The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt

© George Steinmetz/Getty Images

The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt

This massive carving was to be larger than most other obelisks of 15th-century BCE Egypt. But because the nearly 140-foot creation developed a significant fissure in the stone, it was abandoned, inspiring the current name: The Unfinished Obelisk. The stone quarries here in Aswan, a city in southern Egypt, offer a glimpse of the industry that once fuelled the region’s economy.