Monoliths Monoliths have appeared all over the earth. The description usually agreed upon is it is an upright stone usually from ancient times. Some are suspected to have been placed by people and others are unaccounted for. An example of one is Uluru/Ayes Rock in Australia. This monolith consists of a rock formation which is found in southwest territory, central Australia. It was discovered in 1872 and is considered the largest monolith in the world. This description goes against the definition of a monolith since it is not just one rock, but many call it a monolith anyway because it is in the middle of a plain and stands out as the only structure for many miles. While it may have been discovered by westerners in 1872, it was known by the Aborigines probably for many thousands of years and the caves at the bottom of the structure were holy to them. The next monolith is Zuma Rock in Nigeria. It is a natural monolith and looks like a short mountain with a more or less flat top. It is located in Niger State, Nigeria. The giant rock rises to a height of 980 feet over the area. It is the tallest rock in Nigeria and was used as a defensive position in native wars. Many native tribes ascribe special powers to some of the monoliths in their area. Some are religious and some are more paranormal. When one sees a monolith such as the Zuma Rock, standing tall over the landscape, it does stir emotions. There is a famous monolith in the United States. It is Devil’s Tower which is located in Wyoming. It is a massive butte. A butte is described as a mountain or hill rising abruptly from the land. Actually, this description fits many monoliths we are looking at. This one has something about it that makes it look foreboding, and maybe that is why it was given the name of Devil’s Tower. It is located in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, Wyoming. The Northern Plains tribe consider it sacred. If one likes climbing, this monolith has many cracks which make it perfect for climbing. It is 867 feet from base to summit. It was the first United States National Monument. Another monolith is Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. It is also called Sinhagiri. It is located in the northern Matale District in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Some have called it the eighth wonder of the world. It is surrounded by trees and rises above the jungle of trees about 660 feet. The area around the monolith was inhabited for thousands of years. The plateau of the monolith had a monastery there and then a palace in the 5th century. Later it became a Buddhist monastery and was later abandoned in the 14th century. It has quite a history and is a great tourist attraction. Another monolith is located in Brazil and is known as Sugarloaf Mountain. This is not to be confused with Sugarloaf Mountain in New York. It is very unique since it is a very high peak which has a relatively narrow base, making it really stand out. It rises to a height of 1,299 feet. It was said to acquire its name because it resembles a loaf of bread on its edge. There are cable cars going to the top. Below the mountain is the rain forest. Others say the name came from the fact sugar was manufactured in the area and the mountain has the same shape as the sugar molds which were used. With the incredible views from the peak, you can imagine the fantastic number of tourists who come to see this wonder. Another monolith is Torres del Paine, located in Chile. Actually, there are a few monoliths and they are located in Torres del Paine Park. There are three famous granite summits, Torres d’Agostini, Torres Central and Torres Monzino and they reach over 8,200 feet. The park has valleys and the Cerro Catedral a tall cliff, Cerro Fortaleza and Cerro Escudo which are massive walls. There is also Paine Grande is the highest peak at 9,462 feet. There is a lot to see in this park which also has glaciers. Ben Amera is the largest monolith in Africa. It is located in Mauritania. It is also known by some as Ben Amira. It is a smooth monolith rising from the sands. It is near the border to the Western Sahara. It is not a famous tourist attraction due to the fact no roads lead to it, but many photographers make it there. The reason for their interest is, this is the second largest single stone in the world. Now for something a little different and that is the three carved monoliths which stand out. They are ancient and are located in the hills of Oaxacan town of Santo Tomás Jalieza, Mexico. The monoliths are said to be in the Zapotec language. They were discovered in 2014 along with many other things. There was a large stone in the area named by the local population as the Guardian Stone, it was said when a traveler passed it, they had to request permission to continue on their journey. The natives believe the stone was once alive. The stones are made of volcanic rock. One of the stones has been re-carved by the natives and lines enhanced with white paint. Scientists knew about the ancient monoliths in Ethiopia. What they didn’t realize were the 20 stones were a lot older than they suspected. There are over 10,000 of these stones. At first, they were dated from 1,100 A.D., but this has been revised back another one thousand years. They are all located in Gedeo. Some of the stones are decorated with faces and anthropomorphic carvings. It was incredible to find so many monoliths in one area. What is the most famous monolith in the world? I guess this is not an easy decision to make. Many consider Stonehenge to be a collection of monolithic stones, but most consider the whole structure as a monolith. I guess we would have to technically consider it a collection of monoliths because of the large amounts of standing stone which make it up. But no matter what we call it, it is incredible. It is another example of lifting extremely heavy stones and putting them on top of standing stones weighing tons. Some day we are going to find out how our ancestors lifted these heavy stones without modern equipment. Anyway, as I said, not only are there monoliths all over the world, but there are many of them that fall into that general category, both natural and manmade.
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