The Obelisk of Hatshepsut: the Monolith of the Queen-Pharaoh
The Obelisk of Hatshepsut, which rises majestic between the fourth and fifth pylon of the Temple of Karnak, is the tallest obelisk still standing in the entire complex and one of the most impressive monuments of ancient Egypt. With its 29.56 metres of height and an estimated weight of about 323 tonnes, this monolith of red granite from Aswan represents not only a triumph of ancient engineering, but also a powerful political manifesto of the most extraordinary woman of Egyptian history: the queen-pharaoh Hatshepsut.
Erected around 1457 BC, the obelisk tells a story of ambition, power, engineering genius and dynastic rivalry that crosses the centuries and continues to enchant the visitors who raise their gaze towards its golden point that challenges the Egyptian sky.
Hatshepsut: the Queen who Became Pharaoh
An Unprecedented Ascent
Hatshepsut (about 1507-1458 BC) was the daughter of the pharaoh Thutmose I and of the Great Royal Wife Ahmose. After the death of her father, she married her half-brother Thutmose II, becoming Great Royal Wife. At the premature death of Thutmose II, the throne passed to the young Thutmose III, son of the deceased pharaoh and of a royal concubine. Hatshepsut initially assumed the role of regent for the nephew-stepson still a child, but within a few years she took an unprecedented step in Egyptian history: she proclaimed herself pharaoh in full title.
To legitimise her position, Hatshepsut put in place a sophisticated propaganda strategy. She had herself represented in the statues and reliefs with the masculine attributes of royalty, including the ceremonial false beard. She propagated the legend of her divine birth, according to which the god Amun himself would have taken the appearance of her father Thutmose I to unite with her mother and generate her. The erection of magnificent obelisks at Karnak was part of this strategy of legitimisation: through these monumental works, Hatshepsut demonstrated her devotion to Amun and her capacity to accomplish the feats that were expected of a pharaoh.
A Prosperous Reign
The reign of Hatshepsut, lasting about twenty years, was an era of peace and prosperity. Rather than undertake military campaigns, Hatshepsut concentrated on trade and on architecture. The celebrated expedition to the Land of Punt, magnificently documented in her funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari, brought back to Egypt incense, myrrh, ebony, ivory and exotic animals. Her building programme was among the most ambitious of Egyptian history and included the temple of Deir el-Bahari, numerous sanctuaries and, naturally, the great obelisks of Karnak.
The History of the Obelisk
A Feat in Seven Months
According to the inscriptions engraved on the base of the obelisk, the entire enterprise — from the extraction of the granite in the quarries of Aswan to the transport along the Nile up to the erection in the temple of Karnak — was completed in only seven months. This affirmation, which modern Egyptologists consider credible but extraordinary, testifies to the efficiency of the Egyptian state organisation and the determination of Hatshepsut in bringing her project to completion.
The obelisk was extracted from the red granite quarries of Aswan, the same quarries that still today conserve the famous unfinished obelisk, the largest ever attempted in antiquity. The extraction process provided for the creation of a series of grooves along the perimeter of the block, into which wooden wedges were inserted that, wetted with water, expanded until they provoked the fracture of the rock along controlled lines.
The Transport on the Nile
Once extracted and preliminarily worked in the quarry, the monolith was loaded onto a gigantic barge specially built for the fluvial transport. The journey from Aswan to Thebes, a distance of about 200 kilometres, was accomplished exploiting the current of the Nile, probably during the season of the inundation when the river was at its highest level and navigation was easier.
The inscriptions of Hatshepsut in her temple at Deir el-Bahari show the barge used for the transport of the obelisks, towed by twenty-seven boats with crews of rowers. These depictions are among the most precious testimonies that we possess on the techniques of fluvial transport of ancient Egypt and demonstrate the impressive scale of the logistical operations that the Egyptian state was capable of organising.
The Erection and the Gilding
The erection of the obelisk in its definitive site at Karnak was probably the most delicate operation of the entire process. The technique used, reconstructed by scholars on the basis of archaeological clues and comparisons with other cultures, provided for the sliding of the monolith along a ramp of sand up to the edge of a positioning pit, followed by the gradual removal of the sand that functioned as support, allowing the obelisk to slide slowly into the vertical position.
Once erected, the pyramidion — the pyramidal point of the obelisk — was covered with an alloy of gold and silver called electrum. The inscriptions of Hatshepsut affirm with pride that she used a quantity of electrum equal to "bushels of grain", creating a point that shone like the sun itself when its rays struck it at dawn and at sunset. This gilding had a profound symbolic meaning: the obelisk was conceived as a petrified ray of sun, a primordial benben that connected the earth to the sky, and the golden point amplified its solar symbolism.
The Hieroglyphic Inscriptions
The Dedicatory Text
The four faces of the obelisk are covered by hieroglyphic inscriptions that constitute one of the most significant texts of the era of Hatshepsut. In these inscriptions, the queen-pharaoh addresses the future generations with words of extraordinary rhetorical power:
"I have done this with a loving heart for my father Amun, being initiated in his secrets of birth, having perceived his beneficent power. I have not been ignorant of his majesty... I have erected these [obelisks] for my father Amun, that my actions may be remembered in this house for eternity."
