Transport and Erection of Obelisks in Ancient Egypt

Transport of the Obelisk

This stage was no easier than the preceding one (cutting) or the following one (erection), especially since the Egyptian left us no historical indications concerning this stage.

In order to form a conception of the process of transport we need to determine the expected route. After the obelisk had been extracted from the body of the quarry, a path had to be prepared in the quarry along which the obelisk could be dragged to ground level; it was then transported from the quarry to the Nile bank, and from the river bank to the temple in which it would be erected. This means that part of the journey was overland and the other part was by river.

It is clear that the Egyptian – while carrying out this process – took into account the nature of the ground over which the obelisk would be dragged in the various stages, the nature of the river with regard to the speed of the wind, the weight of the obelisk, and the number of supervisors, workmen and sailors who would perform this task.

The sledge and cylindrical wooden rollers were the two principal means used for the overland transport of large stone blocks, together with the use of human hands and animal power (oxen). While the sledge could perform this task for blocks that were relatively small in comparison with the obelisks – such as statues and the like – it is the cylindrical wooden rollers that can be imagined as having been used to move the obelisk.

The Egyptian determined (according to the size of the block and its weight) the number of wooden rollers required and the distances between them. By means of levers the wooden rollers were placed beneath the body of the obelisk; it was then dragged from the front by men and oxen and pushed from behind until it reached the river bank. The route of the obelisk from the quarry to the bank was prepared, and certain liquids were poured on the ground so that friction would not occur between the body of the obelisk and the ground, which might lead to the outbreak of sparks.

River Transport of the Obelisk

The Egyptian left us nothing that helps us to understand this stage; even the only scene that represents the transport of Hatshepsut’s two obelisks (recorded on the walls of the temple of Deir el-Bahari) is not of great assistance.

The scene represents the transport of the two obelisks from Aswan to Luxor. A large ship appears carrying the two obelisks on its deck; their bases face each other, and each rests on a sledge that was perhaps used to lessen the impact of the obelisk against the body of the ship.

The ship was connected to three groups of boats tied together; each group consisted of ten boats in each row. Every boat had a short mast, and a rope extended from its prow, passing over the top of the mast and ending at the stern near the rudder.

It is clear that all the boats were tied by a long thick rope that connected the prow of each boat to the mast of the preceding boat. Each boat contained 32 oars and a crew of sailors and assistants; their total number reached 960 men, led by three high officials.

The ship that carried the two obelisks must have been of a huge size commensurate with the length, width and weight of the obelisk, and the accompanying boats must have been responsible for towing the ship to the site where the obelisk would be erected. It appears that such a huge ship was built at Aswan, and that the Egyptian chose the appropriate time for sailing the obelisk, the main ship and the other boats being ready before the arrival of the inundation. They were directed on their correct course from south to north, making use of the current and the wind. It seems that there was a barrier of rubble or earth prepared at the time of low Nile water and erected behind the boats on the southern side; when the inundation arrived, the force of the water struck this barrier, and the current then pushed the ship northwards with the assistance of the accompanying boats.

Upon its arrival after its river journey the obelisk was received by the crowds who cheered in a fitting celebration and presented offerings to the gods as an expression of their joy at this great event.

Erection of the Obelisk

If it is possible to form a conception of some of the stages of work on the obelisk, the most difficult stage for us to understand is that of erecting the obelisk, and how this could be done when the Egyptian did not know of lifting devices such as the cranes of the modern era that can raise such a huge block.

It is clear that the Egyptian used his mind and intellect more than he used his muscles when moving stone blocks, whether small or large, through the method of leverage (moving and raising the block by simple means that did not lead to scratching or breaking it).

