What is the difference between an obelisk and a stele? Obelisk “Europe-Asia” The largest obelisk

The obelisks of Rome are its unique characteristic. Like no other city in the world, there are 13 ancient monolithic granite obelisks. Seven of them are ancient Egyptian obelisks, they were brought to Rome at different times during the Imperial period. The first obelisk was delivered by order of Augustus in 10 BC, and the last one was ordered to be brought to Rome by Emperor Constantius II in 357 AD. The remaining obelisks are copies and were made in Egypt by the Romans.

After the conquest of Egypt in 31 BC. In Rome it became possible to decorate the city with obelisks. Their use was varied, some, low, were installed along the main street in the Campo Marzio, among them those that are now in Florence and Urbino. Tall obelisks adorned the centers of ancient circuses: the Great Circus (Circo Massimo), the Circus of Maxentius (Circo di Massenzio), the Vatican Circus (Vaticano) and Variano (Variano). Two obelisks decorated the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus, and one served as the gnomon of a huge sundial.

Egyptian obelisks were transported by ship and unloaded at the port of Ostia, where some of them were divided into sections and cataloged for subsequent installation. Obelisks filled the inhabitants of Ancient Rome with a sense of pride. After numerous invasions of barbarians, many obelisks were destroyed, and some simply disappeared and were covered with the dust of oblivion. In addition to the architectural decoration of the city, obelisks performed specific functions of the geometric layout of the squares and were located in their absolute center. From a symbolic point of view, the obelisks of Rome expressed the idea of ​​the rise of Christianity and its desire to get closer to God.

Reference. Obelisks are monolithic granite blocks with four sides that taper towards the top. At the very top they are crowned with a pyramidal gilded arrow (point, later - a cross or a ball). The name comes from the Greek Obelìscos (spire, spear, peak). The ancient Egyptian name for obelisks is TEKHENU.

The obelisks were carved in the quarries of Aswan in Egypt and floated down the Nile on special barges. Some obelisks are colossal in size, the largest of which is now preserved in the city of Rome has a height of 32 meters. The Egyptians erected obelisks to glorify the sun god Ra. The obelisks symbolized the sun's rays that descended on the earth to illuminate it and warm everyone. In addition, obelisks were installed in front of temples and tombs, and inscriptions on them glorified the pharaohs. The first obelisks were erected in the Egyptian city of Iunu, which translates as “city of pillars,” or obelisks. The Greeks called this city Iliopolis or Heliopolis, which means “city of the sun.” It was from here, on specially built ships, that the Romans brought one of the most ancient obelisks.

One of the mysteries left by the ancient Egyptians are obelisks. It is still unknown how many of them stood in Ancient Egypt, how they were made and installed, and what the purpose of these grandiose monuments was. Some researchers believe that they served as an antenna for receiving and transmitting energy unknown to us. Others believe that this is a symbol of the divine power of the pharaohs or a symbol of fertility. Still others put forward the version that the obelisks served as an arrow for a sundial. But these are all hypotheses and assumptions, and the true purpose of using these mysterious monuments remains an unsolved mystery to this day.
It is believed that the first obelisks appeared during the V dynasty of pharaohs who ruled ca. 2504-2347 BC e. All surviving obelisks were hewn from a single piece of pink or red granite. They have a square or rectangular pillar shape tapering towards the top and ending in the so-called pyramidion. The pyramidion and the stylized sun rays diverging from it downward were covered with gold or electrum (an alloy of gold and silver). On all four sides there were inscriptions in honor of the sun god and glorifying the pharaoh, on whose orders the obelisk was made. They were installed mainly in pairs near the pylons of the temple or at the entrance to the tomb.

Currently, there are about thirty ancient Egyptian obelisks around the world located in eight countries. There are very few of them left in Egypt itself, only eight. Exactly the same number is located in the capital of Italy. Stone needles created in ancient times by the Egyptians, after the Roman conquest of Egypt, were brought to Rome and installed in various parts of the city. Five more old needles standing in the Eternal City were made in Egypt during the Roman period at the request of wealthy Romans, or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals. So Rome can safely be called the capital of obelisks. Well, below is a ranking of the tallest ancient Egyptian obelisks from around the world

