Cleopatra's Needle

One of the three Ancient Egyptian obelisks that were re-erected in London, Paris and New York City during the 19th century. It is engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphs which commemorate military victories of Ramesses II.

This 21m tall Egyptian monument made of granite was originally erected during the reign of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III and stood in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. In 1819, the obelisk was first offered to the UK government by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali but it stayed in Alexandria until 1877 when Sir William James Erasmus Wilson funded its transportation to London.