It appears that the ancient Egyptian was familiar with the science of mechanics and consequently with the theory of the lever and the relationship of the mass to the surrounding space. The opinions of engineers, architects and archaeologists concerning how the obelisk was erected have been numerous. Some hold that the matter was accomplished by placing the lower end of the obelisk in the groove that is usually found on one of the sides of the surface of the obelisk’s base; it was then raised gradually, and a mound of sand was prepared on the ground behind the levers until the obelisk became aligned with the ramp and at an angle that allowed it to be pushed directly onto the base.

(Diagram illustrating how the obelisk was erected)

(Diagram illustrating how the obelisk was erected in front of the temple pylon)

Another opinion holds that the obelisk was placed on a sledge that was dragged up a ramp until it reached the highest point of the ramp (or the point of balance); the ground beneath it was then dug away so that it settled onto the base after its edge had been placed in the groove cut in the base, and it was finally raised into position.

The matter of erecting the obelisk remains open to conjecture, a testimony to the genius of ancient Egyptian man.

A final point remains concerning the number of obelisks that still stand in Egypt. What is striking is that a vast number of Egyptian obelisks have attracted foreigners in every age and place. It is therefore no wonder that we see the Greeks and Romans transporting obelisks from Egypt to their countries, and no wonder that we learn that the city of Rome alone contains 13 Egyptian obelisks. As for the remaining obelisks that left Egypt, they adorn the most famous cities of the world (in France, England, America, Turkey and elsewhere), in addition to those that sank in the waters of the sea or the ocean during attempts to remove them from Egypt.

Egypt still retains a small number of obelisks. Some of them remain in their original positions (such as the obelisk of Ramesses II in the temple of Luxor, the obelisk of Thutmose I in the temple of Karnak, the obelisk of Hatshepsut also in the temple of Karnak, and the obelisk of Senusret I at Heliopolis in Cairo). Others have been moved from their original positions to other sites, such as: the Abgig obelisk of Senusret I at the entrance to the Fayum, the obelisk of Ramesses II at Cairo International Airport (which was also brought from San el-Hagar), and the obelisk of Ramesses II in Andalus Park in Cairo.

The site of San el-Hagar still retains more than ten obelisks lying on the ground and smashed.

References for Further Reading on the Obelisks

For further information on the obelisks the following references are available (arranged according to the year of their publication):

