Obelisks had a prominent role in the architecture and religion of ancient Egypt.
Approximately 30 remaining ancient Egyptian obelisks are known, not including modern or pre-modern pseudo-Egyptian obelisks, such as the numerous Egyptian-style obelisks commissioned by Roman Emperors. The oldest of these extant obelisks date from the Middle Kingdom period, during the reign of Pharaoh Senusret I.
There are also approximately 40 known obelisk fragments, catalogued by Hiroyuki Nagase and Shoji Okamoto.
Number
Only about 30 such obelisks are still in existence worldwide; figures vary between sources with different definitions of extant Egyptian obelisks. For example, David Allen states there are 29 such obelisks, with more in Italy than in Egypt. Only two known obelisks date prior to the New Kingdom, both of which were dedicated to the Middle Kingdom Pharaoh Senusret I. At least 22 of the known obelisks date to the New Kingdom, four date to the Late Period and one to the Ptolemaic period.
The international transportation of Egyptian obelisks dates to the Roman conquest of Egypt following the death of Cleopatra, and in modern times as Egyptian "gifts" to other major cities such as the Luxor Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, and the Cleopatra's Needles on the Victoria Embankment and in Central Park in London and New York City respectively. Only five obelisks still stand at the ruins of Ancient Egyptian temples.Hiroyuki Nagase and Shoji Okamoto, 2017, Obelisks of the World: "Although about 30 ancient obelisks are currently well maintained and stand at the public places (plaza, square, park, etc.), but only 5 remain at the ruins of Ancient Temple in Egypt. And two more obelisks stand at the public space in Egypt. So 7 obelisks in total in Egypt."
The largest known obelisk, the unfinished obelisk, was never erected and was discovered in its original quarry. It is nearly one-third larger than the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected (the Lateran Obelisk in Rome); if finished it would have measured around Reginald Engelbach, 1922, The Aswân Obelisk, with some remarks on ancient engineering and would have weighed nearly .
The most recent ancient obelisk to be re-erected is the 17-metre-tall Ramses II obelisk in Tahrir Square, the main city square of Cairo, having been reassembled from eight blocks discovered at Tanis in the late 19th century. Dr Khaled El-Anany, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said, "When we go to European capitals like Rome or Paris or London, and also Washington, we see that they use Egyptian obelisks in decorating their major tourist squares, so why do we not do the same?"
List NameImageHeight (with base)PharaohOriginal locationCurrent location NameReign Place (since) City Sovereign state Unfinished obelisk 41.75 m Hatshepsut1479–1458 BC Aswan (in situ) Granite quarry, Aswan Aswan Egypt Lateran Obelisk 32.18 m (45.70 m with base) Thutmose III / Thutmose IV1479–1425 BC / 1401–1391 BC Karnak Lateran Palace Rome ItalyUnfinished obelisk32 mPtolemaic305–30 BCAkoris (in situ) Limestone quarry, AkorisAkorisEgypt Karnak obelisks of Hatshepsut 29.56 m Hatshepsut1479–1458 BC Karnak (in situ) Karnak Temple Luxor Egypt Vatican obelisk 25.5 m (41 m with base) UnknownUnknown Alexandria St. Peter's Square Vatican City Vatican City Luxor obelisks 25.03 m and 22.83 m Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Luxor Temple Luxor Temple (in situ) Luxor Egypt Place de la Concorde (1833) Paris France Flaminio Obelisk 24 m (36.5 m with base) Seti I / Ramesses II1294–1279 BC / 1279–1213 BC Heliopolis Piazza del Popolo Rome Italy Obelisk of Montecitorio 21.79 m (33.97 m with base) Psamtik II595–589 BC Heliopolis Piazza di Montecitorio Rome Italy Karnak obelisk of Thutmosis I 21.20 m Thutmose I1506–1493 BC Karnak (in situ) Karnak Luxor Egypt Cleopatra's Needles 21.00 m Thutmose III1479–1425 BC Heliopolis (via Alexandria) Victoria Embankment (1878) London United Kingdom Central Park (1881) New York City United StatesUnfinished obelisk21 mPtolemaic305–30 BCNew Minya (in situ)Limestone quarry, New MinyaMinyaEgypt Al-Masalla obelisk 20.40 m Senusret I1971–1926 BC Heliopolis (in situ) Al-Masalla