公元前280年的秋天，一艘埃及的皇家輪船在駛入亞歷山大港時，觸礁沉沒，船上的埃及貴族及從歐洲迎娶來的新娘，全部葬身海底。
An illustrated book on the general history of lighthouse has been published by China Pictorial Publishing House, outlining over 100 noted lighthouses carefully selected from worldwide by renowned English history writer R.G. Grant.
法羅斯燈塔想象復原圖
這一悲劇，震驚了埃及朝野上下。埃及法老托勒密二世下令在最大港口的入口處，修建照明燈塔。經過40年的不懈努力，一座宏偉的燈塔在非洲北海岸拔地而起。它矗立於距島岸7米處的石礁上，後人稱之為“亞歷山大港的法羅斯燈塔”。
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
法羅斯燈塔被譽為世界七大奇蹟之一，它的存世時間之久與巨大的塔身一樣令人驚歎——幾乎完好無缺地屹立了近1500年。
Take the Lighthouse of Alexandria for example. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the island of Pharos outside the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt around 300 - 280 BCE, during the reigns of Ptolemy I and II. With an impressive height of over 100 meters (330ft), it entered the established list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
法羅斯燈塔想象復原圖
Although no longer existing now, the structure, after standing for over 1600 years, has left a lasting legacy by giving its Greek name 'Pharos' to the architectural genre of any tower with a light designed to guide mariners.
無獨有偶，廣州，這座久經不衰的千年商都，也有一座燈塔，在訴說著千百年來這座城市的歷史興衰。
懷聖寺光塔 Light Tower in Guangzhou
光塔位於越秀區光塔路56號的懷聖寺院西南角，又名“邦克塔”，即宣禮塔，是專門用作宣禮或確定齋戒月起訖日期觀察新月的清真寺代表性建築，塔高36米，自建成以來，一直是廣州港的重要地標。
There is a lighthouse named Light Tower still standing in Guangzhou. The Light Tower is situated in the southwest corner of the Huaisheng Mosque which is believed to be constructed by a group of Arabs during Tang Dynasty.
光塔高入雲表，“式度不比它塔”，“四周無楯欄，無層級”，“望之如銀筆”。史載，塔頂原有金雞風標，可隨風旋轉以示風向，明初為颱風所毀，今已失存。塔頂平臺中央豎有蠟焰形塔穎。塔內有兩條互不交叉的梯道，迴旋而上。
懷聖寺光塔 Light Tower in Guangzhou
光塔是因何得名的呢？有人認為是光塔塔身光潔，與層塔的對稱多角不同，故而稱之；也有人說，唐宋時期，光塔矗立在古珠江北岸，距珠江直線距離約為550米，居高臨下，遠處海面上的帆船盡收眼底。
The Light Tower has a round minaret, about 36 meters tall, with typical characteristics of Arabic architecture, such as a pointed tip on the top, different from traditional towers in China.
鉛筆及水彩紙本——從廣州金門眺望光塔 1858年，查爾斯·威廉（Lt.Charles Sidney William）
後珠江雖不斷南移，但船隻航行在珠江上或西澳水道上，始終可以將其作為重要參照物，光塔夜有燈光，為夜間來船導航，滿載貨物的中外商船遠望光塔就知道如何駛入廣州的碼頭，因此稱為光塔。
The minaret was used as a beacon for ships passing through the Pearl River. It is said that when sailors and merchants saw the tower, they would know that they had arrived at Guangzhou, an important place for foreign trade along the Maritime Silk Road.
長久以來，燈塔一直是人們眼中孤獨、神秘和希望的代名詞。每一座矗立於遙遠海灣或是僻靜懸崖上的燈塔，背後都蘊藏著一個關於自然、關於歷史、關於守護、亦或是關於信仰的動人故事。
Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses in the world has declined due to the expense of maintenance and the rise of cheaper and often much more effective electronic navigational systems.
威爾士南部高爾半島上的懷特福德角一座被遺棄的鑄鐵燈塔
它們親歷歷史，見證興衰，同時也在無數個黑夜中守護著光明。可以說，每一座燈塔都是一部不應被人們忽視的歷史。如今，大家就可以透過《燈塔之書》一書，回顧100餘座世界著名燈塔背後鮮為人知的歷史故事。
由中國畫報出版社出版，《燈塔之書》收錄了來自英國著名歷史學家、作家R.G.格蘭特精心篩選了世界上最早的燈塔、最孤獨的燈塔、迄今服役最久的燈塔以及因“命途多舛”而聞名的100多座世界最有名的燈塔。
As the first of its kind in China, the book is illustrated with nearly 400 exclusive pictures, including some design manuscripts that have never been made public, vividly depicting the world’s lighthouses in fields including arduous construction, lighting technology and stories of keepers.
該書是國內首部全面介紹燈塔歷史的作品，書中獨家收錄了400餘幅從未公開的設計手稿與照片，生動展示了燈塔建造與技術發展的全貌與細節，力圖喚醒人們的記憶，共同回溯公元2世紀到20世紀，百餘座著名燈塔背後的精彩故事，全方位地展現了燈塔從輝煌到隱退的歷史變遷。
If you are curious about the history of lighthouses and want to know more about them, this book can serve as a good choice.
從艱險的建塔歷程、燈塔照明技術的沿革演變與燈塔守護人的輝煌與不幸三個角度出發，將100座燈塔背後蘊藏的故事娓娓道來。
讓你宅在家裡也能逛遍散落在世界各地懸崖、島嶼、礁石上的燈塔。體會那些或是驚險、或是感動、或是戲劇性十足的燈塔背後的故事，充分滿足你的好奇心與求知慾。
Source: 中國畫報出版社
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