Name and Location

Cap Carbon Lighthouse is an active coastal beacon located in Algeria's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the city of Béjaïa. The lighthouse can be found at Plus Code Q4G3+46, Route Touristique Cap Carbon, Béjaïa, Béjaïa Province, Algeria.

Construction and History

The lighthouse was erected during French rule in the late 19th century to improve safety along this rugged stretch of coastline. The exact date of its first lighting is not recorded, but local archives suggest an opening in the 1880s. In the mid-20th century, the lighthouse was converted from manual to automated operation.

Architecture and Materials

The structure of the lighthouse is likely a white-washed masonry or concrete cylindrical tower with a lantern and gallery, typical of French-built "light major" stations of the era. The height of the lighthouse is not documented in public sources.

Light and Navigation

The light characteristic of the Cap Carbon Lighthouse is often reported locally as a single white flash every 10 seconds (Fl W 10 s). However, official Almanacs should be consulted for current details. The range of the lighthouse is estimated to be around 20-25 nautical miles.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse can be reached by car or tour bus via the Route Touristique Cap Carbon, which winds up from the seaside village of Tala-Imam. A short paved spur road leads to a parking area just below the lighthouse. The tower is fenced and normally closed to the public, but panoramic viewpoints on the cliff rim are open year-round.

Notable Views and Landscape

The setting of the lighthouse is dramatic, with limestone cliffs rising steeply from the Mediterranean. Macchia scrub and Aleppo pines cling to the rock, offering sweeping panoramas of the Gulf of Béjaïa, offshore islets, and on clear days, the Tell Atlas chain to the southwest.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Locals claim that it is the highest-elevation lighthouse in the world above sea level—an oft-repeated but unofficial distinction. Another tale suggests that French keepers sent pigeons with messages across the sea when fog silenced the lamp in the 1920s (unverified local lore).

Technical and Operational Details

The managing authority of the lighthouse is the Algerian Directorate of Ports and Lighthouses. The current use of the lighthouse is as a fully operational aid to navigation, with no on-site museum or visitor centre.

Further Information

For further information, consult the NGA List of Lights, Volume F (Mediterranean), Light ID approx. 2536 (to be confirmed). Other sources include the Russian Hydrographic Office: Mediterranean Pilot and "Phare du Cap Carbon," in Maurice Estève, Phares de Méditerranée (Paris 1985).