1. Lateran Obelisk. Rome
The tallest surviving ancient Egyptian obelisk. The height of its needle is 32.18 meters, and if you add a base with a cross, the height will reach 45.70 meters. Its “historical homeland” is the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak, where it stood approximately from the 15th century BC. In 357, at the behest of Emperor Constantius II, the obelisk was delivered to Rome and installed in the central part of the Great Circus (Circo Massimo). It is unknown when the obelisk, which fell and split into three parts, was dug up in 1587. After a short restoration, in 1588 the obelisk was installed on the Lateran Hill, near the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

2. Obelisk of Hatshepsut. Karnak
During her reign, the female pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, Hatshepsut, erected about six obelisks on the territory of Karnak. One of them can still be seen today, in the Great Temple of Amun. Made in 1457 BC from one piece of pink granite, the obelisk reaches a height of 28.6 meters at its highest point.

3. Vatican Obelisk. Vatican
Vatican Obelisk - An ancient monolithic obelisk 25.5 meters high. Together with the pedestal and cross, the crowning tip of the needle, its height is 41 meters. The obelisk was delivered to Rome in 37 and was installed in the center of the Circus of Nero, where it stood unharmed until 1586. In the same year, by order of Pope Sixtus V, the obelisk was transported to the Vatican. On September 10, 1586, the ancient monument was erected in the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica. This required 44 winches, 140 horses and 900 workers. An interesting legend is associated with the obelisk. According to it, the ashes of the great Gaius Julius Caesar were supposed to be in the ball fixed at the top of the obelisk. However, when opening the ball. all in the same 1586, only a little city dust was found inside

4. Obelisk of Ramses II. Luxor
The obelisk was erected during the reign of one of the greatest pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, Ramses II, also known as Ramses the Great. During the 67 years of his reign, he installed more obelisks than any other pharaohs. True, most of the obelisks of Ramses are relatively small in size, but the two installed in front of the first pylon of the Luxor Temple are quite large. Now in Luxor you can see only one red granite needle standing alone on the left side of the pylon. Her right sister, known as “Cleopatra’s Needle,” went to Paris in the 19th century, where she acquired a permanent residence permit on the Place de la Concorde. The obelisk of Ramses II, with its “height” of 25 meters, is the second tallest of those remaining in Egypt.

5. Obelisk of Flaminio. Rome
In Rome's Piazza del Popolo stands one of the 13 obelisks of the capital of Italy, known as the Flaminio obelisk. This is the very first obelisk that the Romans stole from conquered Egypt. Made during the time of the pharaohs Ramses II and Seti I (13th century BC), the obelisk was brought to Rome in 10 BC. and installed in the central part of the Circus Maximus (almost 300 years later the Lateran Obelisk will be added to it). In 1587, the broken obelisk was dug up and sent for restoration. In 1589, by the decision of Pope Sixtus V and under the leadership of the architect Domenico Fontana, it was installed in Piazza del Popolo. The height of the obelisk is 24 meters, weight is 235 tons.

6. Luxor Obelisk. Paris
The Luxor Obelisk, sometimes called "Cleopatra's Needle in Paris," stands on the largest square in the French capital. This obelisk, which once stood at the entrance to the Luxor Temple, was presented to France in the early 30s of the 19th century by the Egyptian nobleman Muhammad Ali. On December 21, 1833, the obelisk was delivered to Paris. Three years before the decree of King Louis Philippe I, it “gathered dust” on the outskirts of the capital. On October 25, 1836, according to the will of the monarch, a monolithic obelisk 23 meters high was erected in the center of the Place de la Concorde. The Luxor Obelisk is the oldest monument in the French capital

7. Obelisk of Thutmose I. Karnak
One of the twin obelisks made of red granite that have survived to this day, erected by Pharaoh Thutmose I in the Great Temple of Amun-Ra in Karnak. The obelisk and pedestal bear hieroglyphs glorifying the pharaoh and his deeds. The monument is interesting because, in addition to Thutmose I, they also left their “autographs” other rulers of Egypt. Almost three centuries later, the descendants decided that the obelisk of Thutmose I was standing idle in vain and, in addition to the existing ones, they placed hieroglyphs on it in honor of Ramesses IV, which in turn were corrected by Ramesses VI. The height of the obelisk is slightly less than 21.8 meters, weight is approximately 140 - 160 tons

