List of Egyptian obelisks

{{CSS crop

|Location=right

|Description= The location of the extant ancient Egyptian obelisks

|bSize=1800

|cWidth=450

|cHeight=200

|oLeft=925

|oTop=50

|Content=

{{Location map many | World

| width = 1200

| float = right

| caption =

| mark1 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark2 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark3 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark4 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark5 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark6 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark7 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark8 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark9 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark10 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark11 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark12 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark13 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark14 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|mark15 = Monument icon for maps.svg

|marksize = 15

|mark2size = 15

|mark3size = 15

|mark4size = 15

|mark5size = 15

|mark6size = 15

|mark7size = 15

|mark8size = 15

|mark9size = 15

|mark10size = 15

|mark11size = 15

|mark12size = 15

|mark13size = 15

|mark14size = 15

|mark15size = 15

| label = Aswan

| position = bottom

| coordinates = {{coord|24|05|20|N|32|53|59|E}}

| label2 = Beirut

| pos2 = right

| coordinates2 = {{coord|33|53|N|35|30|E}}

| label3 = Cairo

| pos3 = top

| coordinates3 = {{coord|30|2|N|31|14|E}}

| label4 = Dorset

| pos4 = left

| coordinates4 = {{coord|50|48|N|2|18|W}}

| label5 = Durham

| pos5 = top

| coordinates5 = {{coord|54|46|N|1|34|W}}

| label6 = Faiyum

| pos6 = left

| coordinates6 = {{coord|29.308|30.844}}

| label7 = Florence

| pos7 = left

| coordinates7 = {{coord|43|46|N|11|15|E}}

| label8 = Istanbul

| pos8 = right

| coordinates8 = {{coord|41|00|N|28|57|E}}

| label9 = London

| pos9 = right

| coordinates9 = {{coord|51|30|N|0|7|W}}

| label10 = Luxor

| pos10 = right

| coordinates10 = {{coord|25|41|N|32|39|E}}

| label11 = New York City

| pos11 = right

| coordinates11 = {{coord|40|42|N|74|00|W}}

| label12 = Paris

| pos12 = right

| coordinates12 = {{coord|48|51|N|2|21|E}}

| label13 = Poznań

| pos13 = right

| coordinates13 = {{coord|52|24|N|16|56|E}}

| label14 = Rome

| pos14 = bottom

| coordinates14 = {{coord|41|53|N|12|29|E}}

| label15 = Urbino

| pos15 = right

| coordinates15 = {{coord|43|43|N|12|38|E}}}}}}

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.{{cite book | last=Allen | first=D. | title=How Mechanics Shaped the Modern World | publisher=Springer International Publishing | year=2013 | isbn=978-3-319-01701-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wRm4BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA26 | access-date=2022-01-23| quote=By the way, there are 29 extant Egyptian obelisks in the world today. Nine are in Egypt, and eleven in Italy (eight of which are in Rome, having been pilfered by the Romans after Augustus defeated Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BCE, thereby conquering Egypt). Others are scattered across the world.}} Only five obelisks still stand at the ruins of Ancient Egyptian temples.Hiroyuki Nagase and Shoji Okamoto, 2017, [http://www.obelisks.org/en/index.htm 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 {{convert|41.75|m}}Reginald Engelbach, 1922, [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59320/59320-h/59320-h.htm The Aswân Obelisk, with some remarks on ancient engineering] and would have weighed nearly {{convert|1090|t|ST}}, a weight equal to about 200 African elephants.{{cite book |last=Bard |first=Kathryn |author-link=Kathryn A. Bard |date=1999 |title=Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-18589-9 |page=587 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XNdgScxtirYC&pg=RA1-PA587}}

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 {{sic}}, we see that they use Egyptian obelisks in decorating their major tourist squares, so why do we not do the same?"{{cite journal | last=Machemer | first=Theresa | date=May 11, 2020 | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/egypt-relocated-four-ancient-sphinxes-despite-archaeologist-protests-180974844/ | title=Egypt Defies Archaeologists' Protests by Relocating Four Ancient Sphinxes | journal=Smithsonian Magazine | publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book | last1= Cooper| first1= William Ricketts | last2=Chabas | first2=François |authorlink=François Chabas | title=A Short History of the Egyptian Obelisks | publisher=Bagster | year=1877 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YUIGAAAAQAAJ}}
• {{cite book | last=Habachi | first=Labib | authorlink = Labib Habachi | title=The obelisks of Egypt : skyscrapers of the past | publisher=Scribner | publication-place=New York | year=1977 | isbn=978-0-684-14805-2 | oclc=2614302}}

• [https://pharaoh.se/obelisks Peter Lundström, pharaoh.se]
• Hiroyuki Nagase and Shoji Okamoto, 2017, [http://www.obelisks.org/en/index.htm Obelisks of the World]

{{Ancient Egypt topics}}

*

Category:Ancient Egyptian architecture

Category:Stone monuments and memorials

Egyptian