Cleopatra's Needle

Cleopatra's Needles / Needles of Cleopatra is the traditional name of two Egyptian obelisks. Thutmosis III were built in the 15th century BC in Heliopolis (On) before the temple of the sun god.

23 or 22 BC, the obelisks were made ​​by the prefect Barbarus under the supervision of the architect Pontius from Heliopolis to Alexandria before the temple of the Caesars ( caesarium ).

During the French invasion (1799/1800) under Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the obelisk still standing in its place close to the sea shore, while the others have already overturned lay on the ground.

In the 19th century they were the viceroy of Egypt away from the Egyptian government by Mehemet Ali: The lying, almost 22 m high and 180 -ton obelisk was 1877/78 brought in specially prepared Barge Cleopatra, to Britain, where he was set up on 12 September 1878 in London on the north west bank of the River Thames ( the Victoria Embankment ). The standing, 21.60 m high obelisk went to the U.S., he was in 1880 also transported in a submarine -like special containers in tow to New York and set up in Central Park. No later than 1882 were considered by the destructive influences winter safeguards.

The now standing in New York obelisk at its original location in Alexandria