The Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan

Key Figures

The table gathers the main figures for the Unfinished Obelisk and its setting, drawn from Wikipedia, Wikivoyage and the UNESCO listing as recorded on those sites. The two length and weight figures differ slightly between sources, so both are given. Note that Wikipedia's Hatshepsut attribution is marked there as lacking a citation, which is why it is not treated here as settled fact.

The Crack and the Abandonment

The obelisk was abandoned when cracks appeared in the granite as the workers cut into it. A fissure running through the stone would have split the finished column, so the project stopped and the obelisk was never separated from the rock. Its bottom remains attached to the bedrock today.

Sources suggest it may have been meant to complement the Lateran Obelisk, which originally came from Karnak. As for who ordered it, Hatshepsut's name is attached to the obelisk in Wikipedia's account, but that article itself marks the claim as lacking a citation, so treat it as a possibility rather than a recorded fact. Reginald Engelbach studied the abandoned block in detail in 1922.

Worker tool marks and ochre lines are still clearly visible on its surfaces.

Reading the Techniques Off the Stone

Because the Unfinished Obelisk was never removed, it works as an open textbook on ancient quarrying. Worker tool marks and ochre lines remain clearly visible across its surfaces, showing where the laborers intended to free the block from the bedrock. Here the process stopped mid-way: the cracks appeared, the ochre marking lines remained, and the great block stayed in the ground.

The site is not the only remnant. A second unfinished, partly worked obelisk base was discovered at the Aswan quarries in 2005, showing that this landscape produced more than one abandoned project. The quarries and the obelisk were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list with the Nubian Monuments in 1979, a recognition that the failed block tells its own story.

For a visitor today the sight is a one-stop lesson: you can see how much labor stood between a 41.75 m column and the bedrock beneath it.

Official Prices and Opening Hours

The table shows the official ministry price list figures for the Unfinished Obelisk. Wikivoyage independently lists the site at LE220 for adults, which matches the ministry's adult price. The site opens early and closes in the late afternoon, which matters in a city where average summer highs stay above 40 C, so the morning hours are the cooler ones.

When to Go

Because the quarry is an open site with little shade, the 7:00 opening is the practical slot for much of the year. Aswan's record high is 51 C, set in July 1918, and average summer highs stay above 40 C, so a midday visit in summer is punishing. If you are touring Aswan in one day, the obelisk pairs naturally with the other northern sights.

Which Cruises Stop at the Unfinished Obelisk

Several tours in the comparison list the Unfinished Obelisk as a stop. Only one of them includes the entrance fee, so budget EGP 220 for the others unless the operator confirms otherwise. The 3-Night Cruise with Temple Tickets at $600 per person is the exception: its listing includes all entrance fees to the sights it names, the obelisk included, along with Philae, the High Dam, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut.

Abu Simbel is not part of that price. The 4-Night Cruise with Private Guide at $980 per person lists the obelisk among its stops, but its listing does not state whether entrance fees are covered, so confirm with the operator before booking. The Nile Cruise from Cairo with Flights at $1,300 per person also visits the quarry, and its listing excludes entrance tickets along with tips and all drinks.

The 7-Day Luxor and Aswan Cruise at $1,772 per person stops there too, with temple entrance fees excluded. For context on what a cruise ticket otherwise covers, see the guide to what the price includes, and browse the full Nile river cruise catalog for every direction and duration.

Where the Granite Went

The Unfinished Obelisk may have been meant to complement the Lateran Obelisk that was taken from Karnak. Its recorded size, about 41.75 m and nearly 1,090 tonnes, would have made it almost one-third larger than any obelisk the Egyptians ever erected. The obelisk and the quarry were added to the UNESCO Nubian Monuments listing in 1979.

A partly worked obelisk base was discovered there in 2005, and the scholar Reginald Engelbach documented the site in detail in 1922.

A Half Day with the Obelisk, Philae and the High Dam

A common plan combines three Aswan sights in one half day. Start at the obelisk in the northern quarry region, open 7:00 to 16:00 with entry at EGP 220 for foreign adults. Then drive to the Aswan High Dam, before taking the boat to Philae Temple, where the Temple of Isis is the centrepiece and entry is EGP 550 for foreign adults, also open 7:00 to 16:00.

Philae reopened on 10 March 1980 after its rescue from the rising water. Several cruise itineraries bundle the same three stops, such as the 3-Night Cruise with Temple Tickets, which includes the Unfinished Obelisk, Philae and the High Dam with all listed entrance fees covered. On most other listings these entrances are paid locally, so budget for them separately.