22 blocks that were part of the Lighthouse of Alexandria have been rescued from the Mediterranean.

A team of workers in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria has recovered 22 enormous stone blocks that were used thousands of years ago to build one of the wonders of the ancient world: the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria. The stone blocks were extracted from the seabed of the city's harbor on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and will now be studied and digitally scanned.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, built during the Ptolemaic period (in the 3rd century BC), was intended to serve as a landmark for the port and was also one of the tallest structures built at that time. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (born in Macedonia ) ordered its construction, and the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon chose the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, of which only the Pyramids of Giza remain today.

The results of the survey and scanning will be added to digital records of more than 100 stones discovered underwater over the past decade, according to a statement from the Dassault Systems Foundation , one of the project’s sponsors, Live Science reports. The research is being led by French archaeologist and architect Isabelle Hairy and brings together the expertise of historians, archaeologists, architects and engineers to create a 3D virtual model of the ancient lighthouse , which was already severely damaged by earthquakes when it collapsed in the 14th century.

A virtual 3D model of the old lighthouse, which had already been severely damaged by earthquakes when it collapsed in the 14th century, will be created.

The newly recovered stones include fragments of a massive gate weighing some 80 tons , the statement said. Workers also recovered parts of a massive Egyptian-style ceremonial pylon, or gate, that may have been a monument.

Alexandria was founded and named after Alexander the Great when he captured Egypt from the Persian Empire in 332 BC. It then became the Egyptian capital under the Hellenistic Greek dynasty of Ptolemaic pharaohs, which began with Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander's trusted generals (some even suggest he may have been his brother) and ended with the death of Cleopatra . The city was one of the richest cities of the ancient world.

The lighthouse, for its part, was a technological marvel for its time. It measured more than 100 meters (as the press release explains) and featured a multi-level design: a square base, an octagonal section, and a cylindrical top. The light came from a large fire that formed a concentrated beam (probably fueled by wood or oil), which could be seen up to 50 kilometers away.

The lighthouse ruins were actually discovered underwater in 1994 by French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur. This latest work in the area is the third research project carried out by French academics. Although they don't plan to physically reconstruct the lighthouse, they are creating a virtual reconstruction , or "digital twin," based on what they can learn from the ruins and historical records.

In addition to testing theories about its construction and collapse, the virtual model " will revive the lighthouse's original grandeur , allowing visitors to explore it as if they were on site," the statement said.