Cleopatra's Needle is an Egyptian obelisk that was originally erected by Thothmes III at On (Heliopolis) around 160 BC, and removed to Alexandria by Augustus about 23 BC. It was acquired for Britain by Sir Ralph Abercromby in 1801 or presented to Britain by Mehemet Ali in 1819, there are conflicting accounts. However, the obelisk remained lying next to its still erect sister obelisk in Alexandria. The British government lacked the funds to transport the monument, and it remained lying in the sand. Over the years several individuals pressed the British government to transport the obelisk to Britain, but it wasn't removed to Britain until 1881 when it was loaded onto the Cleopatra - a specially designed cylindrical boat - at the expense of James Erasmus. During its voyage the Cleopatra, accompanied by the Olga hit a violent gale which claimed six lives and the Cleopatra was abandoned. The Cleopatra was later found by a passing steamer, the Fitzmaurice which towed it to Ferrol, whence it was towed by the Anglia arriving in London in January 1878.
An obelisk is a stone pillar having a square or rectangular cross section and sides that taper towards a pyramidal top. They were often used as monuments in ancient Egypt, where they symbolised the supreme god. They were known as Pharaoh's needles by the Arabs, and fingers of the sun by the Egyptians. The first recorded obelisk was described during the reign of Rameses II about 1322 BC, but the Romans also took to them, emperor Augustus erecting one in the CampusMartius on the base of which was a sundial. Cleopatra's Needle on the Thames Embankment in London is an example of an Egyptian obelisk. Research Obelisk
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