Egypt consul general inaugurates renovated Cleopatra's Needle

Egypt's consul general in New York Ahmed Farouk has inaugurated renovated Cleopatra's Needle placed close to the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan.

Farouk was keen on attending the inauguration of the ancient Egyptian obelisk, a statement by the Foreign Ministry here said Wednesday, underlining the great attention Cairo gives to Egyptian monuments at home and abroad.

Cleopatra's Needle is situated inside Manhattan's biggest park and very close to the Metropolitan Museum, the statement said, noting this helps attract visitors of the nearby museum to take a look at the obelisk.

Some 42 million tourists visit the park and museum annually, the Foreign Ministry said, noting that the obelisk can very well encourage them to travel to Egypt to get to know better about the Egyptian civilization.

Farouk greatly appreciated efforts exerted by New York city and the park's administration to renovate the Egyptian obelisk at a cost of 500,000 dollars.