Nestled in the heart of the 8th arrondissement, Place de la Concorde is one of Paris’ five grand Royal Squares, embodying the city’s signature blend of history and elegance. At its center stands the remarkable Luxor Obelisk, a striking monument that traveled all the way from Egypt. Dating back to the 13th century BC, this ancient structure holds the title of the oldest monument in Paris.
Beyond its historical significance, the Luxor Obelisk also serves as the world’s largest sundial. Its towering form acts as a gnomon, casting a shadow that marks the passage of time. Surrounding its base, you’ll find intricate bronze markings embedded in the pavement—solstice curves, equinox lines, and hourly divisions—created using bronze-colored heat-sealed bands and 400 bronze nails.
If you take a closer look at the ground near the 12th-hour marker, you’ll notice an enigmatic inscription: “Au levant de Thèbes surgit à Paris le Nord”, which loosely translates to “From the east of Thebes, the north rises in Paris.” This cryptic phrase hints at the incredible journey the obelisk undertook from its original home in Thebes to its new resting place in Paris.
A Royal Gift from Egypt to France
How did this ancient artifact end up in the French capital? The story dates back to 1830 when Mehemet Ali, then Sultan and Viceroy of Egypt, gifted two Luxor obelisks to King Charles X of France. This diplomatic gesture was meant to honor the strong relations between the two nations and to express gratitude for Jean-François Champollion’s groundbreaking work in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Each obelisk, originally commissioned by Pharaoh Ramses II, stands 22 meters tall and weighs an astonishing 220 tons. Although both were offered, only one made the journey to Paris, where it remains an awe-inspiring symbol of history, diplomacy, and architectural grandeur.
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From Thebes to Paris: The Epic Voyage of the Luxor Obelisk
A Monumental Challenge
Transporting the Luxor Obelisk from its original home in Thebes, Egypt, to the heart of Paris was no small feat. The operation required six years of meticulous planning, logistical expertise, and sheer determination. Today, the detailed engravings on the base of the obelisk at Place de la Concorde tell the story of this extraordinary journey—from its removal in Egypt to its complex transport and reassembly in France.
The Louxor: A Barge Built for a Single Purpose
To move the massive granite pillar, French engineers constructed a custom-built, flat-bottomed barge named Louxor in the Toulon shipyards. Designed specifically for the mission, its dimensions were carefully calculated to navigate the Seine’s bridges. Before the obelisk could even be loaded, a workforce of 300 men had to dig a new canal in Thebes to reach the monument’s location.
By December 19, 1831, the obelisk had been maneuvered near the Louxor and secured for transport. The crew planned to set sail on Christmas Day, but nature had other plans. The Nile’s water level was unusually low, making it impossible for the heavily laden barge to move. Forced to wait for the annual flood, the expedition remained stranded for six long months.
Delays, Disease, and Departure
In June 1832, just as the floodwaters finally arrived, another setback struck—the crew was ravaged by an outbreak of dysentery. With half the men too ill to work, the departure was delayed again until August 25, a staggering 17 months after the Louxor had left Toulon.
After navigating the Nile, the barge finally arrived in Alexandria on January 2, 1833. There, a pioneering steam-powered ship, Le Sphinx, was waiting to tow the obelisk across the Mediterranean and Atlantic. However, rough seas forced yet another delay, and the voyage didn’t resume until April 1.
The Final Leg to Paris
After months at sea, the convoy reached Rouen on September 14, 1833. But there was still one last challenge—waiting for the Seine to flood again so the Louxor could complete its final stretch to Paris. At last, on December 18, 1833, the obelisk arrived in the French capital.
Apollinaire Lebas, the chief engineer responsible for the operation, had endured countless obstacles throughout the mission. With the obelisk finally in place, he made a firm declaration: “The second obelisk can be transported by whoever dares—but it will not be me.”
Thus ended one of the most ambitious transportation feats of the 19th century, bringing one of Egypt’s ancient treasures to the heart of Paris, where it still stands today.
Finding the Perfect Spot for the Luxor Obelisk in Paris
Although the Luxor Obelisk arrived in Paris in 1833, it wasn’t until three years later that it was finally installed in its current location. The delay wasn’t just due to logistical challenges—it also sparked a heated national debate, fueled by an unexpected controversy.
King Louis-Philippe found the original base of the obelisk, featuring four baboons standing upright with their arms raised in salute to the sun, rather scandalous. The issue? Their anatomically detailed design was considered too indecent for the refined sensibilities of Parisians at the time. To avoid public outrage, city officials opted to replace the suggestive pedestal with a new, more modest one, while the original was quietly placed in the Louvre Museum.
When it came to selecting the obelisk’s final location, King Louis-Philippe made a strategic choice. Positioning an ancient Egyptian monument in Place de la Concorde—a site deeply linked to the French Revolution—offered a neutral yet significant setting, blending foreign history with a key moment in France’s past.
The Grand Installation—and a Surprising Mistake
On October 25, 1836, an enormous crowd of 200,000 spectators, including King Louis-Philippe himself, gathered to witness the obelisk’s long-awaited installation at Place de la Concorde. Apollinaire Lebas, the engineer in charge, oversaw the ambitious operation from beneath the massive monolith, believing it a matter of honor—if the erection failed, he was prepared to sacrifice himself.
To hoist the 22-meter-tall obelisk into place, a specially designed lifting mechanism was constructed, requiring the coordinated effort of 350 sailors and artillerymen. After hours of tense labor, the obelisk finally stood upright, marking a triumphant achievement.
However, there was one glaring oversight. In what appears to have been a major miscalculation (or perhaps a distraction caused by the baboon controversy), the monument was installed with a 90-degree counterclockwise rotation. The face originally meant to point east, as it had in Thebes, was now facing north in Paris. This historical misalignment explains the mysterious inscription on a nearby plaque, stating that what once rose in the east now stands in the north.
The Fate of the Second Luxor Obelisk
As for the second obelisk that had been gifted to France? The response was a resounding “Non, merci!”
After experiencing the immense logistical hurdles involved in transporting and erecting the first one, France decided to leave the second Luxor Obelisk in Egypt. Decades later, in 1981, French President François Mitterrand made it official by formally returning the second obelisk to Egypt—though, in reality, it had never left.
