Despite the name, its construction dates back to the Venetians in the turn of the sixteenth century. While no longer operational, it is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world. Apart from its utility as a beacon it also has a defensive function. Built atop natural rock, it provided anchor to one end of the boom, which is jargon for a thick harbour chain, that blocked navigational access to the port. The other end of the chain was anchored in the Firka Fortress. The name "Egyptian" stuck since the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the Egyptians, briefly occupying Chania, reconstructed the Lighthouse in its current quirky style reminiscent of a minaret.