8. Obelisk at Palazzo Montecitorio. Rome
Made in ancient Egypt in the 6th century BC, the obelisk was delivered to Rome from Heliopolis in 10 BC at the behest of Emperor Augustus. In the Eternal City, a stone needle was stopped on the Field of Mars, like the hand of a huge sundial. In the mid-18th century, Pope Benedict XIV gave instructions to dig up an obelisk that had fallen and was buried under the earth. During the excavations, it was discovered that it was broken into several parts. The monument was restored for a long time, restoring its integrity. At the same time, as a reminder of the obelisk’s past purpose, a globe with a hole was attached to its top, through which at noon a ray of sunlight was supposed to pass and fall on a special mark on the ground. In 1790, the restored obelisk was installed in Piazza Montecitorio. The height of the needle is 21.79 m, and with the pedestal and tip it reaches 33.97 meters

9. Cleopatra's needle. NY
In 1869, in the hope of establishing friendly relations with the Americans, the then Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, offered them a 3,500-year-old obelisk of Thutmose III made of red granite as a gift. The Yankees did not refuse a strange and unexpected gift. Moreover, there were people ready to finance and ensure the delivery of the monument across the stormy Atlantic to the States. Funds for transportation (100 thousand dollars) were allocated by one of the richest people of that time, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and to manage the delivery operation was so The unusual cargo was taken on by retired naval officer Henry Gorringe. On June 12, 1880, the obelisk loaded onto the ship Denton departed from the coast of Africa for a voyage across the ocean. With minor adventures (the propeller shaft was broken and the ship was sailing for 1,300 miles), the obelisk safely reached New York on July 20, 1880. After some time, the final, almost four-month journey of the monument through the streets of New York began. To transport it, a temporary railway was laid along one of the avenues. On January 22, 1881, the 21 meter "Cleopatra's Needle" was successfully installed on a pedestal in New York's Central Park.

10. Cleopatra's needle. London
The obelisk is a monolith just under 21 meters high, carved from red granite in the Aswan quarries in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. From approximately the 15th century BC. e and to the 1st century BC. e stood in Heliopolis. Presumably during the reign of Octavian, Augustus was transported by the Romans to Alexandria. In 1819, Pasha Muhammad Ali, continuing to squander the monuments of ancient Egypt, gave the obelisk to the British. However, due to lack of money for transportation, he remained in Alexandria until 1877, when Dr. Erasmus Wilson allocated money from his personal funds to transport him to London. With great difficulty, on January 21, 1878, the obelisk was delivered to the capital of Great Britain. Almost eight months later (September 12, 1878) it was installed on the Victoria Embankment, where it can still be seen

Both obelisks and steles in different historical eras were made of different materials: marble, granite or some other stone, even. Inscriptions were applied to both obelisks and steles. These memorial signs differ in their shape.

An obelisk is most often in the form of a pillar, tapering upward. Most often, such a column has a square cross-section, but there are also obelisks in the form of a cone. The stella looks like a slab, not a pillar.

Obelisks

The word “obelisk” is Greek, but the very first obelisks appeared not in Greece, but in Ancient Egypt. They were made from red granite. It was no easy task! Thus, the inscription above one of the Egyptian obelisks located in Karnak says that it took seven whole months to make it!

Egyptian obelisks are tetrahedral tapering pillars. On all four faces, hieroglyphic inscriptions were carved in which the Egyptians praised their gods, first of all, the sun god Ra, as well as those also considered gods. Many obelisks are decorated with pyramidal tops covered with an alloy of silver and gold.

The tradition of building obelisks from the Egyptians was borrowed by many peoples of the Ancient World. Obelisks began to be erected in Phenicia, Assyria, and Ethiopia.

After conquering Egypt, the Romans transported many Egyptian obelisks to Rome. After this, Rome began to erect its own obelisks, but they also had a practical significance: they were used as sundial columns.

In Europe, the tradition of erecting obelisks was forgotten in the Middle Ages, but was resurrected during the Renaissance and has not been interrupted to this day. In Russia, obelisks began to be erected under Catherine II.

The tallest obelisk in the world is located in Washington (USA) between the Capitol and the White House. This is the Washington Monument, its height exceeds 169 meters.

Stella

Like obelisks, steles appeared in ancient times. One of the most ancient steles is the one on which the code of laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who ruled in 1793-1750, is inscribed in cuneiform. BC. This stele is made from diorite, a rock of igneous origin.

