Granite quarries are located to the south-east of the city of Aswan on the right bank of the Nile and cover an area of about 20 square kilometres. Granite for pyramids, probably, was mined in the northern part. For erection of tombs ancient Egyptians used only building stones in excellent condition. One of the first pyramids, that of Pharaoh Djoser, had an inner chamber made of Aswan granite.
A pyramid made of durable and hard stone was first built for King Khufu - granite was used for the burial chamber, passageways and sarcophagus. Large quantities of granite were again used for the pyramid of Chephren and Mykerin. The 16 outer stone layers of the pyramid of Mykerin are made entirely of this rock, quarried in the quarries of Aswan.
The local quarries produced red, grey and black granite. The most famous monuments made from the local rock are: Cleopatra's Needle, crypts, sarcophagi, columns and other structures in the pyramid of Cheops at Giza. A famous landmark is the unfinished obelisk in the northern quarry, opened for viewing in 2005. It was commissioned by Hatshepsut (1508-1458 BC). It is probably the second part of the Lateran Obelisk (which was originally located at Karnak before being taken to the Lateran Palace in Rome). If completed, the approximate dimensions of the monument would have been around 42m and the weight could have been around 1200 tonnes. The obelisk's creators started 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: the monument shows traces of working tools and marking lines in the colour of ochre. In addition to this monument, rock paintings have been discovered in the granite quarry.
All quarries in Aswan and the unfinished sites are an open-air museum and are under official state protection.
