Hatshepsut ordered to create the Obelisk to complement what would later be known as the Lateran Obelisk which was at Karnak in the first place before being brought to the Lateran Palace in Rome.
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. This huge block of stone was destined to become an obelisk almost 40 meters high, weighing more than 1000 tons.
Unfortunately, it was never finished, probably because during the process to separate the block of stone from the bedrock a huge crack opened, making it unusable and no longer of any value for those who had worked so hard to create it. 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.
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 it 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.
Today, the Aswan Unfinished Obelisk 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 pyramids of Egypt 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.
Would you like to live a journey through ancient Egyptian culture and mythology? you can make it happen and spend a day to visit Abydos, Giza, Luxor, Aswan to see the tombs of the Pharaohs adorned with very clear, detailed and beautifully painted scenes of the various deities of ancient Egypt as well as many other sites, cities, adventures and things to do in Cairo, you can try and book one of our range of Egypt tours and Egypt Travel Packages many privately guided groups of Cairo day tours from airport and Egypt day tours to explore the capital city of Egypt, Cairo you can check a lot of Egypt itineraries or go on one of our full Cairo day tours like:
Day tour to Giza pyramids & Sphinx, Memphis, Saqqara and Dahshur.
2 Days Safari to the white desert and bahariya oasis tour from Cairo.
Cairo Layover Tours to Giza Pyramids and Sphinx from Cairo airport.
Day tour to Giza Pyramids and Saqqara Necropolis from Cairo.
Cairo unusual tour to have breakfast in an Egyptian Village.
Unusual tour to Coptic Cairo and the Cave Church of Saint Simon.
Tour to Giza Pyramids, Islamic Cairo and Khan El Khalili Bazaar.
2 Days Cairo, Alexandria, The Nile Cruise and Hurghada Travel.
Egypt Luxury Tour 12 Days to Cairo Nile Cruise and The Red Sea.
12 Days Cairo, Nile Cruise and Lake Nasser Cruise Luxury Tour.
12 Days Cairo, Alexandria, The Nile Cruise and Hurghada Luxury Travel.
See Also:
Tourism in Egypt Siwa Oasis in Egypt Things to do in Cairo, Egypt The Oasis in Egypt Luxor and Aswan Ports of Egypt The White Desert The Hot Air Balloon in Luxor Mummification in Ancient Egypt How the Pyramids were built Akhenaten’s Rebellion Egypt Nile River Cruise and Lake Nasser Cruise Egypt During Easter Holidays The Nubian Museum in Aswan Red Sea Monasteries El Alamein (World War II cemetery) Kalabsha Temple Valley of the Lions Temple of Beit El Wali Amada Temple Tombs of the Nobles in Bahariya Oasis Temple of Alexander the Great in Bahariya Oasis Valley of Agabat Temple of Ain El Muftella Valley of El Haize Nubia Kitchener’s Island Elephantine island in Aswan The 10 best hotels in Egypt Top 5 things to do in Egypt Alexandria, A bright pearl in The Mediterranean 5 Amazing Desert Safari Destinations in Egypt Tipping Culture in Egypt Check also our things to do in Luxor:
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