Another famous ancient stele is known as the Rosetta Stone. This stele was found in Egypt, and what is remarkable about it is that the text on it is inscribed in three versions: in ancient Egyptian - in hieroglyphs and later demotic writing, and in ancient Greek. Scientists have long known the ancient Greek language, and thanks to the Rosetta Stone the ancient Egyptian texts began.

But steles were especially loved in China, where they were erected both at the behest of emperors and at the initiative of temples. In this country, in the city of Xi'an, there is even a museum called "Forest of Steles", where you can see steles created during different periods of Chinese history.

Which is located in Lebanon. And until now I was sure. that this particular stone called “Southern Stone” is the largest - it lies in a quarry near Baalbek. The dimensions of this stone block are 23 m long, 5.3 m wide and 4.55 m high. She weighs approximately 1000 tons.

It turns out that this is not the case. The largest processed stone in the world HERE:

The obelisk (entrance 1OLE.) is located on the eastern bank of the Nile, a kilometer from the center of Aswan. To get to the obelisk you need to go along El-Bandar St. Nearby are several tombs with round roofs from an ancient cemetery from the Fatimid era. The obelisk, fused with the rock from which they wanted to carve it, lies all its weight (1200 t) and the entire length (42 m) on a granite bed.

Queen Hatshepsut intended to erect the obelisk, but the obelisk was abandoned and left unfinished because several cracks were found in it. For this reason it was never separated from the rock. If it had been erected, it would have been the largest obelisk known to us. It is surrounded by ancient quarries stretching for almost 6 km, where workers worked to extract huge stone blocks for the construction of temples and palaces.

It was hell of a job! It was necessary to chisel the rock with a hard stone in order for sufficiently wide and deep cracks to appear. Wooden wedges were driven in there and water was poured over them, and as the wedges expanded, they split the rock. The work was carried out on three sides, with endless precautions at all stages so as not to split the stone block. In accordance with the intended purpose, the block was ground on site. Then he was placed on a wooden sleigh, which was pulled either by animals or people, lowering him to the water, to a special platform.

It was built from construction waste, on which masons placed several layers of brick, covered with a thick layer of wet mud. The barge, which was supposed to transport stone blocks, was placed near the shore before low tide. The barge ran aground, and now it was possible to load it. At the next flood, the platform was again on the water and ready for transportation. Unloading was carried out in the same way.

Considering the primitive soft metal tools of the ancient Egyptians, the obelisk at the Northern Quarry shows us an amazing feat of technology. During excavations, archaeologists learned a lot about stone-cutting techniques. And even the mistake that the builders made during its construction did not prevent it from being motionlessly attached to the rock for more than 3,000 years!

When hearing the word Ancient Egypt, the vast majority of people naturally associate it with pyramids or mummies. But an equally famous type of monumental architecture of the ancient Egyptians are obelisks. The word "obelisk" is of Greek origin, meaning skewer or skewer, and appeared in the late period when the Greeks established close contacts with Egypt. The Egyptians themselves designated the obelisk as “ben-ben.” This was the name of a pyramid-shaped stone that fell from the sky at the beginning of time and was installed on a pillar in the sacred capital city of Innu (the Greeks called it Heliopolis). This ben-ben stone, placed on a pillar, was hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated in the Phoenix Temple, but, as is known, it disappeared in ancient times. The obelisk repeats the shape of the ancient sacred ben-ben in the form of a regular square pillar with a pyramidal top pointing into the sky.

It is known that the tops of obelisks were usually covered with gold or copper, which, of course, have not survived to this day. Almost all known obelisks were made of pink granite, which was mined in quarries located near the first cataract of the Nile, where the modern city of Aswan lies today. Here the Nile cuts through the rocky body of the Nubian Plateau and finally breaks out onto the plain, taking on its usual majestic dimensions. In the Aswan quarries, the Egyptians mined pink granite since the era of the Old Kingdom and, possibly, earlier. Pink granite was undoubtedly a special rock for the ancient Egyptians. The most important architectural and sculptural forms were created from it: temple portals, sarcophagi, statues of kings and, of course, obelisks.

