Best Obelisk

The Northern Obelisk of Hatshepsut is an ancient Egyptian red-granite monument at the Temple of Amun in Karnak, near modern Luxor. It was erected during the reign of Hatshepsut in the Eighteenth Dynasty and formed one of a pair of obelisks associated with the temple's sacred precinct. The surviving...

The Great Stele, also called Stele 1, is a monumental carved stone at the ancient Aksumite stelae field in Aksum, Ethiopia. Originally about 33 metres tall, it is the largest known monolithic stele attempted by the Aksumites and was carved to resemble a multistory building with false doors and windo...

The Obelisk of Axum, also known as Stele 2, is a roughly 24-metre granite monument from the ancient Aksumite kingdom in Ethiopia. Carved with false doors and rows of windows, it represents a multistory building and probably marked an elite burial area. Italian forces removed it in 1937; its sections...

The Obelisk of Theodosius is an ancient Egyptian monument erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople, now Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul. It was originally commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III for the temple complex at Karnak and bears hieroglyphic inscriptions celebrating his reign. Emperor Theodo...

The Obelisk of Ramesses II at Luxor Temple is a red-granite monument erected during the reign of Ramesses II in the Nineteenth Dynasty. It originally stood with a matching obelisk at the entrance to the temple; that companion was transferred to Paris in the nineteenth century and now stands in the P...

King Ezana's Stele is a carved stone monument in the northern stelae field at Axum, in present-day Ethiopia. It is associated with the fourth-century reign of Ezana, the Aksumite ruler whose inscriptions document the kingdom's political and military history and his adoption of Christianity. Unlike t...

The Minerva Obelisk is a small ancient Egyptian obelisk in Piazza della Minerva beside the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. The red-granite monument was brought to Rome in antiquity and was later mounted on a marble elephant designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The elephant base was install...

The Obelisk of Senusret I is a red-granite monolith erected for the Middle Kingdom ruler Senusret I of Egypt. It stands at the ancient sacred site of Heliopolis, near modern Cairo, where it formed part of a temple complex dedicated to the solar god. The monument carries hieroglyphic inscriptions nam...

The Luxor Temple obelisk is a red-granite monument erected for Ramesses II at the entrance to Luxor Temple in ancient Thebes. It originally formed a pair with the obelisk now standing at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, which was transported from Egypt and raised there in 1836. The surviving monum...

The White Obelisk of Assurnasirpal I is an Assyrian limestone monument from Nineveh, in present-day Iraq. It is generally dated to the reign of Assurnasirpal I in the early first millennium BCE and is covered with cuneiform inscriptions and carved scenes. The reliefs depict the king in military, hun...

Cleopatra’s Needle at Alexandria is an ancient Egyptian granite obelisk that originally stood at Heliopolis and was later transported to Alexandria for the Caesareum. Its inscriptions were first carved for Thutmose III and later supplemented by Ramesses II, while the association with Cleopatra comes...

The Istanbul Obelisk, also known as the Obelisk of Theodosius, is a red granite monument commissioned by the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and originally erected at Karnak. Emperor Theodosius I had it installed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople in 390 CE, where it remains in modern Sultanahmet, Is...

The Southern Obelisk of Hatshepsut is a red-granite obelisk erected at the temple complex of Karnak in ancient Thebes, modern Luxor. It was commissioned during the reign of Hatshepsut, the Eighteenth-Dynasty ruler, and bears hieroglyphic inscriptions presenting her royal titles and dedication of the...

Broken Obelisk is a monumental abstract sculpture designed by American artist Barnett Newman between 1963 and 1967. The work is composed of two geometric Cor-Ten steel forms: a truncated, broken pyramid base and an inverted obelisk balanced upside down on its tip. The apex of the obelisk meets the f...

The Agonalis Obelisk is an ancient-style granite obelisk standing at the center of Piazza Navona in Rome. It bears Egyptian hieroglyphs commissioned during the Roman imperial period rather than being a pharaonic monument transported intact from Egypt. Pope Innocent X had it erected in 1651 above Gia...

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is a basalt obelisk originating from Nimrud, modern-day Iraq. Carved in approximately 825 BC, it depicts tribute processions sent by defeated kings – notably Pharaohs Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah – to the Assyrian king. The detailed inscription provides valuable in...

An ancient carved granite stele at Aksum, Ethiopia, erected during the Aksumite kingdom period as a royal funerary monument; it collapsed in antiquity and remains broken on the ground.

The Obelisk of Senusret I is a red-granite monument erected at ancient Heliopolis during Egypt's Middle Kingdom. It commemorated the reign of Senusret I and originally formed part of the monumental temple complex dedicated to the solar deity Ra. Standing in the Matariya district of modern Cairo, it...

The Obelisks of the Temple of the Obelisks are a group of standing stones and stone monuments associated with an ancient sanctuary at Byblos, on the Mediterranean coast of present-day Lebanon. The temple belongs to the Bronze Age archaeological sequence of Byblos, a site occupied over many centuries...

The Lincoln Tomb is the burial monument of Abraham Lincoln in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. Dedicated in 1874, the granite structure is dominated by a tall obelisk and includes bronze sculptural groups representing branches of the United States armed services. The interior contains me...

The Aksum Obelisk, also known as the Obelisk of Axum, is an ancient stele located in the city of Axum, Ethiopia. Carved from a single piece of granite, the 24-meter-tall monument is believed to date to the 4th century CE. It served as a funerary marker for ancient Aksumite elites and features archit...

The Catania Obelisk is the granite obelisk set above the Fontana dell'Elefante in Piazza del Duomo, the main square of Catania, Sicily. The monument combines an Egyptian-style obelisk bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions with a black lava elephant, which serves as a civic symbol of the city. Architect...

The Obelisk of Hatshepsut stands within the Temple of Karnak, a monumental granite structure built around 1457 BC. It is notable as one of the tallest surviving ancient obelisks, reaching approximately 29 meters in height. Constructed by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, this monument represents her po...

The San Jacinto Monument is a limestone-faced concrete obelisk at the San Jacinto Battleground near Houston, Texas. Completed in 1939, it commemorates the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive 1836 engagement in which Texian forces defeated the Mexican army and secured Texas independence. The monument...

The Obelisk of Axum is a massive granite monument originating from the Aksumite Kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. Standing over twenty-four meters tall, it represents one of the oldest and largest monolithic structures globally. Originally erected as a royal tomb, its return from Italy following deca...

The National Monument is a Second World War memorial on Dam Square in central Amsterdam. Unveiled in 1956, it commemorates Dutch victims of the war and has become the principal setting for the Netherlands' annual Remembrance of the Dead ceremony on 4 May. The white travertine monument was designed b...

The Luxor Obelisk is a 23-meter-tall ancient Egyptian monument situated at the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. The obelisk, which dates back to the 13th century BC and originally stood at the entrance of the Luxor Temple, was gifted to France by Muhammad Ali of Egypt in 1829. It...

This obelisk stands in Moscow’s Gorky Park commemorating Soviet successes during the early Space Age. Constructed from titanium in 1964, it honors the nation's pioneering work in rocketry and cosmonautics. The monument is intended for visitors interested in Russian space exploration history and the...

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a neoclassical memorial in the center of Indianapolis, Indiana. Built from Indiana limestone and completed in the early twentieth century, it commemorates Indiana veterans of the American Civil War and later military service. Its tall obelisk form, surrounding...