Aswan - Unfinished Obelisk

In the Northern Quarries can be seen an unfinished obelisk (137ft/41.75m long, 14ft/4.20m across at the broader end), no doubt abandoned because of a crack in the stone. It is estimated that the completed obelisk would have weighed 1,168 tons and would have been the largest ever hewn. Round the obelisk has been cut a trench 212ft/75cm wide. On the surrounding rock faces, which are of moderate height, can be seen many traces of the work of ancient stonecutters.

The blocks were detached from the rock by boring holes along a prescribed line, driving wedges into these and then soaking the wedges with water to detach the block. Statues, sarcophagi, obelisks, etc., were usually roughly dressed before removal in order to reduce the weight for transport.