Naturally, not all of them have reached our time. Moreover, most of them today are located outside of Egypt. After establishing their dominance here, the Romans began actively exporting obelisks to Rome, without especially considering the physical and financial costs. And today there are 13 obelisks in the Eternal City. In the 19th century, the French and British staged a real hunt for ancient Egyptian antiquities, not neglecting obelisks that weighed several hundred tons. Therefore, today Egyptian obelisks from three thousand years ago can be seen in Paris, London and even New York. According to surviving sources, the construction of obelisks reached its greatest flourishing during the New Kingdom period (XVI-XI centuries BC). The most famous pharaohs of this time, Thutmose III and Ramesses II, especially “distinguished themselves” in the construction of granite monoliths.

The latter is believed to have erected 23 obelisks during his reign. The average height of large obelisks was 20 meters, weight exceeded 200 tons. One of the obelisks made under Thutmose III is now in Rome and has a height of 32 m. About a third of the 27 obelisks that have survived to this day do not exceed a height of 10 m. Almost all obelisks known today are covered over the entire surface with hieroglyphic inscriptions glorifying the king and his deeds. Obelisks were dedicated to the supreme solar deity and, as a rule, were installed in pairs. The technology for producing sacred stone pillars included three stages: cutting the monolith from the mother rock and polishing it, transporting it to the construction site and, finally, installation. All three technological stages are considered quite well known, since a number of written sources have reached our time describing the production of obelisks and a set of images from funerary structures and temples, which reflect the different stages of this process. It is believed that cutting down the stone was carried out in the following way: first, holes were cut out in the rock, positioning them in a straight line, then wooden wedges were driven into them and water was poured over them. The tree swelled and broke the rock. The resulting blocks were leveled using saws and, if necessary, polished.

Even the ancient Roman historian Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) mentions that the process of sawing stone was carried out using thin saws, under the blade of which fine sand was constantly poured, which served as an abrasive. Transportation of stone blocks was carried out using wooden sleds, under which water or liquefied silt was added to improve their sliding. Numerous images of such sleds are well known both in fine art and in archaeological finds. This is how the stone was moved over short distances. Long-distance transportation was carried out along the Nile using special barges pulled by small rowing ships. When transporting large monoliths, there could be several dozen such ships. The installation of the obelisk was carried out using an inclined embankment, which was a brick structure divided into numerous compartments filled with sand and rubble. The embankment had a very slight slope and, accordingly, a very significant length. The obelisk was dragged along it with the lower end first and erected on a pedestal.

It would seem that this historical issue can be considered well studied and does not raise any doubts. However, facts are stubborn things, especially those that lie, in the truest sense of the word, on the surface. A significant part of the ancient Aswan quarries has already been absorbed by the territory of the modern city of Aswan. These granite quarries contain the only obelisk in Egypt that remains unfinished, i.e. not completely separated from the mother rock. And this is what raises a whole series of paradoxical questions that modern science cannot answer. First of all, it should be noted that this is the largest obelisk known in Egypt. Its length is 41.8 m! The Aswan obelisk does not have any inscriptions, so it cannot be dated. But due to its gigantic size, the obelisk dates back to the time of the Old Kingdom, i.e. to the era of the Great Pyramids. The obelisk is located on the surface and lies at a slight angle, following the direction of the layers of the granite massif.

Along its entire perimeter, the monolith is surrounded by a narrow trench less than 1 m wide, which follows the contour of the obelisk. Thus, it turns out that the obelisk was hollowed out of the rock, and the work was carried out from above, and not from the sides. What instrument was used here? It is clear that there is no need to talk about the use of saws here. The sides of the obelisk and the surrounding trench bear traces of a large rounded tool. The width of the trace is 27 cm. The Italian researcher A. Preti in the late 80s of the last century suggested that the traces were left by a rotating cutter, which the ancient Egyptians used to cut a monolith from the rock. Where could the ancients have such a tool? However, similar traces are found in abundance on horizontal surfaces around the obelisk. And they look more like marks from a giant chisel. But is it possible to imagine a chisel with a working edge of 30 cm, cutting granite like plasticine? On the monolith itself, by the way, there are numerous traces of cuts and traditional splitting techniques using wedges.

