Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Obelisk


This is a photo of the obelisk in Central Park which is known as "Cleopatra's Needle," though it has nothing to do with Cleopatra. I read that it was created for Thutmosis III in Heliopolis around 1500 BC, and arrived in the United States in 1879. So, it's the oldest manmade object in the Park. I wish I could understand the hieroglyphics on it!

12 comments:

Olivier said...

il est superbe cet obélisque, et il sert de reperd quand on se perd dans "Central-Park"

It is wonderful that obelisk, and it serves as reperd when one gets lost in "Central Park"

Nazzareno said...

very beautiful, even if it would perhaps have need of a restauration but the thing that I don't understand it is his system of hookup to the plinth...it is as if there were some hands in metal.

John Roberts said...

A mini-Washington monument!

Gudl said...

Very interesting! I didn't know about it at all.

Greg C said...

Fascinating picture. Is it written anywhere what they mean?

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

Hieroglyphics are so mind boggling eh? What a cool monument.....

Blue Wave 707 said...

There mustbe quite a few interesting monuments and statues around Central Park ... looks like this one got lost among the bushes.

marley said...

How did New York come to have it?! I never heard about this before, very interesting.

Lori said...

Hello everyone!

Greg, I couldn't find anywhere what the carvings mean, sorry!

Marley, I believe the obelisk was a gift from the Khedive of Egypt. I'm not sure when or why though.

Nazzareno, you are right it does look like hands at the bottom! How strange.

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Looks like the Wash. Monument in DC. Cool!

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Whoops! I forgot to add that my kids call it The Big Pencil.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

apart form the Washington monument, it reminds me of the Lincoln Tomb monument here in Springfield.