The Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan

Well, one of the most prominence stones left behind is the “Unfinished' Obelisk,” taller than any known obelisk ever raised.  The unfinished obelisk is located in the northern region of Aswan Egypt (500 miles south of Cairo). It is roughly one third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If this obelisk finished, then it’d have been measured 137 feet and weighed 1,200 tons. The creator of Obelisk started to carve it directly from bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and project was abandoned. However, the bottom side is still attached to the bedrock gives important clues to how the ancient quarried granite. 

The unfinished obelisk is basically a Greek architecture, defined as a tall and slender monument with 4 sides converging to a mini pyramidal shape at the topmost point. The Unfinished obelisk was constructed by Hatshepsut, the queen of Thutmose II, who ruled Egypt as a Pharaoh from 1478 to 1458 B.C., jointly with Thutmose III, who was then only a child.

The abandoned project provides strange insight into ancient Egyptian stone working methods, notions the idea of tools they had used visible as ocher-colored lines marking where they were working. The Aswan area is the main region of providing red granite used for ancient temples and colossi came from quarries.  The unfinished obelisk base was discovered in 2005 and still lies being hewn from the rock. Moreover, some rock carvings and leftovers may correspond to the area where most of fame obelisks were worked. Initially it was believed that the stone had an undetected flawless; however quarrying process let the cracking to develop by releasing the stress. The unfinished objects are an open-air museum and are officially protected by the Egyptian government as an archeological site

The purpose behind to done obelisk is not known, because the main tool employed for carving the granite were small balls of Dolerite. The unearthing of obelisk allows observing how they were made. Therefore, the means of separating the stone from the bedrock was a simple method used around the ancient world. Also small cavities were made in the stone, which were then filled with wood and soaked water causing it to expand. Source: Charismatic Planet

Amazing Colored Canyon of Egypt

The Colored Canyon is a narrow slot canyon located near the town of Nuweiba, on Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Therefore, it’s named derived because of its astonishing spectrum of colors and banding. The millions of years water erosion result in shaped these amazing canyons. The canyon submerged under the ocean and more than 800 meters long and flanked by 40 meters high wall. 

Nevertheless, the natural sandstone walls are colored with a range of hues from dark brown to red to straw yellow, which appears due to the presence of magnesium and iron oxides. The colorful canyon is little more than a meter wide at some parts, and every so often blocked by fallen boulders that peoples have to climb over in order to proceed. The canyon is easy to reach and its short length makes it impeccable for hiking.

The canyon offers instant colorful and intriguing rock formations in all of Sinai. Therefore, in some places the deep coloration of rocks gives the canyon walls a prismatic and metallic sheen; in others, the stone is so smooth that it appears soft and pillowy. The canyon mouth is accessible by car, giving the channel a close and secretive atmosphere. The canyon is most commonly compared to the Jordanian city of Petra, although here the spectacle is totally natural.

First Ever Fossil Museum Opens in Egypt

In the desert valley of Wadi-al-Hitan, the first ever fossil museum has unveiled by Egypt. Around 150 kilometers Southwest of Cairo, it is first museum completely dedicated to an early form of whales, now died out famous as the “Walking Whale”.  And so, the beautiful centerpiece of museum is a 37 million year old and 20 meter long skeleton of a legged form of whale that testifies to how recent times whales evolved from land mammals. Hence, the sand colored, dome-shaped Fossils and Climate Change Museum was built on a grant of two billion euros from Italy, according to Italian Ambassador Maurizio Massari. Moreover, the Valley of the Whales' museum is also home to early tools used by primary humans and numerous whale fossils exhibited in glass boxes corroborating the evolutionary transition of the early whales from land to water creatures. But how did fossils of whales end up in the middle of the hottest desert? That’s because this the valley of wadi-al-Hitan was submerged in water some 40 to 50 million years ago by a sea called the “Tethys Sea” that reached far south of the existing Mediterranean.

The Valley of Whales encompasses treasured collection of fossils and bones of a now vanished, suborder of whales, called the archaeoceti. These fossils explain one of the greatest secrecies of the evolution of whales: however, the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a preceding life as a land-based animal. Henceforth, the fossils of Wadi Al-Hitan dating back to fifty million years show the youngest archaeocetes in the last stages of evolution from land animals to a marine existence. Besides they already display the typical streamlined body form of modern whales, whilst retaining definite original aspects of skull and tooth structure, as well as hind legs. Therefore, several of the whale skeletons are in good condition as they’ve been well preserved in the rock formations. Though, Semi-complete skeletons are found in the valley and in some cases, even stomach contents are preserved.

However, the Museum was opend as part of concentrated government efforts to attract much-needed tourists, driven away by recent militant attacks, and restore confidence in the safety of its attractions. But Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy cautioned against interpreting the museum's opening as a "full endorsement of the theory of evolution," which clashes with Islam. In addition, that is a completely a different matter," he said, we’re still very confident and tied to our Islamic belief system.

Wadi El-Rayan Waterfalls, Egypt’s Only Man-Made Waterfall

Egypt is home to many of the most vital and impressive archaeological monuments in the world. The valley of Wadi El-Rayan, 65 km southwest of Fayoum city, in Egypt, is home to two large artificial lakes formed to divert surplus agricultural drainage water from Fayoum oasis. This is also home to the country’s only waterfalls. The Fayoum oasis originally drained into Lake Qarun in the north. Most memorable is the spectacular scenery of Wadi El- Rayan is the contrast between the blue waters of the lake and the golden desert sand. However, the lake can take only a definite volume of drainage water. Anything over this capacity and the lake level would rise and flood the surrounding land, every so often doing severe impairment because of the waters high salt content. Therefore, this means that the amount of water that can be used in the Fayoum is limited by the region’s maximum drainage capacity. As a result, until recently water-intensive crops such as reeds and rice could be grown only in very limited quantities. Moreover, no new land could be reclaimed without affecting swamping of prevailing farmland near Lake Qarun. 

Thus, there was a pressing requirement to find an alternative drainage basin, and the big depression of Wadi El Rayan was found to be suitable. Well, when go to back in 1974, a nine kilometers open channel and an  eight kilometers tunnel were cut through the desert from the western side of the Fayoum depression to the large, dry depression of Wadi El Rayan. Thus, drainage water flows into Wadi El-Rayan forming two large lakes. Moreover water first reaches the northern lake and when it’s overcome, a stream flows towards a deeper part of the depression, where one more lake is formed. As the course of the stream was eroded, natural rocks were uncovered and waterfalls formed over them. Moreover, Jabal Madwera, adjacent the lower lake, is recognized for its extensive dune formations.

There are several cascades on the stream, none of them taller than two to four meters. Yet, they’ve fascinated substantial attention between the local Egyptians, as various have never seen waterfalls before. Consequently, the waterfalls have also been featured in several Egyptian pop videos and movies. The waterfalls, though, will not last persistently as the level of the lower lake is frequently rising and the falls will exist only until the expanding surface area lets a rate of evaporation equivalent to the amount of water flowing into it. Thus, the lake shorelines are heavily vegetated making them flawless wintering habitats for migrating birds and breeding spot for countless fishes. Furthermore, this area is now a nature reserve and is home to the world’s sole population of Slender-horned Gazelles, 11 species of reptiles, 9 species of mammals, 13 species of resident birds, and 26 species of migrant and vagrant birds.