During the Ottoman period the fear of pirates prevented residents of coastal communities from installing navigational aids. The first Greek beacon was installed in the port of Aegina in 1829, when the town became the capital of newly liberated Greece. Initially beacons and lighthouses were installed after specific requests by local communities, sailors, or as a result of fatal accidents. In 1887 a committee was established to organize the Greek lighthouse network in a rational manner, based on the main navigation route networks. Today there are approximately 1300 lighthouses in Greece, 120 of which are stone structures. Dozens are considered historic monuments.