A 3,500-Year-Old Obelisk’s Journey From Alexandria to NYC

The obelisk in Central Park, at East 79th Street on Dec. 2, 2013. Christine Lin/Epoch Times

“Well, Mr. Farman, you would like an obelisk.”

Elbert Eli Farman had been the consul general to Egypt for three years, and, as was often the case, he found himself in the presence of Ismail Pasha, the khedive of Egypt. Pasha made this sudden statement to Farman during a dinner party. It was 1879, and the khedive had long wished to strengthen relations with the United States. Interestingly, the khedive made this offer at a time when his power was slipping. The British and the French were pressuring the Ottoman ruler to force Pasha from his position, and the khedive had not exactly curried favor among his own people, especially the growing group of Egyptian nationalists.

Portrait of Ismail Pasha (1830–95), khedive of Egypt. Public Domain

The obelisk Pasha was referencing was 3,500 years old and had been constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III, ruling from 1479 B.C. to 1425 B.C. Aside from its association with a pharaoh, the obelisk had a storied history. It was one of two obelisks commissioned to be built for the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis (now part of Cairo). The two obelisks were toppled and burned during the Persian invasion of 525 B.C. During the late first century B.C., Cleopatra VII directed the construction of a temple honoring her husband, Mark Antony. The obelisks were placed near the temple.

Around 12 B.C., the two obelisks were transported to Alexandria via the Nile River to stand at the entrance of the Caesareum, a temple dedicated to Julius Caesar (and later Caesar Augustus). It seems that, around this time, the obelisks were identified as “Cleopatra’s Needles.”

Securing the Obelisk

Such a historical artifact, that was at the time approximately 350 times older than America, was certainly a coveted gift. It was coveted even more so since both England and France had been gifted an ancient obelisk. The Sultan of Egypt had gifted Great Britain one of “Cleopatra’s Needles” in 1819, which was finally brought to London in 1877. Egypt gifted the Luxor Obelisk to France in 1829, where it arrived in 1833.

This photograph shows the Eiffel Tower, the Obelisque de Louxor (Luxor Obelisk) and the Statue du Lion at Place de la Concorde in Paris, on Jan. 13, 2025. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

It was not the first time Farman and the khedive had discussed the obelisk. Now that it appeared that the khedive was indeed willing to part with the obelisk, the Americans needed to move quickly.

There had already been interest in America to move the obelisk to New York City. In 1877, William H. Vanderbilt had offered $75,000 (approximately $2.25 million today) to whoever could transport it. The khedive had wavered about the obelisk during that time, uncertain of his future in power, and uncertain of how his people would react to the obelisk’s removal. Shortly, after he made his offer to Farman, his days in power seemed numbered. Farman, aware of this uncertainty, urgently requested a confirmation of the khedive’s offer in writing.

He received an official letter, dated May 18, 1879, which read, “The Government of the Khedive having taken into consideration your representations, and the desire which you have expressed in the name of the Government of the United States of America, consent, in fact to make a gift to the city of New York of the obelisk known as Cleopatra’s Needle, which is at Alexandria on the sea-shore.”

The confirmation came just in time, as Ismail Pasha was removed from power on June 26.

A Brilliant Commander

Fortuitously, Lt. Cmdr. Henry Gorringe, along with Lt. Seaton Schroeder, had been in the Mediterranean from 1876 to 1878 on a hydrographic mission to update navigational charts along the Mediterranean Sea. He and Schroeder had seen the obelisk numerous times, standing in its “utter loneliness” amongst its “unattractive surroundings.” During the spring of 1879, while in Washington D.C., Gorringe became aware of Vanderbilt’s offer.

A portrait of Henry Honeychurch Gorringe. Public Domain

Gorringe accepted Vanderbilt’s offer and was given, along with Schroeder, extended leave from the Navy to complete the task. The “Obelisk Expedition” was now underway.

Gorringe quickly set to work on how exactly to safely transport the 220-ton granite artifact. He studied the methods of the French and the British, but Gorringe’s attempt would be rather different. The British obelisk had long been prostrate, which made their task easier. The obelisk destined for New York City was upright and needed to be placed prostrate without causing any damage. Additionally, the French and the British did not have an ocean to traverse.

Gorringe’s naval vessel was an old paddle-wheel blockade runner called the USS Gettysburg, and he needed a better ship. He believed a self-propelling vessel was necessary for the long voyage. He purchased the steamer Dessoug from the Egyptian government, and he and his crew arrived in Alexandria on Oct. 16, 1879.

Moving the Obelisk

There were many obstacles Gorringe had to overcome, not solely due to the size of the obelisk. Local Alexandrians were opposed to its removal. Merchants refused to permit the Americans to transport it through the city streets. Fear of a possible reprisal led Gorringe to request a Russian naval colleague, Rear Adm. A.S. Lasambekoff, to send unarmed men to cordon off the area.

Gorringe and his crew coordinated to lift the obelisk from its pedestal, which was secured on each corner by large bronze crabs, which had been constructed by the Romans. To further protect the obelisk, a wooden crate was fitted over it, and, perhaps to protect the workers, an American flag was hoisted.

