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.