Boujdour Lighthouse
Lighthouse
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The Boujdour lighthouse (Spanish: Faro de Bojador, French: Phare de Boujdour, Arabic: منارة راس بوجدور) is a lighthouse located near Cape Bojador in the city of Boujdour in the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region, in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. Following Morocco's illegal annexation of Western Sahara in 1976, the Boujdour lighthouse became a historical monument.
Lighthouse and military base | |
 | |
| Location | Cape Bojador, Boujdour, Western Sahara |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 26°07′26″N 14°29′10″W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1953  |
| Height | 52 m (171 ft) |
| Operator | National Ports Agency |
| Heritage | Moroccan cultural heritage |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1959 |
| Focal height | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Range | 24 nmi (44 km; 28 mi) |
| Characteristic |  Fl(3) W 15s |
History
The lighthouse is on the Atlantic coast in the center of the city of Boujdour, 180 kilometres (110 mi) south of Laayoune.[1] The present structure replaced a 1903 square tower on the fort of Boujdour. It was built while Western Sahara was a Spanish colony.[2] Work began in 1953 and the lighthouse was commissioned in 1959.[3] Morocco occupied the territory in 1975 and created Boujdour Province in 1976.[1] The legal status is still disputed.[2]
Structure
The lighthouse tower is 52 metres (171 ft) high.[2] The building has a circular diameter of about 3 metres (9.8 ft). The structure contains a particularly hard stone, similar to granite.[4] It is a white conical[a] concrete tower, with beige vertical stripes. It has a spiral staircase with 246 steps. The equipment has been modernized.[1] The light emits three white flashes every 15 seconds, at a focal height of 70 metres (230 ft) above sea level, with a maximum range of approximately 44 kilometres (27 mi).[2]
The lighthouse is considered a historical monument.[1] It is managed by the Port and Maritime Authority within the Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics.[3]
Notes
- The ministry describes the tower as conical (Tour en béton, conique blanche avec des bandes verticales beiges).[1] Another source says it is octagonal.[2] A third source says it is often thought that it tapers towards the top, but this is not true.[4] The structure may have a circular interior with raised vertical stripes of masonry on the exterior, defining eight faces.