But they were clearly left in later times and these attempts did not cause significant damage to the monolith. It was not possible to split or saw it. It is believed that the Aswan obelisk remained unfinished because an error was made during the work and the monolith cracked. Indeed, the upper part of the obelisk is crossed by a longitudinal crack, which has disrupted its integrity. But the reasons for such a fault do not necessarily lie in the miscalculations of the builders. This could be, for example, the result of an earthquake. We should not blame the ancient engineers who were able to complete such a volume of work for stupidity or negligence, especially since the method of solving this technical problem is not clear to us. Moreover, the problem can be posed somewhat differently: since the ancients carved such a monolith, it means they were going to transport it somewhere and install it. And then a number of more questions arise. Firstly, how can a monolith located inside a rock and surrounded by a narrow trench around the perimeter be separated from this rock? After all, the obelisk lies on a rock; only its lower wall remains intact. How can saws be used in such a situation? Cut through forty meters of granite rock horizontally without disturbing the straight plane and avoiding the monolith breaking under its own weight? The literature gives different figures for the weight of the Aswan monolith, but on average they fluctuate around the figure of 1200 tons. This is the heaviest artificial monolith in the world! Although it is not very clear why such a figure appears.

It is clear that no one is able to weigh such a giant and its weight is calculated arithmetically. Although the obelisk remained intact from the rock, its planned dimensions are well known. The height should have been 41.8 m, the obelisk has a square cross-section with sides 4.2 m by 4.2 m. Its sides stretch parallel throughout, only narrowing at the top and forming a peak. With an average density of granite of 2600 kg per cubic meter. It is easy to calculate the weight of the monument. And if we do not take into account a slight correction for the narrowed top, the estimated weight of the Aswan obelisk should not have been close to 1200 tons, but would have been approximately 1900 tons! It is clear that there was nothing like the Aswan obelisk either in the ancient world or in the modern history of mankind. And the ancient engineers were going to move such a monolith somewhere and then install it.

The Guinness Book of World Records is full of examples of people single-handedly moving heavy vehicles, airplanes, and railroad cars. But in all these cases we are talking about huge loads placed on wheels and they must be moved on a flat horizontal surface. How can one solve the problem of transporting a single monolith weighing almost 1,900 tons over uneven mountainous terrain? And the mysteries associated with the Aswan obelisk do not end there. Ten meters from the obelisk there are two vertical wells or shafts, drilled vertically into the body of a granite rock. Their depth is approximately 3-4 m, diameter - about 80 cm. The shape of the holes is something between a circle and a square. Antiquities inspectors working in Aswan explained that the Egyptians dug these wells to determine the direction of cracks in the rock mass. Perhaps this explanation is correct; there are not two such wells on the territory of the quarries, but about ten. But the question remains: what tool was used? The fact is that the walls of the wells have a smooth, uniform surface without any traces of chips; one gets the feeling that the rock was simply removed using an installation similar to that used for drilling wells.

This is how the obelisk was hollowed out

Only here we are talking about granite. The art of processing this hard volcanic rock reached unprecedented heights in Ancient Egypt. And it evokes not only respect, but also amazement. Indeed, it is impossible to explain everything by the principle “persistence and work will grind everything down.” This is not enough. The examples of ancient Egyptian granite architecture that have reached us demonstrate not only the highest level of processing and construction technology, but also require the ancients to have sufficiently advanced knowledge in the field of natural sciences. Moreover, the closer we come to the origins of Egyptian civilization, the higher these indicators are. The construction technology exhibited by the Giza Plateau monuments has not since been surpassed or improved upon. On the contrary, there is a process of degradation of many aspects of early Egyptian civilization that we observe in the 3rd millennium BC. during the period of the Old Kingdom.

The very phenomenon of the emergence of such a cultural complex with an ordered system of hieroglyphic writing, a developed calendar, and a developed technology for monumental construction causes genuine amazement. And in this aspect, the ideas of those researchers who consider Ancient Egypt the heir of an even more ancient and more developed civilization, the traces of which have reached us very few, are completely appropriate and legitimate. But there are such traces, you just need to not ignore them, be able to study them and interpret them correctly.

This is what the obelisk was supposed to become in the future:

Or, for example, like the famous Luxor Obelisk, which now stands in France.

For comparison, the height of the obelisk reaches 23 meters, the weight is equal to 220 tons, age – 3600 years. On all four sides of the monument there are hieroglyphs and drawings that were carved in honor of Ramesses II. The most important moments of his transportation from Egypt to Paris were also captured on the Luxor obelisk. On both sides around the monument in the mid-19th century, the architect Hittorf created elegant fountains that still function today. In 1999, the peak of the obelisk was dressed in a gold tip, the casting of which took one and a half kilograms of gold of the highest standard.

