Cleopatra's Needle

Cleopatra's Needle, in Central Park

Cleopatra's Needle is an authentic monument of ancient Egypt, raised in the heart of Central Park. The New York audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this millennia-old vestige, the oldest outdoor monument of the city.

An Egyptian obelisk in New York

This obelisk of nearly twenty-one metres high is an authentic monument of ancient Egypt, several millennia old. Given to the city of New York, it was installed in Central Park in 1881, in the presence of some ten thousand people, after a long and difficult journey from Egypt. Covered with engraved hieroglyphs, it testifies to the civilisation of the pharaohs. Raised on a knoll near the Metropolitan Museum, it is the oldest outdoor monument of New York and a surprising link between Egyptian antiquity and the modern metropolis.

What to see

You admire the authentic Egyptian obelisk of nearly twenty-one metres, covered with engraved hieroglyphs, raised on a knoll near the Metropolitan Museum. Cleopatra's Needle is the oldest outdoor monument of New York. It is a stop for those curious about history, to be explored on foot in Central Park.

Practical information

Cleopatra's Needle lies in the heart of Central Park, near the Metropolitan Museum, in New York, reachable on foot. It is an open-air monument, freely accessible from the paths of the park. You discover it during a walk.

When was Cleopatra's Needle installed in New York?

In 1881, in Central Park, in the presence of some ten thousand people; this authentic obelisk of ancient Egypt is the oldest outdoor monument of the city.

Where is Cleopatra's Needle?

In the heart of Central Park, near the Metropolitan Museum, in New York.