The great Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan is considered the largest Obelisk to be built by a man in the world. It was intended to be a 36m tall obelisk that weighs more than 1000 tons. The marvelous story of its building didn’t finish as during its construction and while removing the block of stone from its mother bedrock, a huge crack appeared that made the stone unusable and from this point another story has begun in Aswan called “ The Unfinished Obelisk”.
The Location of The Unfinished Obelisk
The Unfinished Obelisk lays now in Sheyakhah Oula, Qism Aswan in the Governorate on Aswan along the banks of the channelized LA River at the Bowtie Project.
The History of The Unfinished Obelisk
Queen Hatshepsut was the one who ordered her men to start in establishing such a great Obelisk and she intended to build it in Karnak and she intended to make it the largest Obelisk to be built by a man during her reign.
This obelisk is actually one third larger than any obelisk in Ancient Egypt. Just imagine that if it was finished, it would have measured around 42 m and would have weighed more than 1,090 metric tons that are approximately a weight equal to about 200 African elephants.
The creators of such an obelisk started in carving it out of the bedrock but the project was abandoned when a crack appeared in its granite. This Unfinished Obelisk is great evidence for the techniques which the Ancients used in their construction procedures as there are still some marks of the tools used by the creators on the Obelisk and they are so clear.
So if you will visit Aswan through one of Egypt vacation packages, then don’t miss to explore this obelisk with your tour guide who will explain every info about the history of it.
The Purpose of Building Obelisks in Ancient Egypt
Obelisks have been used by the Ancient Egyptians at the entrances of their temples. Surprisingly, they were topped with gold in order to catch the first rays of the morning light and only twenty-eight Egyptian obelisks remain standing, though only six of them are in Egypt.
The rest of the Obelisks are scattered across the globe, either gift from the Egyptian government or plunder by foreign invaders.
The best way to discover the obelisks in Upper Egypt by booking one of Egypt Nile cruise packages which enable you to see the beauty of Egypt while relaxing on the board of the cruise and also offer unforgettable trips to the enchanting temples, tombs, and obelisks of Pharaohs in Luxor & Aswan.
Interesting Facts about The Unfinished Obelisk
1- The rock which was used in the construction of the Unfinished Obelisk was taken from the southern part of Egypt in Aswan, which was the main area to get rocks from in order to build the Egyptian Obelisks.
2- Queen Hatshepsut intended to build it in the location of another obelisk that is called today as “The Lateran Obelisk”.
3- It was probably achieved by chiseling holes into the rock according to the marks on it.
4- A deep trench at least 2.5 m deep was discovered by the Aswan Office of the Supreme Council of Antiquities as they were preparing the site for tourists.
5- There had been also a canal connecting the quarry to the Nile.
6- The base of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock of this granite quarry in Aswan.
7- The ancient Egyptians utilized small balls of a mineral, harder than granite, known as dolerite.
Finally, with “Trips in Egypt“, you’ll be able to visit the Unfinished Obelisk with other magnificent attractions in Aswan and the other highly recommended Egyptian cities with our best tour guides to witness the greatness of the Egyptian civilization face to face.
