Cleopatra's Needle

Cleopatra’s Needle stands on the Victoria Embankment in Westminster, one of a pair of obelisks taken from Alexandria in the 19th century. It was carved in red granite for Thutmose III around 1450 BC and later inscribed by Ramesses II. The ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, presented it to Britain in 1819 to mark victories over the French. After years of fundraising and engineering, it was finally erected in London in 1878. The journey from Alexandria nearly ended in disaster when a storm in the Bay of Biscay broke the tow ropes. Six crew members died trying to rescue the sinking vessel, which later drifted for days before being salvaged. The iron cylinder built to carry it across the sea was designed by John Dixon and named Cleopatra. A time capsule buried in the pedestal holds everyday objects from the 19th century. Visitors find the obelisk standing beside two bronze sphinxes designed by George Vulliamy. The sphinxes bear hieroglyphs praising Thutmose III and appear to gaze at the Needle. A nearby plaque lists the six sailors lost in the storm, while shrapnel marks on the western sphinx recall a German bomb dropped in 1917. The embankment itself is lined with Egyptian-style details, including winged sphinxes on benches.