- History and Tour of the Luxor Obelisk in Paris
- Private chauffeured transfer to Luxor Obelisk in Paris
History and Tour of the Luxor Obelisk in Paris
The Obelisk of Luxor is a Parisian monument located at the Place de la Concorde. Its origin is Egyptian, he was offered by Muhammad Ali to France in 1830. Initially this obelisk was at the entrance to the Temple of Luxor, hence the name. The Obelisk of Luxor is a historical monument since 13 April 1937. The construction of this monument dates back to the nineteenth dynasty (thirteenth century BC.), Making him the oldest monument in Paris!
Towards the beginning of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali decides not without incentive Baron Isidore Taylor, to offer both French monoliths Temple of Amun. Only the obelisk right will be transferred, the second was returned to Egypt by François Mitterrand. The transfer of the block 230 tonnes required several months and considerable resources. This is Jean Francois Champollion who is responsible for choosing the obelisk to transfer first, he chooses the right one, it is “more Western”. This is Armand Florimond Mimerel who orchestrated the work of slaughter. During slaughter, the Obelisk is intact, except for the capstone that was probably damaged during transfer. The Obelisk left also been started, it shows signs of cutting the base. Pursuant to the decision taken by a committee specifically created to organize the transport of obelisks, a boat called “Luxor” was built and sent to transport the monuments. Thus the ship left Toulon in April 1831, he made a stop in Alexandria before reaching Luxor.
In December of that same year, the Obelisk on the right is embedded in the ship, but leave Thebes August 25, 1832. Doing gap in Alexandria, Rhodes Island and the island of Corfu on Luxor finally arrived in France in May 1833. However, the journey does not stop there, we had to bring the Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, intended location for the installation. And on June 22 the Luxor resumed the trip to Paris with a stopover in Gibraltar and Cape St. Vincent. Finally, Luxor along the Seine River and arrives at the Concorde Bridge Dec. 23, 1833. The facility is run by the engineer Apollinaire, the obelisk was erected with great ceremony with the standing ovation and the publication of the royal family.
The Luxor Obelisk weighs 230 tonnes of top of the 23 meters, but this is still smaller than that which remained in Egypt and which exceeds the height of the Temple of Amun. The monolith is made of syenite and granite of Syene, this component is frequently found on Egyptian infrastructure XIX dynasties. The pedestal is made for its pink granite from Brittany. This pedestal includes inscriptions recounting and installation of the Obelisk of Luxor. Initially the base of the Obelisk wore ornaments primates erection, but this element was removed for fear of offending the French public. The monument also includes hieroglyphs evoking the pharaoh Ramses II making offerings to the god Amon Ra. In May 1998 the capstone was decorated with gold leaf giving a lecture at the Obelisk and sparkling appearance. The Obelisk of Luxor overlooking the Place de la Concorde by adding an exotic touch to the Parisian decor.
Private chauffeured transfer to Luxor Obelisk in Paris
The Obelisk of Luxor is located at a distance of 17.3 km from Orly Airport, 27.9 km from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Luxor Obelisk and 87.4 km from the airport of Beauvais