Memphis, Egypt, travel guide – SiViaggia

Memphis it is the ancient capital of Egypt, a city that still today gives us an enormous insight into the history of this land of a thousand mysteries, so much so that it allows us to understand its roots more deeply. Visiting it is like walking in an exceptional open-air museum, full of funerary monuments, rock tombs and temple ruins that truly leave you breathless. Let’s find out together what to visit in this city which certainly has a very long history to tell.

Memphis, useful information

Memphis held the role of capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first name of Lower Egypt, and capital of the Old Kingdom from its constitution, around 2700 BC, until its dissolution in 2200 BC. During the Middle Kingdom it became, instead, the capital of the nome (district) of Lower Egypt.

Only from this little information on his history we understand that he was a place of extraordinary importanceand which in fact is not even difficult to reach because it is located about 19 kilometers away from the current capital of Egypt, Cairo, on the western bank of the Nile.

Also called ‘the balance of the two lands’ due to its great importance regarding commercial traffic in the Nile delta and its position halfway between Upper and Lower Egypt, according to scholars it was also the most populous of the world until 2250 BC

What to see in Memphis

We have to be honest: despite being full of places of interest, Memphis is not the best preserved site in the country. This does not mean that they do not reside here some of Egypt’s most precious monuments, and for this reason it is absolutely worth dropping by. An example of this is Sphinx of Memphisundisputed symbol of the ancient capital and dating back, most likely, to the period from 1700 to 1400 BC

Like many works found in Egypt, even in this case there is no certain information on the meaning of this sumptuous work of man: it has no inscriptions to understand which pharaoh it is dedicated to. According to some scholars, his facial features refer to Pharaoh Amenhotep II or Hatshepsut, but unfortunately there is no certainty.

What is devoid of mysteries, however, is the fact that this construction represents the largest alabaster sculpture from ancient Egypt: it is over 8 meters long and 4 meters high. These measurements make it smaller than the Great Sphinx which dominates the Giza necropolis, but this does not mean that it is not one of the largest alabaster sculptures to have survived to the present day.

Extraordinary is also the Colossus of Ramesses II, an enormous statue made of limestone: it reaches a height of approximately 10 meters and, although it no longer partially has a leg and the original pedestal on which it stood, it is still in an excellent state of preservation. It is currently still located inside the open-air museum of Mit Rahina (the same one in which the alabaster Sphinx also rests), but as soon as possible it will be moved to New Egyptian Museum in Giza.

The Mit Rahina it represents the most modern part of the settlement of the ancient capital of Egypt, but also one of the largest open-air museums in the whole country. In addition to the Sphinx and the Colossus of Ramses II, here the visitor can immerse himself in an environment made up of rock colossi representing the pharaoh Ramses II, tablets with hieroglyphs, decorated columns and much more. Of particular interest are large stone beds used for the mummification of the Apis, the sacred bulls.

Finally the ruins of the temple of Hut-ka-Ptah, dedicated to the cult of Ptah. In the past it was one of the most important temples of Memphis and the entire Kingdom and was also embellished by the presence of other sanctuaries dedicated to Ptah’s wife, Sekhmet, and his son Nefertem.

Djoser’s pyramid and the Saqqara necropolis

An excursion to Memphis is often combined with a visit to two other incredible places of interest: the Djoser’s pyramid and the Saqqara necropolis.

Saqqara represents the largest archaeological site in the whole country and historically one of the most important: all the main pharaonic dynasties are represented here. If Memphis was in fact the capital of the Ancient Kingdom, Saqqara was the royal necropolis at least until the third dynasty – therefore the place designated for the rest of the remains of the sovereigns – and continued to be so for approximately 3000 years after the advent of Giza and Thebes.

In essence, Saqqara is the ancient cemetery of Memphis and comes to cover an area of ​​7 kilometers in the Western Desert above the cultivated area of ​​the Nile Valley. The pharaohs of the ancient kingdom were placed inside the 11 major pyramids, while their subjects were buried in the hundreds of smaller tombs that are always found in this area. Particularly interesting is the Serapeumor the underground burial chamber dedicated to the Apis bull.

Among the most impressive pyramids there is without a doubt the pyramid of Djoser, which is truly unique because it is made of steps and because it is the oldest in Egypt: it was erected by Imhotep, the first recognized architect in history , for the burial of Djoser, ruler of the 3rd dynasty.

Built in 2630 BC, it is 140 meters long, 118 meters wide and 60 meters high, and is characterized by the presence of small limestone blocks and six mastabas of decreasing size, built one on top of the other. It is good to know, however, that unlike the pyramids in Giza it is not permitted to visit the interior of Djoser’s pyramid.

During a trip to Egypt the city of Memphis is often overshadowed, but the truth is that it offers a truly interesting and important glimpse of history for anyone who wants to understand more deeply the ancient (and fascinating) origins of this country.