Where a Lighthouse Beckons

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the Irish playwright who wrote more than 60 plays, once said, “I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve.”

In the age before lighthouses were built, early sailors used bonfire beacons on cliffs and hillsides to act as warning signals.

The first lighthouse was built in Alexandria, Egypt, and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built between 280 and 247 BC and for many centuries it was one of the tallest man-made structures in the world. It survived, in part, until 1480.

Although the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the use of electronic navigation, nowadays the old Japanese proverb, ‘Darkness reigns at the foot of a lighthouse’, is anything but true. Many lighthouses around South Africa are tourist attractions for a variety of reasons, including the panoramic views they offer, the interesting history of the structures, or their use as refurbished accommodation. Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, the Southernmost Tip of Africa

The design of the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was inspired by the Pharaohs of Alexandria. As with the Pharaohs, large blocks of light-coloured stone were used in its construction. It also has a tower made up