Where is it?
The largest obelisk in the world is located on Egypt , in a granite quarry on the banks of the Nile .
The oldest “ granite quarry “ is in Aswan , just two kilo-meters from the center of Aswan. The quarry was built with a long of 6 km on the Nile . If you enter the quarry , you will enter the world of granite .
In Aswan regions , the stone quality is good , color is mostly red agate with small black spots .
At the quarry site , if you are careful , you can see grooves on the rock wall .
It is said that ancient Egyptian stones were extracted from Aswan and transported by water to meet the construction needs on both sides of the Nile .
There is a famous landmark at the quarry site is the “ Unfinished Obelisk “ .
This huge obelisk , located horizontally in the quarry , its long is 41.75 meters and its weight is 1267 tons . It was originally built by Queen Hatshepsut .
If this obelisk was erected , it would have been the largest one in Egypt .
Why was it called that name ?
Because when they try to cut the obelisk , they found cracks in it , so they thought of a way to cut again at a distance below the top of it , but another crack also appeared . So they left the obelisk and placed it in the quarry without completion , so it was called the
“ Unfinished Obelisk “ .
The world famous obelisks were all taken from Egypt . Where the Greeks and Romans took the obelisks from Egypt to their countries . The city of Rome alone includes 13 Egyptian obelisks .
As for the rest of the obelisks that came out , they adorned the most famous squares of the world such like ( France , England , America , Turkey , and others ) .
There are many other obelisks that were sunk in the sea or ocean while getting them out of Egypt .
Egypt has a small number of obelisks , some of which are still in their original location . Like the obelisk of Ramses II in the Luxor Temple , there is also the obelisk of Ramses II at Cairo International Airport , the obelisk of Tuthmosis I , and the obelisk of Hatshepsut in the Karnak Temple .
And obelisk of Senusret I in Ain Shams , Cairo .
There are other obelisks that were transferred from their original location to another location , such as : Abjeej obelisk by Senusret I at the entrance to Faiyum , and the obelisk of Ramses II at Cairo International Airport , which was also transported from San Al-Hajar .
In addition , the obelisk of Ramses II in the Andalusia Park in Cairo .
Still there is in the San Al-Hajar site more than ten obelisks on the ground and smashed .
The stones from which the obelisk is cut :
The obelisk was carved from stone , especially granite stone . The pink granite was more used for obelisks than gray granite ; this granite was from Aswan quarries , especially the eastern quarry .
Some obelisks were carved from quartzite and basalt stones .
The obelisks of individuals were carved from limestone and sandstone .
The tops of some obelisks were plated with foil of gold , electrum ( a mixture of gold and silver ) , copper or bronze .
Obelisk cutting steps:
A selection of the Royal Palace Works Department is assigned to the task of set up one or more obelisks for the King from a certain type of stone , from a specific quarry , and of specific lengths .
The expedition appeared to consist of engineers and architects , experts in the earth’s crust , stones and quarries , stonemasons and other auxiliaries .
The expedition had to wander around the quarry , which was chosen to cut the obelisk from it , and make probes ( pits with different sizes and depths in the quarry to ensure that the piece that chosen to be the obelisk is free of any defects) .
There are many opinions about the method of paving , which means getting rid of stone growths .
One of these opinions is that the workers used the available metal chisels to get rid of these stone growths .
And there are those who believe that mud bricks were placed on the surface which need to be paved . Where these mud bricks were heated , after they reached a certain temperature , water was poured strongly on them , so the water breaks the excess rocks , so that it is easy to move the excess rocks and reach the required level .
After choosing the site from which the obelisk will be cut , the process of determining the location of the obelisk according to the required lengths begins , this process done by making a groove that represents the general lines for it , then the stonemasons paved the surface of the location from which the obelisk will be cut .
The next step is to determine the dimensions of the obelisk exactly , using a rope .
White lime or soot “ charcoal “ or red ocher is used to mark the top of the obelisk .
Next , the workers prepare pits with a depth representing the circumference of the obelisk , from all four sides , then wedges ( pieces of wood ) are placed that may be wet and the wood expands , leading to partial removal of the obelisk from the mountain .
As for the final separation of the sides of the obelisk , especially the underside , it was considered one of the most accurate stages . The prevailing opinion was that grooves were dug around the obelisk in which heavy weight balls of diorite were used , which depending on their weight , could create the required separation in the sides of the obelisk .
The work groups were divided according to the number of workers , each group performing a specific task in the obelisk mission .
The architect and engineer were daily monitoring the progress of the work , and identifying the difficulties facing the workers so that they could to deal with them .
As for the period that the cutting of the obelisk took , we only have the text recorded on the base of one of the obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut , which states that the process of cutting the obelisks ( 30 meters high for each obelisk ) took seven months . Some researchers believe that this period is very short , and that cutting one obelisk may take more than eight months , taking into account the size of the obelisk , the nature of the stone , the number of workers who perform this task , and the number of daily hours that work takes .