area of Al-Matariyyah district in Heliopolis Cairo Egypt Obelisk of Theodosius 18.54 m (25.6 m with base) Thutmose III1479–1425 BCKarnak Sultanahmet Square Istanbul Turkey Tahrir obelisk 17 m Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Tanis Tahrir Square (2020) Cairo EgyptMira Maged, Feb 2020, Ramses II obelisk to be fully reassembled in Cairo's Tahrir Square "...with Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities having transported eight blocks of the statue unearthed in August 2019 at Zagazig, a city in Lower Egypt"Nevine El-Aref, Sep 2019, An obelisk in Tahrir "After centuries of being scattered in eight large blocks on the sands at San Al-Haggar archaeological site in Zagazig, a 17 m-tall obelisk of King Ramses II will be restored, re-assembled and re-erected to decorate the historic Tahrir Square" Cairo Airport obelisk 16.97 m Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Tanis Cairo International Airport (1984) Cairo EgyptFlinders Petrie, Tanis, I, plate VIII (48, North Obelisk)Hanging obelisk 15.5 mRamesses II1279–1213 BCTanisGrand Egyptian MuseumGizaEgypt Pantheon obelisk 14.52 m (26.34 m with base) Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Heliopolis Piazza della Rotonda Rome Italy Gezira obelisk 13.5 m (20.4 m with base) Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Tanis Gezira Island, Cairo Cairo EgyptFlinders Petrie, Tanis, I, plate IX (51, North Obelisk) Abgig obelisk 12.70 m Senusret I1971–1926 BC Faiyum (local area, found fallen) Abgig Faiyum Egypt1809: Description de l'Égypte, IV, plate 71, Text II, ch. XVII, 43–45 Philae obelisk 6.70 m Ptolemy IX116–107 BC Philae (Temple of Isis) Kingston Lacy (1815) Dorset United Kingdom Boboli Obelisk 6.34 m Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Heliopolis (via Rome) Boboli Gardens (1790) Florence Italy Elephant and Obelisk 5.47 m (12.69 m with base) Apries589–570 BC Sais Piazza della Minerva (Roman period, rediscovered 1665) Rome Italy Abu Simbel obelisks3.13 mRamesses II1279–1213 BCAbu Simbel (Great Temple)Nubian MuseumAswan EgyptCharles Kuentz (1932) Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musée du Caire N°1308–1315 et 17001-17036 Obélisques, 45–50, plate XIII (Cairo Museum JE 42955 C, CG 17023 & 17024) Urbino obelisk 3.00 m Apries589–570 BC Sais (via Rome) Ducal Palace Urbino Italy Poznań obelisk 3.00 m Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Athribis (via Berlin, 1895) Poznań Archaeological Museum (2002) Poznań PolandObelisk of Ramesses II in the Museum's courtyardKönigliche Museen Berlin, Ägyptische und Vorderasiatische Altertümer II (1897), pl.116Ausführliches Verzeichnis der Ägyptischen Altertümer (1899), pp.124–125, fig.26. Matteiano obelisk 2.68 m (12.23 m with base) Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Heliopolis Villa Celimontana Rome Italy Durham obelisk 2.15 m Amenhotep II1427–1401 BC unknown (within the Thebaid) Oriental Museum, University of Durham (1838) Durham United Kingdom Dogali obelisk 2 m (6.34 m with base) Ramesses II1279–1213 BC Heliopolis Baths of Diocletian Rome ItalyKitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions, II, 483, § 183 COrazio Marucchi, 1898, Gli obelischi egiziani di Roma, page 96 Abishemu obelisk 1.25 m (1.45 m with base) Abishemu (King of Byblos)1800s BC Temple of the Obelisks Beirut National Museum Beirut LebanonMaurice Dunand, Fouilles de Byblos, volume 2, p. 878, no. 16980; and plate XXXII number 2 Karnak obelisk of Seti II 0.95 m Seti II1203–1197 BC Karnak (in situ) Karnak Luxor EgyptKitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions, IV, 250:12–16 Luxor obelisk 0.95 m (original 3 m) Ramesses III1186–1155 BC Karnak Luxor Museum (1923) Luxor EgyptMaurice Pillet, Rapport sur les travaux de Karnak. X, "Un petit obélisque de Ramsès III." Annales Du Service Des Antiquités de L'Egypte 24 (1924): 82–3 Obelisks of Nectanebo II 0.95 m (original 5.5 m) Nectanebo II360–342 BC Hermopolis British Museum London United KingdomSeti I obelisk tipUnknownSeti I1294–1279 BCGebel Gulab quarriesGebel Gulab quarriesEgypt
References
Further reading
External links Peter Lundström, pharaoh.se Hiroyuki Nagase and Shoji Okamoto, 2017, Obelisks of the World