The Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan, Egypt

The obelisk is a slender stone tower and column with four sides, and its top ends with a small pyramid for which the ancient Pharaonic civilization was famous. It was called incomplete because it was not completely extracted from its location. It was carved from pink granite stone, but it was not cut or engraved, and it symbolizes the rays of the sun descending from the sky represented by At its pyramidal top, the purpose of the unfinished obelisk is a memorial that commemorates its owner in his relationship with the god, as it is a symbol of sun worship and the beginning of creation, as it symbolizes the sun god “Ra.”

Description of the unfinished obelisk

The unfinished obelisk is one of the most prominent landmarks in Aswan in the waterfall area, and it is the best witness to the greatness and ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians in the field of design, art and construction, as it is 41.7 meters long and the side length of its section at its base is 4.2 meters, and its weight when completed reaches 1168 tons. It contains several inscriptions, and is found near the Nile in Aswan .

When was the unfinished obelisk excavated?

The unfinished obelisk was excavated during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut for the purpose of placing it in the Karnak Temple in Luxor. After the ancient Egyptian workers dug the obelisk from three sides in preparation for transporting it to the Karnak Temple, they discovered a crack in it that made it unsuitable for transporting it to the Karnak Temple in Luxor, so the workers stopped moving it.

Features of the unfinished obelisk in Aswan

As it gives its viewers pictures of how the ancient Egyptians worked in cutting stones, and also indicates the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians in thinking and construction .
The obelisk was discovered in the early twentieth century. It is also a source of granite ore for the Delta regions and other regions along the Nile River. The unfinished obelisk is considered the largest artistic painting that can express the Pharaonic monuments that were built by the ancient Egyptians during their rule .