Background An obelisk is a pointed column made of stone that in the past marked temples or tombs. Sometimes also referred to as a needle, such as "Cleopatra’s needle" in London .

The first obelisks were built in ancient Egypt, where they were placed at the entrances of the temples. Many of these obelisks were transported to Europe, where they still stand today, where you can see the inscriptions in the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Such obelisks are in London , Paris and in Rome

Even in modern times, obelisks, or monuments in this form, were built, usually to mark certain events, such as the obelisk in Lisbon marking the liberation of Portugal from Spanish rule , and the monument commemorating the Turkish soldier located in Be’er Sheva, Israel or to commemorate personalities, like the one dedicated to the French explorer Joseph René Bellot
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