Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned.
At a late stage in the process, however, a flaw appeared, so it lies where the disappointed stonemasons abandoned it, still partly attached to the parent rock.
Upon entering the quarry, steps lead down into the pit of the obelisk, where there are ancient pictographs of dolphins and ostriches or flamingos, thought to have been painted by workers at the quarry. The Northern Quarries are about 1.5km from town, opposite the Fatimid Cemetery.
This article contains information for NON EGYPTIANS who wish to visit The Unfinished Obelisk site including:
- Where is the Unfinished Obelisk located?
- How old is the Unfinished Obelisk and who built it?
- Why didnt they finish it?
- Images from the Unfinished Obelisk site
- Is there any other obelisks in Egypt?
- The best way for visiting the Unfinished Obelisk site
- How much does it cost to visit the unfinished Obelisk?
- The construction of the Unfinished Obelisk
- Recommended Tours Including The Unfinished Obelisk
Where is the Unfinished Obelisk located?
AROUND THE UPPER EGYPTIAN CITY of Aswan are several ancient stone quarries, which were the source of Ancient Egypt’s finest granite. The Northern Quarries of Aswan holds the remains of the Unfinished Obelisk.
Had it have ever been erected, this obelisk would have been the largest one of Ancient Egypt and would have reached a stunning height of 42 meters. The largest finished obelisk, the Lateran Obelisk is 10 meters shorter than the Unfinished Obelisk, and today stands in Rome, Italy. Although not the largest obelisk, it is nevertheless the largest known monolith of Ancient Egypt, and one of the largest in the world, with an estimated weight of 1,200 tons.
How old is the Unfinished Obelisk and who built it?
It was built in a very unique manner as it depended on a Greek style of architecture as it had four sides converging to a mini pyramidal shape at the top of the obelisk, it was built in the new kingdom during the 18th dynasty by Queen Hatshepsut, the Wife of King Thutmose II (1478-1458 B.C) to be placed in the Karnak Temple and to complement the Lateran Obelisk, originally in Karnak but later moved to Rome. It is located in its original location a granite quarry in Aswan and would have measured 42 m making it the tallest obelisk in history but the project was unfortunately abandoned due to the discovery of numerous cracks in the obelisk. It would also have been the heaviest obelisk weighing 1200 tons. The obelisk was carved into the bedrock red granite and designed to resemble the primeval hill from the myth of creation where the world appeared for the first time.
Why didnt they finish it?
The work on the Unfinished Obelisk had been abandoned due to clearly visible cracks that appeared in the granite. The huge structure, which is partly connected to the parent rock, has been left in situ. The obelisk, together with several worker’s marks and rock carvings, provides a rare insight into the working techniques of Ancient Egypt. Virtually nothing is known about which pharaoh ordered the Obelisk and where it was supposed to be erected.
Is there any other obelisks in Egypt?
There are additional eight great Obelisks, which remain in Egypt today:
- Karnak temple, Thebes established by King Tuthmosis I.
- Karnak temple, Thebes established by Queen Hatshepsut, which is the second obelisk (fallen)
- Karnak temple, Thebes raised by Seti II (7m).
- Luxor temple established by Ramses II.
- Luxor Museum raised by Ramses II
- Heliopolis, Cairo raised by Senusret I.
- Gezira Island, Cairo established by Ramses II (20.4m high / 120 tons).
- Cairo International Airport established by Ramses II 16.97m high.
Visiting the Unfinished Obelisk
The Unfinished Obelisk makes for an impressive visit, if only to try and wrap your head around the idea of it being created by the ancient civilisation in ways we can’t even imagine today. If you’re visiting Aswan independently, pop to the nearby Fatimid Cemetery too, which has some fascinating 9th century mud-brick tombs. Otherwise, if you’re short on time, the easiest way to see the obelisk is to combine your tour with a visit to the other nearby monuments of the Philae Temple and the Aswan Dam.
How much does it cost to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo?
Tickets, which cost 140 Egyptian pounds (approximately $9) for adults and 70 Egyptian pounds (or $4.5) for students, can be purchased at the entrance’s visitors center. All tickets include access to the main temple of Kom Ombo and the crocodile museum.
The construction of the Unfinished Obelisk
The location that holds the obelisk is considered to be an open-air museum. The obelisk is able to tell us about the instruments used to construct this massive monument such as dolerite, a small ball made of a mineral harder than granite to carve the obelisk out. They also used many creative building techniques to spread the obelisk from the bedrock as they made some small cavities in the rock and those cavities were filled with wood chips. The chips were soaked with water. The soaking made expand causing the obelisk to detach from the base.
The obelisks created by the Ancient Egyptians are the subject of great debate between historians. The historic process of their manufacture is shrouded in questions – how were they carved in just one block? How were the thousand-ton monuments transported over hundreds of miles? And how were these immensely heavy columns raised into position once they arrived at their destination?
Numerous theories have been argued over the years that the obelisks were sailed up the Nile by boat… although that doesn’t explain how they were carried to the boats, or how the boats supported their weight! And of course, there’s always someone who comes up with the simple answer that the obelisks, like the pyramids, were not actually created by human hands but by extra-terrestrials… Hmmm – you can make your own mind up about that!
