Obelisk of Senostris I (Cairo)

Egypt / al-Qalyubiyah / Shubra-El-Khema / Cairo
 obelisk, archeological site, historic city center
20.4m / 67ft tall red granite obelisk erected by Sesostris (or Senusret) I, second king of the 12th Dynasty of Egypt, in celebration of the 30th year of his rule.
One of the very few remains of the ancient city of Heliopolis, since the Old Kingdom one of the spiritual centers of pharaonic Egypt.
The obelisc was erected with a gemini one by Sesostris I (or Senwosret), the other now can be admired on Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The former big city of Heliopolis with its many temples vanished almost completely because of the construction of modern buildings of Cairo. Even the little rest is now endangered by unlawful construction works.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senusret_I
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   30°7'45"N   31°18'27"E
This article was last modified 6 years ago