Ancient site · Aswan
Unfinished Obelisk
The largest known ancient obelisk, left in Aswan's northern granite quarries after a crack appeared in the stone, still attached to the bedrock.
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The story
The Unfinished Obelisk lies in the northern part of Aswan's ancient granite quarries, the source of many of Egypt's great obelisks. Many scholars think work began under Queen Hatshepsut, around the 15th century BC. It was planned at roughly 42 m tall and well over a thousand tonnes, far larger than any obelisk ever raised in ancient Egypt. Workers began shaping it straight out of the bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned, leaving it where it lies today. Tool marks and ochre guide lines are still visible and show how ancient Egyptian stoneworkers operated. The site is now an open-air museum and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae, inscribed in 1979.
Good to know
- It is the largest known ancient obelisk; completed, it would have stood about 42 m tall.
- It was carved directly from the bedrock, and its underside is still attached to the rock.
- Work stopped when cracks appeared in the granite, making it impossible to free and raise.
- Workers' tool marks and ochre guide lines remain visible on the surface, revealing ancient quarrying methods.