In the southern part of Aswan there was once an area where ancient granite quarries were located. It was considered the most valuable stone used for construction in Egypt. Now this square interests tourists because of the monument there, which is still attached to one of the rocks - an unfinished obelisk.

In general, the Northern Quarry itself is a great place to visit for those interested in studying ancient technologies. It was famous for its production of granite, which was used in the construction of the burial chamber of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and as casing stone in other pyramids. Every rock in it shows the imprint of ancient stone cutters.

The northern quarry area has only recently been excavated. Previously unknown granite objects were found here, including fragments of columns and statues. To the south of the obelisk, archaeologists discovered an inscription dated to the 25th year of the reign of Tuthmose III. Also near it, niches of seven more large obelisks were excavated, which today are located in the temples of Karnak and Luxor.

An entrance ticket to the open-air museum, as the Northern Quarry is also called, will cost 30 EGP.

The northern quarry is located next to the Fatimid cemetery, in the southern part of Aswan. It is easily accessible by taxi or by walking uphill from the Nubian Museum.

More and more secret corners and previously unexplored places are opening up in the Aswan quarries. Here you can see the bed of the obelisk(s) of Thutmose III with your own eyes. Why Thutmose III? Because it was his workers who wrote right on the wall of the quarry about the extraction of two obelisks for His Majesty

In the 23rd year of his majesty, the mighty Horus “refers to the king” of Kemet” Egyptian name” “who is blessed by Nakhebet and Wajet” the vulture goddess of Upper Egypt and the cobra snake of lower Egypt” Eternity to him who is like Ra “the Sun” in the sky. The living god, master of offerings “and “ structures of the beloved gods, king of Upper and Lower Egypt- (Men –Kheper-Ra), child of Ra of his body, his beloved ( Thut-moses III) master of offerings, he who is given the life as the Sun forever, made with love two great obelisks in the abode of Amun, in the Karnak.”

Aswan is a city in southern Egypt, located on the right bank of the Nile River, approximately 865 km from Cairo. One of the driest populated areas on the planet. Population – 275,000 people (2008).

Aswan was a trading center on the caravan route for many centuries. Even in ancient times, trade flows from Nubia and back passed through the city, which occupies the right bank of the river. Today, the streets of Aswan do not sell ivory and precious wood, but Egypt's third city is filled with aromas and spices that arrived from the south. Local markets are reminiscent of Sudanese bazaars in their color and smells.

Numerous tourist ships operate between Aswan and Luxor. On the way, they usually make stops in Kom Ombo and Edfa, where they can explore the beautifully preserved ancient temples.

The bulk of tourists come to Aswan during the winter months. At this time, the city is filled with crowds of tourists.

Aswan has a charming Botanical Garden, the cottage and mausoleum of the Aga Khan, the ruins of the Monastery of St. Simeon and the Nubian Museum, which is located somewhat on the outskirts. The museum covers an area of ​​50,000 m², and includes not only exhibition halls, but also a library, educational centers, and a green park around.

sources
http://www.95live.ru/
http://tourweek.ru/
http://www.yestravel.ru/
http://www.egypt-best.ru/

And I’ll remind you about, and also remember The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Obelisks are associated with the cult of the sun. They taper upward, are hewn out of monolithic stones, they have a pyramidal top (pyramidion), often lined with metal (gold) to shine brightly and shine in the sun. They were often placed in pairs at the pylons of the entrance to temples, as well as one at a time in the central part of the square in front of the temple. In our time, only a few obelisks remain in Egypt, standing in their original place - most of them were taken to other countries. In the main cities of Europe and America, there are about 15 of these large monoliths in large areas. The largest, weighing over 1000 tons, was never completed and still lies in the quarries of Aswan.

What are obelisks for? (versions):

Obelisks were built for “communication with the gods” and were intended forflow stabilization and conservationbiological time.

- Perhaps the obelisks serverepeater antennasenergy of a certain property, used by alien civilizations to control and manage humanity?

Some scientists believe that the obelisk is partnavigation equipmentfor alien ships, installed on top of the tower inHeliopolis.

Here are some famous obelisks of the world. Most of them are installed in Rome.

1 . Obelisk Feodosia in Istanbul, a porphyry monolith, 25 m high, brought from the Egyptian temple at Karnak, where it was erected in honor of Thutmose III. The marble base, six meters high, is decorated with bas-reliefs.

