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Cairo
back to A World of Obelisks
Location: Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
Pharaoh: Sesostris I (reigned 1972-1928 B.C.)
Height: 67 feet
Weight: 120 tons
Story: Dating to the Middle Kingdom (2050-1786 B.C.),
this is the oldest surviving giant obelisk. An inscription on
it says, "The first occasion of the Jubilee, he made [it] to
be given life forever." A Jubilee was traditionally given in
the 30th year of a pharaoh's reign, so scholars believe
Sesostris I erected the obelisk in 1942 B.C. Once part of a
pair, its companion was thought to have toppled sometime in
the 12th century A.D.
The first mention of these obelisks in the historical
literature may come from a chapter of Isaiah by St. Epheaim
(fourth century A.D.), who wrote that in Heliopolis "there are
two great columns which excite admiration...On these columns
are depicted figures of the men and animals which were shown
by their priestly character to contain the mysteries of
paganism." Yakut, an Arab historian of the 13th century, wrote
that locals called them Messalat Far'un, or "Pharaoh's
Packing Needles."
Back to A World of Obelisks
Photo: (1) Corbis/Sean Sexton Collection.
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