The inscriptions detail also the technical feat of the construction, specifying that the two obelisks (the current one and the twin, today fallen) were extracted, transported and erected in only seven months, and that the point was covered with "the best electrum in the midst of all the earth".
The Appeal to Posterity
Particularly touching is the passage in which Hatshepsut addresses directly those who will see her obelisk in the future: "O you who will see this monument in the years to come and will speak of what I have done, beware of saying 'I do not know, I do not know how all this was done'. I swear, just as Ra loves me and my father Amun favours me, as my nose flourishes with life and dominion, as I wear the red crown and the white crown... these two great obelisks that my majesty has covered with electrum for my father Amun, so that my name may endure in this temple for eternity."
The Rivalry with Thutmose III
The Containment Wall
One of the most intriguing aspects of the history of the obelisk is linked to the rivalry between Hatshepsut and her stepson-nephew Thutmose III. After the death of Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, finally free to exercise power autonomously, undertook a systematic campaign of damnatio memoriae aimed at erasing the memory of the queen-pharaoh from the monuments of Egypt. Statues, reliefs and inscriptions of Hatshepsut were destroyed or modified throughout the country.
However, in the case of the obelisks of Karnak, Thutmose III adopted a different and in certain respects ingenious solution. Rather than knock down the monoliths — an operation that could have been considered an offence to the god Amun, to whom the obelisks were dedicated — he had a high sandstone wall built around the lower part of the obelisks, hiding the inscriptions of Hatshepsut from the view of the faithful. The remains of this wall are still partially visible at the base of the surviving obelisk.
An Act of Involuntary Conservation
Ironically, the wall of Thutmose III, conceived as an instrument of censorship, ended up protecting the lower part of the obelisk from erosion and damage, contributing to the conservation of the inscriptions that the pharaoh intended to hide. The portions of the obelisk that had been covered by the wall still show today a superior conservation compared to the parts exposed for millennia to the atmospheric agents.
The Twin Obelisk
The Second Obelisk
The obelisk of Hatshepsut currently standing originally was part of a pair. Its twin, also in red granite from Aswan and of analogous dimensions, broke and fell in an imprecise era. Fragments of this second obelisk have been found in the surrounding area and its pyramidion, still recognisable, lies near the Sacred Lake of Karnak.
These fragments of the second obelisk offer a very rare opportunity: the possibility to observe up close the quality of the engraving and the technique of working the granite that normally can be appreciated only from a great distance on the standing obelisk. The attentive visitors will be able to notice the extraordinary precision of the inscriptions and the perfect smoothing of the surface of the granite.
Engineering and Technique
A Masterpiece of Precision
From an engineering point of view, the Obelisk of Hatshepsut represents one of the most impressive realisations of antiquity. The monolith is a single block of red granite, without joints or additions, worked with a precision that challenges the capacities of the tools of the era — implements in bronze and dolerite, integrated by the use of abrasives in quartz sand. The square section of the shaft is perfectly regular and the four faces taper uniformly towards the pyramidion with a constant conicity.
The centre of gravity of the obelisk is calculated with precision to guarantee the stability of the structure. The base rests on a block of granite anchored to the foundations of the temple, without any cement or mortar: it is the weight itself of the monolith that guarantees its stability. The fact that the obelisk has remained standing for over 3,400 years, resisting earthquakes, sandstorms and human neglect, is the most eloquent demonstration of the engineering mastery of its builders.
Tips for the Visit
How to Reach the Obelisk
The Obelisk of Hatshepsut is found in the area comprised between the fourth and fifth pylon of the temple of Karnak, along the principal processional axis. One reaches it by going through the temple from the principal entrance, crossing the Hypostyle Hall and continuing towards the east. The obelisk is included in the general entrance ticket of Karnak.
Best Moments for the Visit
Dawn and sunset are the ideal moments to admire the obelisk. In these hours, the grazing light of the sun strikes the red granite creating golden reflections that evoke the ancient splendour of the point in electrum. In the early morning, the light illuminates the eastern facade of the obelisk, revealing the details of the inscriptions; at sunset, the western facade lights up with warm and profound tones.
Photographic Suggestions
To photograph the entire height of the obelisk, position yourselves at the base of the fourth pylon, where the angle of view allows you to capture the monolith in its architectural context. A wide-angle is almost indispensable. For the details of the inscriptions, use a telephoto lens: the lowest parts of the inscriptions, protected by the wall of Thutmose III, are the best preserved.
What Not to Miss
Look for the fragments of the fallen twin obelisk near the Sacred Lake: observing up close the quality of the worked granite is a unique experience. At the base of the standing obelisk, look for the traces of the containment wall of Thutmose III: the difference of colour of the granite between the parts that were protected by the wall and those exposed is clearly visible.
The Obelisk of Hatshepsut is much more than a simple monument: it is the testament in stone of a woman who challenged the conventions of her time to claim the supreme power and leave an indelible sign in history. To raise the gaze towards its summit, knowing that that same stone was erected by the will of a queen who reigned as pharaoh almost three and a half millennia ago, is an experience that no visitor of Karnak should miss.
