3,500 years old, is the oldest object in the city and forms part of a trio, other examples of which are found in London and #Paris.
The obelisk was moved from Alexandria to the United States, a considerable logistical challenge. Up until then, the largest object transported in a ship’s cellar was a hundred-ton barrel, while the obelisk weighed almost twice as much.
The month-long journey from Egypt was successful, and the relic arrived on American soil in July 1880. Then it took another six months to take him to his final destination in Central Park.
Scholars believe that obelisks represented eternity and immortality, and their long, sharp shape worked to connect the heavens and the earth.