Pyramid Stone Quarry

Stone quarries of ancient Egypt Rock temples cut directly in the rocks at the Silsileh quarrying site, near Aswan The stone quarries of ancient Egypt once produced quality stone for the building of tombs and temples and for decorative monuments such as sarcophagi, stelae, and statues. [1] These quarries are now recognised archaeological sites. Limestone quarries Quarries of limestone, sandstone and granite are scattered all along the Nile, with a greater share near the south of the delta, on the Cairo side and in its southern part.

The Giza pyramids were made with a local stone, directly extracted from the Giza plateau. These are open. A horseshoe-shaped quarry lies just south of Khufu's Great Pyramid and the Khafre pyramid causeway.

The sides of the quarry align with the sides of the Khufu Pyramid. Lehner suspected that this great pit furnished most of the local stone for the core of the Great Pyramid. The construction of the Great Pyramid is still a bit of an archaeological mystery, a papyrus discovered in 2013 reveals now where ancient Egyptians got the rocks needed to build this ancient wonder.

Quarries in Ancient Egypt The pyramid construction project had to be planned methodically from quarrying the right kind and size of stone to transporting them to Giza at the right time. The Pyramids of Gaza are the oldest among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The materials used to build the pyramids included limestone, pink granite, basalt, and mud bricks.

This quarry was the most prestigious ancient source of Egyptian alabaster, the milky white banded translucent stone that was used by the Egyptians to make vessels, statues, and architectural items. The fine white Tura limestone was used from the outer layers of the pyramids came from quarries on the other side of the Nile. Granite used as a build material came from the Aswan area.

[Source: PBS] Jimmy Dunn wrote in touregypt.net: "Many of the pyramids were built with a number of different stone materials. WHERE DID THEY GET THE STONE? Who knew Arizona was home to so many pyramids? If you've ever wondered "are there pyramids in Arizona?" you're in for quite a treat!