Parts of an ancient lighthouse considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World have been discovered in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. French marine archaeologists discovered the foundations of the Lighthouse of Pharos in the entrance to the city’s harbour.

The Alexandria Lighthouse was built in around 270BC by the Greek architect Sostratus and was then one of the tallest buildings in the world, with three layered towers at a height of 440ft. The first lighthouse in the world, it survived until an earthquake in the 14th century and was destroyed over an 800sq-metre area in the port. The city, founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC, was one of the greatest in antiquity and its lighthouse was said to have a statue of the God Poseidon and a bronze dish with coals that illuminated up to 100km away.