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The Obelisks of Egypt
Most of the
monoliths shown in the Obelisk pages are Egyptian in origin and were moved to their
respective locations in a mass
The first mention of obelisks in the history is from St. Epheaim (4th century A.D.), who wrote that in Heliopolis "there
are two great columns which excite admiration...On these columns are depicted
figures of the men and animals which were shown by their priestly character to
contain the mysteries of paganism." Yakut, an Arab historian of the 13th
century, wrote that locals called them Messalat Far'un, or "Pharaoh's Packing
Needles."
The Unfinished Obelisk Near Aswan
The Heliopolis Obelisk The Heliopolis Obelisk, at Cairo is considered to be the oldest surviving giant Egyptian obelisk. It is 67 feet tall and weighs 120 tons or 240,000 pounds. It is also thought to have been part of a pair, the twin having collapsed about 1200 AD.
Al Andalus Garden, Gezira Island The obelisk of Ranses II was originally in Tanis, now known as San El Hagar, 70 miles northeast of Cairo. It was transported to the Al Andalus Garden on Gezira Island, an island on the Nile near Cairo, in 1958. The reason for the move was that there were no obelisks in the capital city of Egypt. It is 45 feet tall.
Temple of Hatshepsut, Karnak Temple of Hatshepsut Obelisk at Karnak is 97 feet high and weighs 323 tons.
Karnak Temple, Luxor The Karnak Temple Obelisk at Luxor, Egypt is 66 feet high and weighs 143 tons, 286,000 pounds. It is the only one remaining of a pair of red-granite obelisks at Karnak.
Great Temple of Amun at Karnak The Seti II Obelisk at the Great Temple of Amun is about 23 feet high.
A Partial Obelisk at Karnak
A Guide to This Site An easy to read black and white version.
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