The project broke ground in September 2005 in a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin , and was officially unveiled a year later on September 11, 2006, with former US President Bill Clinton in attendance.

The monument features a 100ft (30m) bronze-clad tower, split down the middle with a jagged opening.

Suspended in the gap is a 40ft (12m) nickel-coated teardrop, which is meant to symbolise the sorrow of those affected by terrorism.

The base of the monument has 11 sides, with the names of nearly 3,000 victims from both attacks etched into granite plaques.

However, like some other 9/11 memorials, the list was based on an early compilation and contains around 40 names that were later removed from official records.

Tsereteli, who is known for his controversial sculptures, did not initially disclose the cost of the project.

However, his lawyer later revealed that it cost approximately $12 million (£10 million), with the sculptor covering the expenses for labour and materials himself.

According to Tsereteli, the metal used in the monument was sourced from a former military factory in Dzerzhinsk, a once-secret Russian city.

Nonetheless, the ‘Tear of Grief’ has been met with mixed reactions. It was initially offered to Jersey City, but local authorities rejected the gift, prompting its relocation to Bayonne.

In 2010, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey proposed plans to build a container facility on the site, which could have forced the monument to move once again.