Granite Quarries
The old granite quarries about two kilometres from the city stretch along the Nile for about six kilometres. From the grooves which have been cut in a regular manner into the syenite walls we can get some idea of how the blocks of granite were removed. Wedges of wood were inserted into these grooves, which indicated the surface to be cut out, and then moistened. The expansion of the wood caused the stone to split along the desired directions and in this way fairly smooth surfaces were obtained which were ready for polishing. Nearby can be seen the famous «unfinished obelise» which would have been about 41 metres high with a weight of about 1267 tonnes.It was to have been erected for Queen Hatshepsut but fissures developed in several points and it was never removed from the rock.
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| Granite Quarries of Ancient Egypt |
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| Granite Quarries of Ancient Egypt |
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