Unfinished Obelisk : Pharaonic

The region of Aswan was the only area of Ancient Egypt where granite was found. The granite being a far stronger type of stone than what was otherwise used, it was used for the purpose of building larger structures.

Up in the mountain side of Aswan was one of the obelisk quarries, and here lies a piece that never was finished. The reason for this is that a flaw in the rock was found halfway to the process; this flaw is most visible today.

Had this obelisk been finished, it would have become the single heaviest piece of stone ever fashioned, weighing 1168 tons and 42 meters high. There is no information where it was intended to be used, but it is assumed that it was ordered for one of Tuthmosis 3's additions to the temple complex at Karnak.

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