Ancient Egyptian Obelisks 

The obelisks were carved from a single block of stone, with most of the obelisks coming from the granite quarries of Aswan. The oldest temple obelisk still in its original location is a red granite obelisk of the Twelfth Dynasty pharaoh Senusret I in the Matariya area of ​​the Heliopolis district of Cairo. This obelisk is 20.7 metres tall and weighs 120 tons.

How many obelisks are there in Egypt?

According to the Egyptian Society for Tourism and Archaeological Development, there are a number of small obelisks in a number of international museums, and there are 13 obelisks inside Egypt, while the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt was able to restore some of them and return them to the way they were thousands of years ago. 

How many pharaonic obelisks are outside Egypt?

28 obelisks abroad Ironically, the number of obelisks outside Egypt is now more than double what remains in it, as there are 28 obelisks in several countries, including 13 in Italy, 4 in France, one in the United States, and another in Britain.

Why did the Egyptians build obelisks?

She pointed out that obelisks were associated with sun worship among the ancient Egyptians, and that the pharaohs erected vertical obelisks with pyramidal tops as a memorial to sun worship. The pyramidal top of each obelisk was gilded or plated with a mixture of gold and silver, so that this layer of sacred metal would reflect the sun’s rays above the temple when the sun’s rays fell on it.

Why are obelisks called by this name?

The meaning of the obelisk in the language: Obelisk in the Arabic language means a tailor’s needle. The Arabs gave this name to obelisks due to their shape. The meaning of the obelisk among the Greeks was that they called it obeliskoi, as they likened it to a spear. In the ancient Egyptian language, it was derived from the verb “takhni,” meaning to pierce the sky. 

What is the largest obelisk in the world?

The Lateran Obelisk is the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world, and is also the tallest obelisk in Italy. It originally weighed 413 tons, but after its collapse and reconstruction it became shorter, and now weighs about 300 metric tons.

What does the Egyptian obelisk symbolize?

Dr. Abdel Moneim Saeed, Director General of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities, confirmed that the obelisk was a symbol of the ancient Egyptian sun god Ra, and the pointed top of the obelisk, called “Ben Ben,” was the seat on which the god Ra sat. He explained that this top was made of a mixture of gold and silver, so when the light of the sun or moon was reflected on it at night, it would illuminate the entire temple. He added that the Pharaonic obelisks appeared in the Old Kingdom, but they spread in the New Kingdom, and the era of Queen Hatshepsut was their golden age.

What is the oldest obelisk in the world?

The oldest surviving obelisk dates from the reign of Sesostris I (c. 1918–1875 BC) and is located in Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo, where a temple to Ra once stood. One of a pair of obelisks erected by Thutmose I (c. 1493–c. 1500 BC) at Karnak.

Why did the Egyptians build obelisks?

These structures have a square quadrilateral base that tapers to an isosceles pyramid at the top, and were originally symbolic of rebirth and were used as memorials. These memorial structures were believed to attract the sun’s rays, which restored life to the body, thus allowing the deceased to be resurrected.

Are the pyramids obelisks?

In terms of construction, the tops of pyramids and obelisks were covered with electrum – an alloy made of gold and silver. However, Egyptian obelisks were made from a solid piece of red/pink granite from the Aswan quarry, while pyramids were mostly made from limestone extracted from nearby quarries in Giza.