Few Non-visitors Are Aware of the 3,500-Year-Old Obelisk in NY’s Central Park

Nestled amidst the lush greenery of Central Park lies the oldest outdoor monument in New York City: Cleopatra’s Needle. The tale of how this imposing ancient Egyptian obelisk got there, as well as how it got its name, could easily be the subject of a Hollywood blockbuster.

The Ancient History of Cleopatra’s Needle

Hewn from red granite and crafted in Heliopolis, an ancient city northeast of present-day Cairo in Egypt, Cleopatra’s Needle stands at a towering height of 68 feet (20.7 m) and weighs approximately 224 tons (203 metric tonnes). Understanding its storied history is crucial to comprehend how it made its way to New York.

Despite its name, the 3,500-year-old obelisk was actually one of a pair, crafted during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III in about 1450 BC—about 13 centuries before Cleopatra assumed the throne. Obelisks were engineering marvels of their time, used by ancient Egyptians as commemorative monuments erected to honor pharaohs or gods and described by Egyptologist Bob Brier as ancient skyscrapers.

Created to celebrate the 30th year of Thutmose III’s reign, each was carved from a single piece of quarried stone. The monument is adorned with hieroglyphs that depict Thutmose’s military achievements, alongside prayers and hymns. Two hundred years later, Rameses II added his own hieroglyphs into the mix.

The Thutmose Obelisks were toppled during the Persian invasion of 525 BC and lay buried in the sand for over 500 years. During the era of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, the obelisks were relocated to Alexandria and positioned in front of the Caesarium. This temple, commissioned by Cleopatra to honor Julius Caesar, represented Roman dominance in Egypt. One likely fell during the 1303 Crete Quake, leaving the one now in New York standing.

1830’s lithograph depicting the Thutmose Obelisk (or Cleopatra’s Needle) in Alexandria, by David Roberts. The standing obelisk is now located in New York. (Rawpixel / CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Transatlantic Odyssey of Cleopatra’s Needle

In the 1800s, Egyptomania gripped Europe and North America. The fallen obelisk was gifted to the English in 1801, prompting the United States to petition for the other. Bob Brier’s  Egyptomania reveals Egypt’s offer to US officials stemmed not from friendship, but desperation due to bankruptcy and European debt.

Cleopatra’s Needle embarked on a transatlantic journey to its current abode in Central Park, having been gifted in 1879. The American public, captivated by the mystique of ancient Egypt, warmly embraced the gift, a gesture that not only enriched their burgeoning metropolis but also elevated its cultural significance on the global stage.

View of the turning of Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park, New York. (Public domain)

However, the logistics of transporting such a colossal artifact across the Atlantic Ocean posed a formidable challenge. Weighing over 200 tons, the obelisk was loaded onto the SS Dessoug, a specially reinforced vessel. After a perilous voyage, Cleopatra’s Needle finally arrived in New York on July 20, 1880.

It took five months for it to travel from the Hudson River to Central Park. Amidst great fanfare, Cleopatra’s Needle was erected in its current location in Central Park on January 22, 1881, just outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Top image: Cleopatra’s Needle, better known as Thutmose Obelisk, in Central Park, New York. Source: John Anderson / Adobe Stock

By Cecilia Bogaard