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The Unfinished Obelisk
The Unfinished Obelisk lies, in its original
location, in a granite quarry in Aswan. It
is 42m in length and was most probably
abandoned when some cracks appeared in the
rock, during its construction. Had this
obelisk been completed, it would have been
the heaviest obelisk ever cut in Ancient
Egypt, weighing nearly 1100 tons! It is
believed that it was constructed and
abandoned during the reign of Queen
Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty).
During the earliest ages, the Ancient
Egyptians knew the so-called “ Pn-pn”,
which was a pyramidal stone with a pointed
top and according to their beliefs the
“Pn-pn” symbolized the primeval hill from
which the world first appeared. Then, in the
course of time, this Pn-pn evolved to be an
obelisk usually made of granite with a
pyramidal shape on top.
Click on the pictures below to enlarge
!
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During the 5th Dynasty, the obelisk began to
play an important role inside the temples of
Ra; the obelisk being a sacred symbol of the
cult of the sun. They were erected on a
great base in an open court, and then as the
suns rays fell on its pyramidal top, the
bright light filled the Temple, giving the
people a symbol of the power of the sun.
One of the most important obelisks, which
still stand in pride in the district of El
Mataraya, was erected in front of the
entrance of the vanished temple of Re at
Heliopolis. King Senwosret I, to
commemorate
the
ceremony of the “Heb-sed”, dedicated it
to the temple.
In the New Kingdom, especially at the time
of the 18th and 19th Dynasties, the Kings
used to erect obelisks in front of the
different temples for religious and
political reasons. |
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