In the centre of Place de la Concorde - one of the major squares in Paris, France located in the city's eighth district, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées – you can see an impressive Egyptian Obelisk called the Obelisk of Luxor. This giant Paris monument is 3,300 years old and it was presented to France by the viceroy of Egypt - Mehemet Ali - in 1829. King Louis-Philippe had it placed in the Place de la Concorde.

The Obelisk of Luxor is a beautiful red granite column decorated with hieroglyphics that used to mark the entrance to the Luxor Temple. It is dedicated to the great pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt - also known as Ramesses the Great. Ramses II was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty and he is often considered Egypt's most powerful pharaoh.

The Paris Obelisk rises 23 metres high and weighs over 250 tonnes. Its original cap was stolen so in 1998 the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk. The Obelisk of Luxor is one of three Cleopatra's Needles - a trio of obelisks in London, Paris and New York City.

In 2000 the famous French urban and rock climber Alain "Spiderman" Robert scaled the amazing obelisk without using tools or safety devices of any kind. Roberts has scaled more than 70 massive structures around the world.