Lighthouse Reconstructed
photoView looking west at the reconstructed Lighthouse at Patara (April, 2026). It is now about 87 feet tall.
The lighthouse was originally built in A.D. 64–65 during the reign of Nero (54-68).
It served as a beacon for ships entering the harbor of Patara, one of the most important cities of ancient Lycia.
The structure was destroyed in 1481 by a tsunami triggered by the 1481 Rhodes earthquake.
Archaeologists recovered around 2,500 original stones, allowing the monument to be reconstructed with most of its original material. The Patara Lighthouse is considered one of the best-preserved and most accurately reconstructed Roman lighthouses in the world. Unlike many ancient monuments, much of the restored structure consists of the actual stones used nearly 2,000 years ago.