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Published: September 23rd 2009
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The unfinished obelisk
In the picture, you can see the defect with the obelisk. We got up early to head for the new dam and Lake Nasser. The "old" dam was built by Sir W. Wilcock on behalf of the British authorities in 1898. It was constructed from granite quarried in the Aswan area and the official opening took place in 1902. Mayer told us how the United States refused to help Egypt with money or construction of the dam in the 60's, but Russia jumped at the chance. Of course they could not give them money, but they helped engineer the dam. There was a beautiful lotus monument to show Egypt's appreciation to Russia. We also learned that since the dam was built the crocodiles stay in Lake Nasser instead of the Nile. We were not lucky enough to see any during our visit. Lake Nasser is the world's largest man made lake. The dam controls flooding and stores water for droughts. When the dam was built, Nubia was flooded. The government relocated the Nubians, but at a loss of their heritage and lifestyle.
After our trip to the dam we went to the see the unfinished obelisk. Obelisks were sometimes put in front of or into temples, where they acted as "antennas",
Michele at the unfinished obelisk
Michele on top of the granite quarry where the obelisk is found. drawing cosmic energy down to Earth. As religion had an overwhelming power in the lives of the Egyptians, religious artifacts, like the obelisks, were produced, transported and erected regardless of their great cost and labor. One of the really ambitious ones, which was however never finished because of a fatal crack, is the unfinished obelisk at the ancient granite quarry at Aswan. If finished, it would have been a mind-boggling 41.75 meters (app. 137 feet) high - higher than any Egyptian obelisk that were ever actually erected. Had it been finished, it is estimated that it would have weighed a gigantic 1,168 tons! Consider the level of technology available, and the fact that the main mode of transportation was by boat on the Nile. Also consider that the obelisks, erected at the Karnak temple by Queen Hatshepsut, were sailed by boat there from Aswan. That's 177 kilometers (110 miles) away in a direct line. Production, transport and erection reportedly only took months. Granted, they were a bit smaller than the unfinished obelisk, but still more than 30 meters high.
Being at the quarry, just how did they get create these giant single pieces of rock out of the mountainside?
The unfinished obelisk
Here is another vantage point of the crack. They made a row of holes 10 centimeters (4 inches) wide, and inserted wood in the holes. Then they poured water on the wood. The wood then expands by such force because of the water that the rock splits. The basic shape of the obelisk is created by rows of workers pounding the shape on the rock with dolomite rocks, or dolostone, and creating the app. 1 meter (3 feet) wide shafts at each side of the obelisk-to-be. This is possible because the dolomite is even harder than granite. To smoothen the sides, bricks are heated and put on the places that are to be treated. When the rock is sufficiently hot, cold water is poured on, and the uneven parts come off in flakes, thanks to the crystalline structure of the granite.
Today we are grateful that the crack appeared, because the unfinished obelisk gives us an insight into how these magnificent structures were created we would otherwise simply not have.
Our next stop was to the Temple on Philae's Island. This temple was saved from the rising waters from the high dam and relocated to a nearby Island. The temple looked like something you would find
Missy at the unfinished obelisk
The town of Aswan is in the background. in Greece. When we arrived, we had to board a motor boat to get to the Island. There must have been hundreds of boats waiting to take the tourists to the Island, but most were empty. The busy season is toward the end of July or this could just be a result of the recession we are in.
This Temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. These three characters dominate ancient Egyptian culture and their story possesses all the drama of a Shakespearian tragedy. The god Osiris is married to his sister Isis , which was a common practice in Egypt. Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. Isis searches for the body parts, collects them together and with her magic powers brings Osiris back to life just for one night because her magic was not strong enough to keep him alive any longer. They then conceive the god Horus. Osiris becomes god of the under world and judge of the dead - who must answer to him for their deeds on Earth. Meanwhile Isis gives birth to Horus and protects the young god. In the temple, you can
The high dam
Michele at the high dam in Aswan. see the room where she supposedly gave birth to Horus. Later when Horus is grown he avenges his father by defeating Seth in combat.
Isis is a very important figure in the ancient world. She is associated with funeral rites but as the enchantress who resurrected Osiris and gave birth to Horus she is also the giver of life, a healer and protector of kings. She was known as 'Mother of God' and was represented with a throne on her head. During the Roman period her cult spread throughout Greece and the Roman Empire. There was even a temple dedicated to her in London.
The temple at Philae was nearly lost under water when the high Aswan dam was built in the 1960s. Fortunately, the temple was rescued by a joint operation between the Egyptian government and UNESCO. In an engineering feat to rival the ancients, the whole island was surrounded with a dam and the inside pumped dry. Then every stone block of the temple complex was labelled and removed later to be assembled, like a giant jigsaw puzzle, on the higher ground of Agilka island. The whole project took ten years and has saved one of
Lake Nasser
Missy at the high dam with Lake Nasser in the background. Egypt's most beautiful temples from certain destruction.
On the way back to Aswan, we decided to stop at an essence factory and see how these wonderful oils are made from the native flowers of Egypt. We received a very informative lecture followed by a massage. They used essences that are used to treat sore muscles. We definitley enjoyed this part of the trip. In the factory, they also made hand blown glass perfume bottles. They had thousands on display. It was very hard to chose one. If it wasn't for Mayer hurrying us to get to the boat, Michele and I would still be there trying to decide on the perfect bottle!
We left the perfume factory to head for our boat. We all were a little worried if the accomodations would be comfortable, but when we saw it our worries were gone. It was fabulous. We immediately boarded and headed to the grand dinning room. The food was amazing. We all felt comfortable eating once again.
After we rested, Michele and I decided to take a taxi back to the Aswan market to look for more souveniers before the boat left the dock for Kom Ombo.
We had a few hours and that was all we needed. The market was lively. It was definitely a unique shopping experience. People constantly approached us begging us to purchase items from their little booth. We ended up with some great finds to take back to school to display.
By Missy
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