Luxor Obelisk - Paris, France
Posted by: Metro2
N 48° 51.931 E 002° 19.264
31U E 450207 N 5412728
This obelisk came to France as a gift from Egypt in 1833 and placed in the center of the Place de la Concorde in 1836 by King Louis-Philippe.
Waymark Code: WMD7XC
Location: Île-de-France, France
Date Posted: 12/03/2011
Views: 94
The obelisk is 75 feet tall and weighs 250 metric tons. It is one of a pair of obelisks which once stood at the Temple of Luxor in Egypt. It is 3300 years old.
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"The obelisk, a red granite column, rises 23 metres (75 ft) high, including the base, and weighs over 250 metric tons (280 short tons). It is decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II.
Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat: on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the complex machinery that were used for the transportation. The obelisk is flanked on both sides by fountains constructed at the time of its erection on the Place.
Missing its original pyramidion (believed stolen in the 6th century BCE), the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998."