Have you ever seen Obelisk? A stone pillar that can be seen in different parts of the world. No doubt you have asked yourself what this strange stone pillar means. and why it is seen everywhere. at the religious places such as the Kaaba, The world's largest mosque in Istanbul or the Vatican in Rome, or at the important political sites such as Washington. The obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow structure with a Benben at the top. The obelisk was originally built by the ancient Egyptians and was called Tekenu. The Greeks who saw them used the Greek term obeliskos to describe them, and the word was translated into Latin and eventually into English "Obelisk". Ancient obelisks consist of only a single stone. But most modern obelisks are made of several stones. More than 4,000 years ago ancient Egypt observed the founding of two monotheistic religions over a century. One relates to Moses, the Bible and the faith of ancient Israel which is the foundation of Judaism and Christianity. And another was a religion that originated around 1350 BC, flourished for a time and when its founder died in 1336 BC, the religion was forgotten. This ritual is called Atenism.

In the 4th millennium BC there were two distinct cultures in Egypt. One in the Delta region and the other in the south. This geographical and political dichotomy included religion. In the north the most powerful god in the Pantheon of Egypt was Ra, He is known as the sun god. The center of his sect was on the outskirts of present-day Cairo, still known as the ancient Greek Heliopolis "City of the Sun." His main symbol was a pyramid-shaped stone called Benben. The pyramids and obelisks you are familiar with, owe their symbolic form and importance to this ancient solar stone. Ra was very simmilar to another Egyptian god named Horus, and the Egyptian pharaohs were the embodiment of Horus. . One of the most important symbols of Ra and Horus that you have undoubtedly seen before is the eye known as the eye of Ra and the eye of Horus.

• 

---

But at the same time, in the southern city of Thebes (modern-day Luxury), the god Amen, known as Amun, emerged as the most powerful religious force. As its name suggests in ancient Egypt, Amen means "hidden" and is often depicted as a human with blue skin, representing the blue sky or atmosphere. The center of the main Amen sect was the Temple of Karnak in Thebes. Until about 2000 BC, there were two dominant gods in Egypt: Ra, who ruled in the north, and Amen, who ruled the south

Between 2121 and 2000 BC, northern and southern Egypt were embroiled in civil war. As a result, parallel kingdoms were established in Memphis in the north and Thebes in the south. And an 11th-dynasty ruler, Theban Mentuhotep II, was assigned to unite the people. Around 1950 BC, Amenemhat - meaning "Amen before all" - founded another dynasty called the Twelfth. He was the first to add Amen to the beginning of his name. He then moved the capital to Memphis. He called his new capital "Seizer of the Two Land" and it was from this time that Amen and Re became one and powerful god: And were called Amen-Ra; which mean, "the king of kings."

It was from this time that the obelisks were built to honor and be faithful to the sun god of ancient Egypt, Amen-Ra. It is said that the spirit of this stone god resides inside the obelisks. The ancient Egyptians placed the obelisks on either side of the entrance to their temples. Benben often made the upper part of the obelisks with gold or a natural alloy of gold and silver called electron to absorb the first rays of morning light. Of the ancient Egyptians, 28 obelisks are still standing, only six of which are in Egypt and the rest are scattered around the world.

---

This trend continued until Amenhotep IV came to power and changed its name to Akhenaten and replaced monotheism with Amen-Ra . This monotheistic religion was called Atenism. The Romans took the Egyptian obelisks to their capital, Rome, as a sign of their conquest and power (over Egypt). In the sixteenth century, the Vatican found an obelisk buried in Rome, and placed it in St. Peter's Square as a symbol of the victory of Christianity over idolatry

---