The Unfinished Obelisk
One of the greatest pharaohs in Egyptian history, both male and female, Hatshepsut contributed enormous wealth and artistic talent to her country. Her sponsorship of one of Egypt's most prosperous trading expeditions resulted in the return of gold, ebony, and incense from a location known as Punt, which is most likely modern-day Eritrea in Africa.
The largest obelisk ever made by the ancient Egyptians, according to the history of Egypt during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (18th dynasty specifically), is known as the Unfinished Obelisk. Even today, it is located exactly where it was once semi-carved in solid rock, in the granite quarries near the city of Aswan.
Queen Hatshepsut | Queen of Egypt | The Pharaoh Woman
The huge Unfinished obelisk Aswan block of stone was destined to become an obelisk almost 40 meters high, Unfinished Obelisk weight is more than 1000 tons.
Unfortunately, it was never finished, probably because a huge crack opened during the process of separating the block of stone from the bedrock, making it unusable and no longer of any value to those who had worked so hard to create it.
Hatshepsut Obelisk
It would have been the highest in the world, also believed that it was part of a pair of obelisks together with the Lateran Obelisk, once located in the Karnak temple, and which today is standing at the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome.
Karnak Temple | The Largest Egyptian Temple
Holes were made in the granite in which sun-dried wooden wedges were inserted. Subsequently, the wedges were repeatedly immersed in the water, which caused them to increase in size. The expansion of these wedges caused a crack in the rock along the line of the holes, thus separating the obelisk from the rock below. And that's how the obelisk was to be separated from the bedrock.
Aswan Granite Quarries
Today, the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan is an open-air museum within the granite quarries where ancient Egyptian kings used to cut and transport all the necessary stone blocks that were to be used in building the immense Giza Pyramids and Sphinx, especially those standing in glory within the Giza Necropolis that was used during the 4th dynasty' in the old kingdom, for kings Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus, as well as the gigantic temples of the middle kingdom and the new kingdom like the temple of Luxor and El-Deir El-Bahari Temple, all of which allow us to identify ourselves in a distant world, full of mysteries still to be discovered. We are waiting for you on the historical land of our ancestors, for this visit you have chosen.
The obelisk is a structure with historical, religious, and cultural significance that is associated with the Ra cult. Conceptually, one of the central ideas of Egyptian culture was represented by the obelisk: the sun's rays emanating from the summit, from which the sun gives life.
Cairo Top Tours is the perfect way to spend a wonderful few days exploring all these fascinating attractions that inspire you once you arrive in Egypt, so book with us now.
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