2 .Luxor Obelisk at Place de la Concorde (France). Created around 1285 BC. Decorated the entrance to the temple in Luxor in Egypt, donated to FranceEgyptian Viceroy Muhammad Ali in 1830.

3. P An obelisk stands in front of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano Laterano, the tallest of the thirteen obelisks (47 meters) installed in the squares of Rome.The obelisk dates back to the era of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 357, Emperor Constantine II, son of Constantine the Great, decorated the Circus of Massimo with this obelisk. When the Circus of Massimo fell into ruins, by order of Sixtus V, the obelisk was pulled out, restored and installed in front of the entrance to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano.

4 . Obelisk Flaminia. Rome. height 24 meters was built for the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesse in 1232-20. BC.

5 . An Egyptian monolithic obelisk made of granite, 16.53 meters high, rises in the center of Piazza Navona in Rome.

6 . Obelisk Minerva arrived in Rome along with the twin obelisk that is now at the Pantheon for the Temple of Isis. This small obelisk, 5.5 meters high, appeared in front of the church in 1667 by order of Pope Alexander VII.

7 . N and in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican there is an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome in 37 by Emperor Caligula. The 25.5 meter high obelisk is made of pink granite.in 1586, Pope Sixtus V ordered the architect Domenico Fontana to install it in the square. He replaced the golden ball that once crowned the obelisk with a Cross with a piece of the Holy Cross

8. A magnificent staircase with 135 steps rises to the Trinita del Monti church. At the top of the stairs in front of the church, an obelisk 13.91 m high was erected in 1789.This obelisk was carved in Egypt on behalf of the Romans. In 200 or 300 it was taken to Rome to decorate the gardens of Salust.

9 . The columns of the Pantheon (Rome) were made of 15 m long granite blocks brought from Egypt. The portico of the building faces the small square of the Rotunda, on which there is a fountain created in 1711 during the time of Pope Clement XI. The composition of the fountain uses an obelisk 6.34 m high, found on the site where the Temple of Isis was located in ancient times.

10 . Obelisk on Piazza del Pololo. A square with three rays of streets extending from it - one of which leads to the Vatican. At the point of their intersection, an obelisk with a height of 23.2 m and a weight of 235 tons was installed. The obelisk was created during the reign of the son of Ramses II Merenpt (1223-1211 BC). The obelisk was installed in Heliopolis, the religious center of Ancient Egypt. In 30 BC. After the victory over Cleopatra, the future emperor Augustus ordered this obelisk to be transported to Rome and dedicated to the god Apollo, who ensured his victory.

11 . Obelisk Senusret I - the only surviving structure of ancient Heliopolis in Egypt. Its height 20,4 meters, weight - 121 ton. On the occasion of the anniversary ( heb-seda) Senusret I two obelisks were installed in front of the temple Atuma in Heliopolis (one survives) .

12. Britain's largest obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" 20.88 m high, weight 189.35 tons. Made of pink granite.It was originally installed by order of Thutmose 3 in front of the Temple of the Sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450 BC. A couple of hundred years later, Pharaoh Ramses 2 ordered his military victories to be described on the obelisk.In the 12th century BC. During the reign of Caesar Augustus, the obelisk was transported to Alexandria and installed in the temple that the legendary Queen Cleopatra once built in honor of her beloved Mark Antony.Gifted to Great Britain by the Viceroy of Egypt Mehemed Ali in 1819 in honor of the victory of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercrombie at the Battle of Alexandria.

13 . Obelisk to the first US President George Washington on the National Mall (USA). The monument, almost 170 meters high, is made in the image and likeness of Egyptian obelisks. (not original)

14 . Egyptian obelisk in New York's Central Park. The obelisk from the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III dates back approximately 3,500 years. It has been the pride of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1881 as a gift from the Egyptian government. Its height is 21.6 meters, weight is 244 tons.

15. Buinos Aires (Argentina). An artificial obelisk in honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city. height 67.5 m.

17 . in Aswan (Egypt) a 42-meter obelisk carved from stone remained unraised

18. Obelisk of Constantine . Colossus(Lacy Stone Column) was built from stone blocks by order of Emperor Constantine VII in honor of the memory of his grandfather Basil I. The original height of the column was 32 meters, it was covered with gilded bronze sheets, which were stripped and melted down by the Crusaders during the 4th Crusade (1204). Currently, the height of the column is 21 meters.