was born and raised in Málaga. He traveled to the East, lived for a time in Alexandria, where he practiced oratory. Another traveler, al-Balawi, visited the Alexandria Lighthouse in 1165 and gave important information about the "Kitâbü Alif bâ", the Alexandria Lighthouse, in his literary and scientific encyclopedia. After his visit to the lighthouse, al-Balawi measured its size with a rope attached to a stone and wrote down the dimensions using paper and pencil. Rukn al-dîn Baibars al-Mansûrî, the famous amir, jurist and historian of the Mamluks period, mentioned the earthquake in 1303 in his book Mukhtâr al-Akhbâr: History al-dawla Ayyûbîyya ve Dawla al-Mamâlîk al-Bahrîyya. He was one of the contemporary witnesses of the great earthquake that struck Alexandria and destroyed its lighthouse.
Historical sources stated that a group of earthquakes occurred during the period between Ibn Battuta's first visit to the Lighthouse of Alexandria and his second visit. In 1334, 1341, and 1348 Egypt suffered major earthquakes that affected many structures, including the lighthouse. What was the fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria after Ibn Battuta? After Ibn Battuta's second visit to the lighthouse, a number of historians reported the fate of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. In his book, al-Maqrîzî, "al-Mawâʿiẓ wa al-iʿtibâr bi-(fî) ẕikri al-ḫıṭaṭ wa al-âs̱âr" recorded that the earthquake that occurred in 775, that is, in 1375, caused the complete collapse of the Alexandria Lighthouse. Another historian, al-Qalqashandi, reported that the Lighthouse of Alexandria became a ruin in 1412. Khalil b. Shahin al-Zahirî stated that the Lighthouse of Alexandria collapsed in 1446. Ibn Iyas wrote that in 1482, Sultan Qaitbay visited the ruins of the Alexandria Lighthouse and turned it into a castle known today as Qaitbay Castle.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria left many architectural influences Minarats, which are real examples of the Alexandria lighthouse, are the three twin minarets: the minaret of the Mosque of Seville (1184) (Islamic part 69.65 meters), the minaret of the Hasan Mosque in Rabat (1197) (44 meters built), and the minaret of the Kutubiyya Mosque in Marrakech (1199) (67.5 meters). It was the Lighthouse of Alexandria that inspired the architect of the Almohad Caliph al-Mansur (1184-1199) to build these three minarets. These minarets are of the Lighthouse of Alexandria in terms of height, size and interior design. Today, there are still structures bearing this influence.
