Cleopatra's Needle,
Victoria Embankment, London, England
On a sunny October day last year next to the river Thames.....
This Egyptian obelisk is almost 3,500 years old and is the oldest monument in London. Despite the name it was not commissioned by the famous queen Cleopatra. Carved from a single block of granite it is 60 foot high and weighs 186 tons.
Originally it was one of a pair erected by Pharaoh Thutmose III in front of a temple at ancient Heliopolis (now in modern Cairo) in 1468 BC. Ramesses II usurped it 200 years later and added some more hieroglyphics. Later they were moved to Alexandria in front of a temple which deified Julius Ceasar.
Alexandria declined over the centuries and the obelisk fell over and was partially buried in the sand which preserved the hieroglyphics. Napoleon was the first westerner to discover it and eventually it was brought back to England by the English in 1878. The other obelisk was later shipped to New York and stands in Central Park.
It was not an easy thing to bring the needle to London: it was set adrift during the long voyage and six people lost their life trying to retrieve it.
This sphinx is not ancient, (although it was copied from a 1inch long ancient artefact)*. Created specially as one of two to sit either side of the obelisk. They are cast in bronze and face the needle as if they are guarding it. The obelisk was a solar symbol and originally the sphinxes were meant to face away from the obelisk to be consistent with Ancient Egyptian imagery. The sun rising from the horizon is depicted with two protective lions facing out in ancient illustrations.
from Papyrus Ani
The Needle has inspired poetry, film and music. The following is from a comedic song written in 1878 (by Charles Williams) called Cleopatra's Needle :
I clearly loved a little girl who did not seem to care
For anything unless 'twas novel exquisite and rare
And Cleopatra's Needle seem'd in everybody's mind
So I thought I'd see if this would bring my charmer to be kind*
It makes an appearance in Indiscreet a film staring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, and even in a painting by Claude Monet
These day's I don't suppose that many tourist visit the obelisk - there was only a couple of people taking pictures when I was there and when I had passed it by many years before I didn't give it much time. However I now know it has a fascinating history and if you happen to visit Cleopatra's needle look out for the benches nearby which have sphinxes on either end.
(*Bibliography 'Egypt in England' by Chris Elliott)