The polishing of the obelisk surfaces was made when the obelisk is still in the quarry except for the lower rib . The obelisk was moved so that the stonemasons could deal with this surface and the final touches took place after the obelisk was moved to its site .
The stages of the obelisk transportation
1- Transportation the obelisk by land
After cutting the obelisk from the quarry , a place in the quarry must be paved , to drag the obelisk on it to the ground , then move from the quarry to the shore , then move from the shore to the temple in which the obelisk will be established . This means that part of the journey is terrestrial , and the other is Riverine .
It is clear that while carrying out this operation , the Egyptian was taking into account the nature of the land on which the obelisk would be dragged in the various stages and the nature of the river in terms of wind speed , the weight of the obelisk and the number of supervisors , workers and sailors who would perform this task .
The crawler and the cylindrical wood blocks were the two main means of overland transportation of the massive stone blocks , with the help of the human and animal power ( oxen ) .
The Egyptian determined the number of wooden cylinders required ( according to the size and weight of the obelisk) , and the distances between them , and by cranes , wooden cylinders were placed under the obelisk , then dragged from the front by humans and oxen , and pushed from the back as well until the reaching of the obelisk to the shore . The Egyptian paved the path of the obelisk from the quarry to the shore , and he thrown some fluids on the ground so that there was no friction between the obelisk and the ground , which could lead to the outbreak of sparks .
2- Transporting the obelisk by river
The Egyptian did not leave to us anything that help us to understand this stage , so that the only scene that represents the transfer of the two obelisks of Hatshepsut ( which is recorded on the walls of the Deir el-Bahari temple ) does not help much .
What is recorded on the walls of the Deir el-Bahari temple of Queen Hatshepsut explain of the scene of the obelisks being transported by the river .
The scene represents the transport of the obelisks from Aswan to Luxor , where a large ship carrying two obelisks , faces each other , and each is placed on a crawler that may have been used to mitigate the obelisk collision with the ship .
There were three groups of boats tied together linked the ship , each group consisted of ten boats in each row , and each boat had a short mast . It was clear that all the boats were tied to a thick long rope connecting the front of each boat to the mast of the previous boat . Each boat included 32 oars , a group of sailors and auxiliaries , totalling 960 men , and three commanders who were senior staff .
It must be that the ship carrying the obelisks was of a huge size commensurate with the length , width and weight of the obelisk , and the attached boats were towing the ship to the site of the obelisk .
It seems that such a huge ship was being built in Aswan , and the Egyptian was choosing the appropriate time to sail the obelisk , so that the main ship and other boats would be ready before the flood . The Egyptian directed the ship to its correct course from south to north , benefiting from the direction of the current and the wind .
It seems that there was a barrier of rubble or dirt that made at the time of the low water level of the Nile , and it was established behind the boats towards the south . And upon the arrival of the flood , the water force pushed this barrier , and then the current pushed the ship towards the north with the help of the escort boats .
Upon the arrival of the obelisk after its river cruise , the crowds received it , cheers in a decent celebration , and presents the offerings to the gods as an expression of their happiness with this great event .
Obelisk erection
The most difficult stage is the erection of the obelisk . How this stage done , while the Egyptian did not know what cranes such as “ hoists “ in the modern era that could raise such a huge mass .
It is clear that when moving stone blocks , small or large , the Egyptian used his thought and mind more than using his muscles ; this was clear through the method of handling (moving the block and lifting it by simple means that would not lead to scratching or breaking it ) .
It seems that the ancient Egyptian was familiar with the science of mechanics , and therefore familiar with the theory of inclination , and the relationship of the mass to the surrounding space .
Engineers , architects and archaeologists have varied opinions about how the obelisk was built .
There are many opinions that say that a small building is erected around the four sides of the base of the obelisk and a small tunnel is left at the end of this building . After that, a dirt pile is added in the form of a concave or around that wraps the base and then an upward sand road is added around it and the obelisk is pulled inside the pile depending on its weight and the putting a quantity of sand until it sands on the base .
Then the sand is removed through the tunnel hole in the small building and at the end , the piles and small structures around the base are removed .
The goal of building the obelisk:
The obelisk was a religious symbol for the ancient Egyptians . Because its top is conical in shape like a pyramid , this shape represents the vitality of the sun god of the ancient Egyptians .
That is why the ancient Egyptians considered the obelisk a symbol of the combination of the original mountain , “ the place where the sun was born “ , and the sunlight .
The ancient Egyptians liked placing the obelisk inside or outside the temple .
Because the obelisk is the highest building in the temple , others can see it from a distance , and when they see it , they know that this is a temple to the gods , so they must come to present the offerings to the gods .
The ancient Egyptian King recorded his achievements and contributions on the walls of the obelisk , so upon looking at these records , they will know the king’s reign , so they will always remember him .
WoW I didn't know that there is an an oblesik landmark.
ReplyDeleteKeep the hard work Mrs Mira 💪