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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1300 BCE

Tahrir Square Obelisk

c. 1300 BCE

A granite obelisk commissioned by Ramesses II, moved from Tanis and now standing in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

This obelisk was commissioned by Ramesses II, demonstrating the scale of his Delta building projects.

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A tall tapering granite obelisk with inscribed hieroglyphic columns rises from a stepped stone plinth in an open plaza. Two recumbent sphinx-like lion statues flank the base, and a small carved figure sits at the front of the pedestal. Tall city buildings and a minaret stand behind under an overcast sky.
Obelisk of Ramesses II, reconstructed from fragments found at Tanis. Tahrir Square, Cairo.

About this source

What it is

This tall granite obelisk, covered in hieroglyphic inscriptions, was commissioned by Ramesses II around 1300 BCE. It was originally raised at Pi-Ramesses, later moved to Tanis, and reconstructed from fragments found there before being placed in Tahrir Square in Cairo, where it now stands on a stepped plinth flanked by lion statues.

Why it matters

Obelisks like this one were part of the huge building programme Ramesses II carried out across the Nile Delta, showing his wealth and power as a pharaoh who wanted his name carved everywhere. The monument's later reuse and movement also show how ancient Egyptian sites were recycled and relocated over thousands of years, long after Ramesses II's own time.

Look closer

  • What do the hieroglyphic columns on the obelisk tell us about who ordered it made?
  • Why might a ruler want monuments like this placed in many cities?
  • How does the obelisk's journey from Pi-Ramesses to Tanis to modern Cairo change how we should think about where it was 'originally' from?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ramses II (Ramses the Great) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Two clay cuneiform tablets on a clear acrylic stand against a red background. The larger tablet is broken into several fragments, covered in dense wedge-shaped writing. A smaller tablet fragment sits at lower right, also inscribed.Document

Primary source

Egyptian–Hittite Peace Treaty

c. 1258 BCE

Sepia photograph of the facade of the Abu Simbel temple in Egypt, with four seated colossal statues of Ramesses II carved into the rock. A small standing man at lower left shows scale. A doorway lies between the middle statues, and hieroglyphs are carved across the upper wall.Photograph

Secondary source

Abu Simbel Temple Colossi

Pascal Sébah · 1875

Facade of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel carved into a sandstone cliff under a clear blue sky. Four seated colossal statues of a pharaoh flank the central doorway, with a sand-covered walkway leading up to the entrance.Artifact

Primary source

Abu Simbel

Ramesses II · c. 1273 BCE

Sepia photograph of the Abu Simbel temple facade in Egypt. A colossal seated stone statue of a pharaoh with a striped headdress dominates the right. Beside it stands a statue of a falcon-headed god wearing a sun disk. Relief carvings and hieroglyphs cover the wall, and a small seated man at the bottom gives scale. Caption reads Abou Simbel, Gd Temple, Le dieu Soleil Ra et Rhamses II, P. Sébah.Photograph

Secondary source

Facade Detail of Abu Simbel Showing Ramesses II and Ra

Pascal Sébah · 1875

Sepia photograph of the ruined Ramesseum temple at Luxor, Egypt. Four fallen-headed colossal seated statues stand before a sandstone gateway with carved hieroglyphs on its lintel. A broken statue lies in the foreground, and a small figure sits near the base of the statues. Desert and a column are visible on the left.Photograph

Secondary source

Ramesseum Colossi in Ruins

Pascal Sébah · c. 1875

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