 It was secured in May 1877 by judge Elbert E. Farman, the United States Consul General at Cairo, as a gift from the Khedive for the United States remaining a friendly neutral as the European powers – France and Britain – maneuvered to secure political control of the Egyptian government.Made of red granite, the obelisk stands about high, weighs about 200 tons, and is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs.It was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis on the orders of Thutmose III, in 1475 BC.