Overview
It was probably commissioned by Hatshepsut, and it is still attached to the bedrock on one side, which is precisely why it matters: the quarry shows how the work was done. Rows of dolerite pounder marks, trenches for the workers to kneel in, and the fatal fissure are all visible. Nothing else in Egypt explains the making of a monument this clearly.
Highlights
Walk the trench along the full length; the tool marks are the exhibit. Go early or late — the granite radiates heat and there is no shade. It is a twenty-minute stop and pairs with the High Dam and Philae in one circuit.