This obelisk was the first to be transported from Egypt since the time of Imperial Rome. Originally, it was one of a pair that stood in front of the Palace of Ramses II at Luxor. After several years of arduous transportation it finally reached Paris. On 24th October, 1836 it was erected at the Place de la Concorde in the presence of King Louis-Philippe, the Royal Family and 150,000 Parisians, See P. Tompkins, The Magic of Obelisks, 1981, p.243.