After limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 and sandstone 𓂋𓅱𓂧𓏏𓌗𓈙, “Aswan Granite” was the third most used rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 by the ancient Egyptians! “Aswan Granite” is actually a collective term used to describe all of the intrusive igneous rocks in the Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏲𓊖 area, even though they aren’t all granitic! Diorite and granodiorite 𓏠𓈖𓏏𓏏𓊌 are other igneous rocks looped into this category, even though granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿 is a felsic rock (lighter in color and lower in density with more quartz 𓏠𓈖𓏌𓈙) as opposed to diorite/granodiorite 𓏠𓈖𓏏𓏏𓊌 (intermediate rock, less quartz 𓏠𓈖𓏌𓈙, both dark and light in color).
The most common of the “Aswan Granite” rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦 is known as red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶. Red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 was used for many different types of things such as vases, statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪, sarcophagi 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭𓏪, stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏦, obelisks 𓉶𓉶𓉶, and for parts of buildings and temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪!
Quarrying of the “Aswan Granite” started in the Old Kingdom and was even used to build the Pyramids 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 at Giza! During the New Kingdom (particularly 18th Dynasty), red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 became extremely popular again, especially amongst the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏪 and many of them had their statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 and funerary equipment 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 carved out of this durable stone 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓊪!
One of the best examples of these red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 are the ones that used to line Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 temple at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦𓏥𓉐. She had the red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 shipped 500 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 miles up the Nile 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗𓈘𓈇𓏺 from Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏲𓊖 to the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐!
The ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 were such master geologists they even distinguished regular “granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿” from “red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶” in the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! The picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 below is a close up of a sample red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 from my collection so you can get a better look at this gorgeous 𓄤 rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙!
