Ancient Egyptian obelisks

Unique stone monuments famed throughout the ages and vibrant symbols of ancient Egypt, obelisks are large upright stone beams with four sides and a taper- ing end carved into the form of a pyramidion. They were used as religious symbols and were called  tekenu by the Egyptians. The obelisks were given their modern name by the Greeks, who believed that their shape resembled small spits.

Obelisks were considered sacred to the god  RÉ and were used as well as emblems of other solar deities over the centuries. The ancient texts describe their particular role on the temple sites. According to the ancient tradi-tions, obelisks came in pairs; two were in heaven and two were on the earth in every age.

HELIOPOLIS boasted obelisks from the early periods of the nation, and they were also raised at THEBES and  at MEMPHIS. The temples of THOTH, AMUN,  ISIS, KHNUM, OSIRIS,  NEITH , PTAH, and other gods normally had obelisks as part of their designated design. During  the New Kingdom Period (1550–1070 B.C.E.), the era of the vast Egyptian empire, obelisks served as a favored architectural element of the great temples. The rulers of the New Kingdom used them to adorn Karnak and other religious sites at Thebes, and the Ramessid kings had obelisks fashioned for their new capital in the Delta.

The stone pillars were viewed as endowed with supernatural significance. They were inhabited by the gods or by the spirits of the deities from the instant that they were created and thus merited offerings and special ceremonies. TUTHMOSIS III (r. 1479–1425 B.C.E.) instituted such practices for the obelisks that he erected at KARNAK. A new feast and new liturgies were adopted for the offer- ings made to the god, as the obelisks were believed to have a genuine solar significance. They were positioned according to the traditional patterns in order to reflect the cultic aspirations. The natural daily manifestations of the dawn and the sunset were symbolized in mystical fashion by these pillars, and they had to conform to spec- ifications as to height and location.

Most of the obelisks erected in ancient Egypt were of granite, quartzite, or basalt. At the  ASWAN quarry, a favorite source of stone for obelisks during the imperial period, granite was heated by bonfires and then cooled by water until the stone split; wooden spikes drove passage- ways into the desired sections. Workmen cleared a path to the stone, marking the length, which was about 100 feet. Using tools made of hard stones, the workmen began to fashion the sides of the pillar, crawling in and around the obelisk to complete their section of the mon- ument. Large boulders supported the stone being carved so that it would not crack as the workmen leveled the sides and completed the surface carving.

When the pillar was carved to satisfaction, ropes were slung around it and the stone was raised and placed on a heavy sledge. It took several thousand workmen to pull the sledge to the banks of the Nile. There, vessels waited to allow safe loading of the pillars. The unique aspect of this loading process is that the boats remained in dry dock until the pillars were safely on board. Then the vessel and the sacred cargo were slowly floated on water emptied into the dock. When the ship and the pil- lar were stabilized, the dock gates were opened and the vessel made its way out onto the Nile.


Nine galleys, each with more than 30 rowers, took the vessel and the obelisk to Thebes, where a ceremonial ritual and vast crowds awaited their arrival. A ramp was prepared in advance, and the pillar was pulled to the incline. The unique part of the ramp was a funnel-shaped hole, filled with sand. The obelisk was positioned over the hole and the sand was emptied, thus lowering the pil- lar into place. When the obelisk had been positioned on its base and fastened there, the ramp was removed and the priests and royal household arrived to take part in dedication rituals and in ceremonies in honor of the god of the stone.

Obelisks are characteristically Egyptian but have been honored by all civilizations since the fall of the New Kingdom. Few of the original pillars remain in Egypt as several capitals around the world boast at least one of these graceful emblems of faith, taken from the Nile. They remain insignias of another time and place and visions of a truly ancient artistry.