After limestone ๐๐๐๐ and sandstone ๐๐ ฑ๐ง๐๐๐, โAswan Graniteโ was the third most used rock ๐๐๐๐ by the ancient Egyptians! โAswan Graniteโ is actually a collective term used to describe all of the intrusive igneous rocks in the Aswan ๐ด๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐ area, even though they arenโt all granitic! Diorite and granodiorite ๐ ๐๐๐๐ are other igneous rocks looped into this category, even though granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ is a felsic rock (lighter in color and lower in density with more quartz ๐ ๐๐๐) as opposed to diorite/granodiorite ๐ ๐๐๐๐ (intermediate rock, less quartz ๐ ๐๐๐, both dark and light in color).
The most common of the โAswan Graniteโ rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ is known as red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ. Red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ was used for many different types of things such as vases, statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช, sarcophagi ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ๐ช, stelae ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ๐ฆ, obelisks ๐ถ๐ถ๐ถ, and for parts of buildings and temples ๐๐๐๐ช!
Quarrying of the โAswan Graniteโ started in the Old Kingdom and was even used to build the Pyramids ๐๐ ๐๐ด at Giza! During the New Kingdom (particularly 18th Dynasty), red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ became extremely popular again, especially amongst the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ช and many of them had their statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช and funerary equipment ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ carved out of this durable stone ๐๐๐๐ช!
One of the best examples of these red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช are the ones that used to line Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐. She had the red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ shipped 500 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ miles up the Nile ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ from Aswan ๐ด๐น๐๐๐ฒ๐ to the temple ๐๐๐!ย
The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช were such master geologists they even distinguished regular โgranite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟโ from โred granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถโ in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ below is a close up of a sample red granite ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ถ from my collection so you can get a better look at this gorgeous ๐ค rock ๐๐๐๐!ย