Crab from "Cleopatra's Needle," 13 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain

On Nov. 3, 1879, Gorringe, Schroeder and others received comforting news from the new khedive, Tawfiq Pasha. The Pasha told a reporter, “There has been all sort of pressure upon me to retain the obelisk. But I assure you it will give me great pleasure to hear of this obelisk being erected in America, where, I hope, it will not only create interest there in the ancient Egyptian monuments, but, by awakening general inquiry as to Egypt, may possibly lead to the [establishment] of trade between the United States and Egypt.”

On Dec. 6, before a large crowd, the obelisk was lowered horizontally. The 44-ton pedestal upon which the obelisk had rested was placed in a large caisson box. The reason for transporting the structure was because no other Egyptian obelisk outside of Egypt was resting on its original pedestal. It was a way to set America’s apart.

Reaching New York

After five months, the obelisk arrived at the Dessoug, where “[a] hole was cut in the bow of the ship and the obelisk was shoved into its hold, being moved on cannon balls, using metal grooves for tracks.”

Placing the obelisk in the hold of the steamer Dessoug. Public Domain

On June 12, 1880, the Dessoug with approximately 270 tons worth of ancient cargo—not including the original stone steps and foundation—steamed toward America. After a long, but relatively serene voyage, the ship arrived off of Staten Island on early July 20. It steamed up the Hudson River to 23rd Street where, for the next few days, people visited the dark hold of the ship to get a glimpse of the obelisk in its wooden sheath. Near the end of July, the Dessoug steamed toward the wharf at 51st Street to disembark the pedestal.

The location for the 3,500-year-old obelisk had been chosen. A few months before the ship’s arrival, the Metropolitan Museum of Art had opened its doors. The obelisk would be placed just west of the museum atop Central Park’s Graywacke Knoll. Its lofty position would ensure it would not be overshadowed by Manhattan’s buildings.

The pedestal was placed upon a truck, specially designed to haul the heavy load. The journey through the streets was long and arduous. A cornerstone ceremony for the pedestal was held on Oct. 9, 1880, which included a “parade of nine thousand Freemasons march[ing] up Fifth Avenue, bands blaring, to Graywacke Knoll.” Two days later, the pedestal was in position, and awaited the arrival of the obelisk.

The Obelisk’s Final Journey

While the pedestal was making its way to Central Park, Gorringe was haggling with dry dock owners, who were attempting to charge exorbitant rates to disembark the obelisk. Gorringe pursued an alternative.

“After having almost despaired of being able to accomplish my object without yielding to the demands of the dock company, I reached a solution that may be summed up in the word ’tide,'” he noted. “I determined to make the rising tide lift the obelisk and the falling tide land it.”

On Aug. 22, a hole was again made in the hull of the ship. The obelisk was removed and placed on pontoons. On Sept. 16, it landed at Manhattan Island’s 96th Street.  From there the process was slow going for numerous reasons, including weather delays, lack of necessary equipment, and “difficulty in finding suitable men.” It took more than a month to move from 96th Street to Broadway.

The obelisk “inched” its way toward Central Park as “[g]angs of men had to grade the ground ahead of the caravan, pick up the track beams from behind the obelisk, move timber and other material, reposition the beams, sink the anchors for the stationary block, and make delicate adjustments for changes in grade.”

Meandering through Manhattan for 112 days, the obelisk became a massive spectacle for New Yorkers. A guard had to be placed to keep out hammer-and-chisel-wielding souvenir hunters. One New Yorker followed the obelisk with a candy stand. Another sold “Cleopatra Dates” in obelisk-shaped boxes. Restaurants sold a new drink called the “Obbylish” with a “needle-shaped swizzle stick.”

It finally arrived at its location on Jan. 5, 1881. A turning structure, of Gorringe’s design, was placed atop the pedestal in order to maneuver the obelisk from horizontal to vertical. It was vertically assembled on Jan. 22, and to hold it in place, new bronze crabs, weighing nearly 1,000 pounds each, were placed at each corner.

“Two hundred and nineteen and a quarter tons of stone, distributed in a length of sixty-nine feet two inches, are not turned in mid-air every day,” reported Harper’s Weekly. “The spectators, who crowded one another in the winter snow, and stood many rows deep behind the marines and sailor-boys, sent up cheer after cheer.”

"Cleopatra's Needle" in central Park, New York city. Ingfbruno/CC BY-SA 3.0

A Proper Reception

The Metropolitan Museum of Art prepared a special reception for the obelisk. The scheduled event was by invitation only, but this didn’t stop thousands from attending in the entrance and outside the museum. It was during this week in history, on Feb. 22, 1881, inside the Great Hall of the Met that Cleopatra’s Needle was given an official and formal reception as a gift from the government of Egypt to the City of New York.

At the ceremony, 100 commemorative bronze coins were handed to New York honor students. These coins, in short order, told the 3,500-year-old story of Cleopatra’s Needle: “Presented to the United States by Ismail, Khedive of Egypt, 1881. Quarried at Syene and Erected at Heliopolis by Thothmes III. Re-erected at Alexandria under Augustus. Removed to New York through the Liberality of W.H. Vanderbilt, by the Skill of Lieut. Com. H.H. Gorringe, U.S.N.”

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