The unfinished obelisk is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. This obelisk, which is 25m long today, if it had been finished by the ancient Egyptians, would be almost measured around 41.75m (137.0 ft) and would have weighed nearly 1,090 tonnes, a weight equal to about 200 African elephants.

This obelisk was studied in detail by Reginald Engelbach in 1922. Its creation was ordered by Hatshepsut (1508–1458 BC). This piece that was left unfinished due to the appearance of some fissures in the upper part of the obelisk, is very important as it shows us how the ancient Egyptians cut and removed the obelisks.