From Luxor to Lanildut

Aber-Ildut granite quarries

From the mid-19th century onwards, the quarrying of dimension stone brought Lanildut to life. The population boomed, reaching 1,244 in 1901 (originally 600, now 855). Such was the activity that a gendarmerie post was needed, as there seemed to be some hard times on payday... The prison is located on the port.

In 1905: 1,215 ships entered the port of Aber-lldut, bringing in 1,976 tons of goods (fertilizers, fabrics, wine, etc.) and exporting 45,468 tons of granite.

With the advent of cement in 1918, quarries fell out of favor.

From 1929 to 1954, traffic was reduced to coastal barges exporting marine fertilizers (maerl) and construction sand.

The pedestal of the obelisk on the Place de la Concorde in Paris is made of Aber-Ildut granite.

In 1836, under Louis-Philippe, the Luxor obelisk was erected on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The obelisk was a gift to France from Pasha Mehemet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt. Along with another obelisk that remained in Egypt, it marked the entrance to the Temple of Hamon under Ramses II (1301-1325 BC).

Aber-Ildut granite is the only one suitable for the obelisk's pedestal: its composition is identical to that of Egyptian granite, differing only in its slightly darker color and lesser hardness.

To pay tribute to the skills of the quarrymen, a replica of the Luxor obelisk, 4.60 m tall compared with the original's 23 m, has been installed at the entrance to Lanildut.