Cleopatra's Needle, Ancient Egyptian obelisk on Victoria Embankment, England
Cleopatra's Needle is a red granite obelisk standing 21 meters tall on Victoria Embankment beside the River Thames. Its surface is covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions created by Pharaohs Thutmose III and Ramesses II.
The obelisk was originally built around 1450 BC in Heliopolis, Egypt, serving religious and political purposes in the ancient world. It arrived in London in 1878 after Muhammad Ali, Egypt's ruler, gave it as a diplomatic gift to England.
The two bronze sphinxes beside the obelisk were designed by George John Vulliamy to guard the monument. They hold a time capsule filled with Victorian objects in their pedestal, offering a window into 19th century life.
The obelisk stands between Waterloo Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, easily reached from several underground stations including Embankment, Charing Cross, and Temple. Access is free, and daytime visits work best so you can clearly see the details of the inscriptions and surroundings.
German bombing during World War I damaged the monument and sphinxes with visible shrapnel marks. These scars and dents remain today and tell the story of its survival through one of Britain's most turbulent periods.
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