Description of the attraction
Granite quarries are located southeast of the city of Aswan on the right bank of the Nile and cover an area of about 20 square kilometers. Granite for the pyramids was probably mined in the northern part. For the construction of tombs, the ancient Egyptians used only building stones in excellent condition. One of the first pyramids - Pharaoh Djoser - had an inner chamber made of Aswan granite.
The pyramid of solid and solid stone was first built for King Khufu - granite was used for the burial chamber, passages and sarcophagus. For the pyramid of Khafre and Mikerin, a large amount of granite was again applied. The 16 outer stone layers of the Pyramid of Mikerin are made entirely of this rock, mined in the quarries of Aswan.
Red, gray and black granite was mined at the local mines. The most famous monuments from the local breed are: Cleopatra's Needle, crypts, sarcophagi, columns and other structures in the Cheops pyramid in Giza. A famous landmark is the unfinished obelisk in the northern quarry, opened for inspection in 2005. It was commissioned by Hatshepsut (1508-1458 BC). This is probably the second part of the Lateran Obelisk (which was originally located at Karnak and then taken to the Lateran Palace in Rome). In case of completion of the work, the approximate dimensions of the monument would be about 42 m, and the weight could be about 1200 tons. The creators of the obelisk began to separate it directly from the bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned. The lower part of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock. This unfinished obelisk is a great opportunity to see with your own eyes the ancient Egyptian stone-working technique: traces of working tools and ocher-colored marking lines are visible on the monument. In addition to this monument, rock paintings were discovered in a granite quarry.
All quarries in Aswan and unfinished objects are open-air museums and are under official protection of the state.
