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Location: Rome, Italy Height: 23.20 meter Weight: 235 tons Red granite The obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo was originally built by Sethos I in 13 B.C. who left the obelisk to his son Ramesses II for completion. Ramesses II dedicated the obelisk to the sun temple of Heliopolis. The Popolo Obelisk was the first one to be removed from Egypt. In 10 B.C., the first Roman Emperor Augustus brought the obelisk from Egypt to Rome and reerected it at the Circus Maximus in commemoration of the conquest of Egypt. In 1589, Pope Sixtus V moved the obelisk to the Piazza del Popolo. In the late 18th century, Pope Pius VI had the piazza redesigned in its present form. Today the Popolo Obelisk is said to stand in the most beautiful setting in Rome. The obelisk is surrounded by four fountains, each in a shape of an Egyptian lion.
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