Ancient Egyptian Obelisk in Paris Restored With New Golden Tip

The iconic Luxor Temple obelisk at Place de la Concorde in Paris, which had been gifted to France by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1830, has finally regained its missing golden tip after nearly two centuries.

According to French conservation expert Isabelle Morin-Loutrel, the obelisk from Luxor Temple arrived in Paris without its tip, which had eroded over the course of centuries. Depictions found in Egyptian tombs reveal that obelisks were originally pointed, although it remains uncertain how long the Luxor Obelisk had been without its tip.

The new tip, which is made out of gold-plated steel, was crafted by the Ateliers d'art Saint-Jacques and the Fonderie de Coubertin through a one-year-long restoration process, under the supervision of France’s Ministry of Culture.