 The western side of Cleopatra's Needle in London. | |
 | |
| 51°30′31″N 0°07′13″W / 51.508517°N 0.120336°W | |
| Location | London |
|---|---|
| Type | Obelisk |
| Completion date | 1450 BC |
Cleopatra's Needle in London is one of a pair of obelisks, together named Cleopatra's Needles, that were moved from the ruins of the Caesareum of Alexandria, in Egypt, in the 19th century. Inscribed by Thutmose III and later Ramesses II of the Egyptian New Kingdom, the obelisk was moved in 12 BC to Alexandria, where it remained for over 1,800 years.
It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali, as a diplomatic gift.[1] Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to pay to move the obelisk to London. It was subsequently erected in the West End of London on the Victoria Embankment in Westminster, in 1878.
- ^ Elliott, Chris (2022). Needles from the Nile: Obelisks and the Past as Property. Liverpool University Press. p. 68.