Cleopatra's Needle has been a cornerstone of Central Park since 1880, but now Egypt is threatening to take it back if the city doesn't keep it in better condition. Zahi Hawass, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, wrote to the Central Park Conservancy and Mayor Bloomberg imploring them to preserve the obelisk for future generations, or else face Egyptian repo men:
I am glad that this monument has become such an integral part of New York City, but I am dismayed at the lack of care and attention that it has been given. Recent photographs that I have received show the severe damage that has been done to the obelisk, particularly to the hieroglyphic text, which in places has been completely worn away. I have a duty to protect all Egyptian monuments whether they are inside or outside of Egypt. If the Central Park Conservancy and the City of New York cannot properly care for this obelisk, I will take the necessary steps to bring this precious artifact home and save it from ruin.
The obelisk is one of a pair, the other of which currently resides in London. They were originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450 BC to honor Pharaoh Thutmose III, and stayed there for over 1,500 years until 18 AD, when they were taken by the Romans and moved to Alexandria. To commemorate the opening of the Suez Canal in 1879, the Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, gave one to the United States in an attempt to improve trade relations between the two countries. The task of getting the obelisk to the Park was its own interesting adventure as well.
We haven't gotten to go to the Park recently, so you tell us—is the obelisk really looking as bad as Hawass claims? If so, then this truly is why we can't have nice things.
