|
Thursday, May 20, 2004
The ad-hoc committee formed to examine the Snosert Obelisk at the Cairene suburb of Mataria has decided to start mechanical cleansing of the rose granite monument. The obelisk, 20.4 meters high and 121 tons, relates to the age of Snosert I of the 12th dynasty about 1940 BC. It is one of two obelisks that were erected at the entrance of a huge temple established by Snosert for the cult of the Sun, marking the 30th anniversary of the king’s coronation. The festivity was a tradition held every 30 years to renew the people’s pledge to the king. Al Mataria and Ain Shams (Heliopolis in ancient times) were the first source of obelisks associated with the worship of Ra, the God of the Sun. Excavations in the area revealed that the depths beneath the city of Heliopolis go back to prehistoric times. An old cemetery dating back to the second Naqada period was uncovered there. The temple of Snosert was surrounded by a huge wall that existed until the time of the French expedition to Egypt in 1798 though only traces of it are found today. A cemetery of the Old Kingdom that belonged to the temple priests was also unearthed outside the walls of Heliopolis temple. The city of Heliopolis is associated with the story of the Prophet Joseph who was reunited with his father Jacob and his brothers and housed them in Heliopolis. |
|
||||||||
Print this page 
Mail this page 