M. A. Lebas, L’Obélisque de Louxor, Librairie des Corps Royaux des Ponts et Chaussées et des Mines (Paris, 1839).
H. H. Gorringe, Egyptian Obelisks (New York, 1882).
J. H. Breasted, “The Obelisk of Thutmose III and his Building Season in Egypt”, ZÄS 39 (1901), 55.
G. Daressy, “Graffiti de la Montagne Rouge”, ASAE 13 (1914), 43–47.
R. Engelbach, The Problem of the Obelisks, George H. Doran (New York, 1923).
E. A. W. Budge, Cleopatra’s Needles and Other Obelisks, The Religious Tract Society (London, 1926).
R. Engelbach, “The Direction of the Inscriptions on Obelisks”, ASAE 29 (1929), 25–30.
H. Chevrier, “Rapport sur les travaux de Karnak”, ASAE 29 (1929), 134–135, pl. 1.
C. Kuentz, Obélisques. Catalogue Général des Antiquités Égyptiennes du Musée du Caire, IFAO (Cairo, 1932).
G. Bruns, Der Obelisk und seine Basis auf dem Hippodrom zu Konstantinopel, Universum-Druckerei (Istanbul, 1935).
P. Montet, “Les Obélisques de Ramsès II”, Kêmi 5 (1935–37), 104–114, pls. 1–24.
S. Schott, “Zwei Obeliskensockel aus Athribis”, MDAIK 8 (1939), 190–197.
G. Lefebvre, “Sur l’obélisque du Latran”, Mélanges d’archéologie et d’histoire offerts à Charles Picard, Presses Universitaires de France (Paris, 1949), 586–593.
Chr. Desroches-Noblecourt, “L’Obélisque de Saint-Jean-de-Latran”, ASAE 50 (1950), 257–267.
P. Barguet, “L’Obélisque de Saint-Jean-de-Latran dans le temple de Ramsès II à Karnak”, ASAE 50 (1950), 269–280.
L. Habachi, “An Inscription at Aswān Referring to Six Obelisks”, JEA 36 (1950), 13–18, pl. 3.
T. Ledant & J. Yoyotte, “Les Obélisques de Ramsès II”, Kêmi 11 (1950), 73–84, pls. 8–9.
H. Chevrier, “Note sur l’érection des obélisques”, ASAE 52 (1954), 309–313.
H. W. Müller, “Der Obelisk von Urbino”, ZÄS 79 (1954), 143–149, pl. 15.
T. Ledant & J. Yoyotte, “Les Obélisques de Ramsès II”, Kêmi 14 (1957), 43–80.
L. Habachi, “Notes on the Unfinished Obelisk of Aswān and Another Smaller One in Gharb Aswān”, Drevnii Egipet, Sbornik Statei, Akademii Nauk SSSR (Moscow, 1960), 216–235.
A. Noakes, Cleopatra’s Needles, H. F. and G. Witherby (London, 1962).
C. D’Onofrio, Gli Obelischi di Roma, 2nd ed., Bulzoni (Rome, 1967).
E. Iversen, Obelisks in Exile: The Obelisks of Rome, G.E.C. Gad (Copenhagen, 1968).
H. Chevrier, “Technique de la construction dans l’ancienne Égypte. II. Problèmes posés par les obélisques”, Revue d’Égyptologie 22 (1970), 15–39.
E. Iversen, Obelisks in Exile 2: The Obelisks of Istanbul and England, G.E.C. Gad (Copenhagen, 1972).
L. Habachi, “The Two Rock-Stelae of Sethos I in the Cataract Area Speaking of Huge Statues and Obelisks”, BIFAO 73 (1973), 113–125, pls. 10–11.
L. Habachi, The Obelisks of Egypt: Skyscrapers of the Past, edited by Charles C. Van Siclen III, Charles Scribner’s Sons (New York, 1977).

This work has been translated, and its Arabic edition appeared as follows:

Labib Habachi, Masalat Misr: Natuhat al-Sahab fi al-Zaman al-Madi [The Obelisks of Egypt: Skyscrapers of the Past], translated by Dr Ahmed Abd el-Hamid Youssef, revised by Prof. Dr Gamal Mokhtar, Archaeological and Historical Culture Series, The Hundred Books Project (23) (Supreme Council of Antiquities, 1994).
Refaat Sobhi Aglan, Al-Hurayyim: Qimam al-Ahramat wa Ru’us al-Masalat fi Misr al-Qadima mundhu al-Dawla al-Qadima wa hatta Nihayat al-Dawla al-Haditha, Dirasa Mi’mariyya [The Pyramidion: The Tips of the Pyramids and the Tips of the Obelisks in Ancient Egypt from the Old Kingdom to the End of the New Kingdom – An Architectural Study], unpublished M.A. thesis supervised by Prof. Dr Abdel Halim Nour El-Din, Faculty of Arts (Tanta University, 1999).
Mohamed Abdel Halim Ahmed Mohamed, Al-Masalat fi Misr al-Qadima hatta Nihayat al-‘Asr al-Fir‘awni: Dirasa Diniyya, Mi‘mariyya, Lughawiyya [The Obelisks in Ancient Egypt until the End of the Pharaonic Period: A Religious, Architectural and Linguistic Study], unpublished M.A. thesis supervised by Prof. Dr Abdel Halim Nour El-Din, Faculty of Archaeology (Cairo University, 2003).

Module Key Takeaways

Overland transport relied on sledges, cylindrical rollers, and lubricated paths to move obelisks from quarries to the Nile.
River transport required colossal ships and a flotilla of towboats, timed with the inundation for the journey northward.
Erection methods remain conjectural but probably involved ramps, levers, and sand mounds, showcasing ancient engineering genius.