Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Obelisks: Obelisk of Luxor - Paris, France

Interesting Places I've Photographed
Obelisk of Luxor
Paris, France
Topic: Obelisks




How It Was Moved
N 48° 51.920 E 002° 19.273


Quick Description: 

The Obelisk of Luxor was moved from Luxor, Egypt to the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.

Long Description:

The Obelisk of Luxor is located in the center of the Place de la Concorde between a pair of large circular fountains. This Egyptian obelisk was once one of a pair of obelisks that flanked the entrance to the Luxor Temple Complex in Luxor, Egypt. The obelisk is inscribed with hieroglyphics dating from the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II. It was given by the Egyptian government to the French in 1829 by Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt.

The Obelisk of Luxor is made of yellow granite, is 75' high, and weighs over 250 metric tons. On the southeast side of the obelisk there is a gold diagram depicting the equipment needed and method used to transport the obelisk to France and erect the obelisk in Paris.

In the summer of 1822, the Obelisk of Luxor was loaded onto a barge and sailed down the Nile to Alexandria. From there the French ship Sphinx towed the barge to Toulon and then Cherbourg, France. It reached Paris on December 21, 1833. On October 25, 1836, King Louis-Philippe had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde.

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