Carlitos Lunghi Site

  LONDON

                 The   two   more  knowns   obelisks, are   calls  Cleopatra´s  Needles, was
                 constructed by TUTMOSIS III in  the  occasion  of the celebrations Thirst
                 in the old one temple  of  Sun, in Heliopolis, since 1468 B.C., on each face
                 of each shaft  are  carved  a  central column of inscription by TUTMOSIS
                 III and  subsidiary  columns  by RAMSES II on  either  side of it whith his
                 name and titles.
                 Cleopatra made them transfer to  the city of Alexandria, to destine them to
                 his palace.
                 The twin obelisk stay  in New York.
                 One of them of 20,87 meters and 187 tons precipice in 1311.
                 The british began to consider  to  take control of this obelisk, soon that the
                 French were defeated in the battle of Alexandria in 1801.
                 In 1878 the  Egyptian  Government,  it gift to  the Queen Victory, and was
                 transferred   to   London   by  John  Dixon   in  a  built  boat  specially call,
                 Cleopatra, the same one was a metalic container covered  by a  helmet  of
                 boat with mastiles,  specially  prepared  to  lodge  inside  the  obelisk, pink
                 granite appraised one,  was  towed  by  a  great  steam  the  Olga,  a  great
                 disaster occurred when the Cleopatra, in the middle of a great one weather,
                 in the Bahia de Viscaya broke the chains that unite it to  the Olga, being  to
                 the drift on the verge of sinking, it was found by the  steam Glasgow,  that
                 profit to take  it  to  England, entering  Tames  river  in  January  of  1878,
                 arriving at London the 12 of September.
                 First consider  the best  place,  the  centre  of  the  courtyard of the British
                 Museum, but was calculate that not passing thourgh streets, Dixon wanted
                 to  place it as opposed the Westminster Abbey, but it proved that not to go
                 in  train thourgh into the tunnel, finally decided to be placed it to border of
                 Tames river in the Victoria Embarkment.
                 A peculiar collection of objects was placed in the pedestal before  to  place
                 the  obelisk, they  included: a  small  obelisk  in  bronze  scale, a  piece  of
                 granite of the same obelisk, a  complete  collection  of british currencies, a
                 picture of queen Victoria,  the  history  of  the  translate  the  obelisk from
                 Alexandria  to  London,  with  the  plans,  copies  of  the  bible  in  several
                 languages, the Pentateuch in Hebrew, the book of the Genesis in  arabic, a
                 copy of the London directory, a copy of the Whitaker´s almanack, a  copy
                 of  Bradshaw´s railway guide,  a map  of  London, the newspapers  of  the
                 day, a  hydraulic jack, and pieces of used cables to raise the obelisk, a box
                 of cigarettes, a number of tobacco pipes, a collection of toys, one box with
                 articles of woman toilette, fhotographs of 12 pretty englishwomen, etc.
                 In September of 1881, were added too egyptian sphinxes,  of TUTMOSIS
                 III in  bronze, copies of the original ones that are in the Egyptian collection
                 of the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick Castle, made in black basalt.
                 In the pedestal there are four inscriptions:

                 North Phase:

                 West Phase

                 South Phase

                 The inscription  of the South  face, was  put, it is said, at the suggestion of
                 queen Victoria.
                 The steps and the pedestal of the obelisk were damaged by a bomb during
                 the air raid which took place on September 4, 1917,  and the marks  made
                 by the pieces of metal are visible to this day.