 These two masterpieces of the Egyptian Museum are made of schist and diorite, two of the hardest stones in Egypt. The head of Userkhaf (left) is from the Pharaoh's solar temple at Abu Sir and may have been extracted from the unique quarry in the northern Fayoum, shortly to become a protected area. Khafre's seated monolith (right) was found in his valley temple at Giza, and may have been extracted from the quarry southwest of Abu Simbel parent page (30 March - 5 April 2006, issue #788) |