City:
Siteseeing:
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.
Gallery