Where is the oldest obelisk in the world?

The earliest surviving obelisk dates from the reign of Sesostris I (1918–1875 bce) and stands at Heliopolis, a suburb of Cairo, where once stood a temple to Re.



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The testimonial is situated at the southeast end of the Park, overlooking Kilmainham and the River Liffey. The structure is 62 metres (203 ft) tall, making it the largest obelisk in Europe.

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During the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt, the French attempted to steal the two obelisks and take them back to Paris. The campaign ended before they were successful, but the French did not give up then. A mere 30 years later, the obelisks were “gifted” to the French by the Ottoman monarch Muhammed Ali Pasha.

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Story: The so-called Lateran obelisk is the largest standing obelisk in the world. Its inscriptions state that while it was begun during the reign of Tuthmosis III, it lay in the craftsmen's workshops for 35 years and was finally erected by his grandson Tuthmosis IV.

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Below is a list of the world's most famous obelisks.
  • Washington Monument, Washington DC, United States.
  • 2.Obelisk at Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City.
  • Luxor Obelisk, Paris, France.
  • Obelisco de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • Cleopatra's Needle, New York, United States.
  • Luxor Obelisk, Luxor, Egypt.


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  • Goshen Obelisk, Heliopolis, Egypt. ...
  • Philae Obelisk, Kingston Lacy, Dorset, England. ...
  • Cleopatra's Needle, Alexandria, Egypt.


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In 1830 the Sultan and Viceroy of Egypt Mehemet Ali decided to offer the two obelisks standing in front of the Luxor Temple (Thebes, Egypt) to King Charles X of France. It was a gesture of friendship and gratitude for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs by Champollion.

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Only about 30 such obelisks are still in existence worldwide; figures vary between sources with different definitions of extant Egyptian obelisks.

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The planting of obelisks in Europe is a 2,000-year-old habit, started by the Emperor Augustus in his lust for conquest and self-commemoration. In the year 10BC, Augustus ordered the removal of two obelisks, the oldest of which was then 1,300 years old, to Rome.

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The city of Rome has the most obelisks in the world! 13 true obelisks, stone pillars made from single blocks of stone.

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An obelisk is a monumental, four-sided tapering pillar of stone topped by a pyramidion (miniature pyramid). The ancient Egyptian word for obelisk was tekhen, but we know obelisks by their Greek name, obeliskos (a humorous name meaning “little skewer”).

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  • 2.1 Flaminio Obelisk (10 BCE) in Rome, Italy.
  • 2.2 Obelisk of St Peter's Square (37 CE) in the Vatican City, Italy.
  • 2.3 Lateran Obelisk (357 CE) in Rome, Italy.
  • 2.4 Luxor Obelisk (1830s) in Paris, France.
  • 2.5 Heliopolis Obelisk (1868) in Cairo, Egypt.
  • 2.6 Cleopatra's Needle (1881) in New York, United States.


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