Memphis travel guide

Historians tell of the unimaginable riches and fame of the Egyptian capital, which was at its peak at the time of the Old Kingdom

Even in the Middle Ages, when the temples were long closed and the palaces already destroyed, its ruins excited the enthusiastic admiration of visitors. The somewhat modest remains of the once-glorious royal capital of Memphis lie scattered opposite the tomb sites of Saqqarain the fertile fields west of the Nile. As was the custom from the Old Kingdom to the time of the Roman emperors, homes and other secular structures were built from air-dried brick and were therefore not very durable. Limestone and granite were used only for the temples, and sometimes for royal palaces. However, they were later torn down, and the materials were used elsewhere. The significance of Memphis reaches back to the beginnings of historic times in Egypt.
What to See in Memphis: Colossal figure of Ramses, Alabaster sphinx
The name Saqqara brings to mind the famous step pyramid of Zoser, the oldest monumental stone building in Egypt. But as the central burial site of the old Memphis, Saqqara is also one of the largest necropolises, with tombs from nearly all epochs of Egyptian history. The necropolis lies west of the Nile at the edge of the Western Desert,about 15km/9mi south from the pyramids of Giza, and extends nearly 7km/4mi to north and south. It was repeatedly plundered throughout the ages, particularly in the Byzantine period and under the caliphate. Scholarly work on the site began in the 19th century, when Auguste Mariette discovered the remains of a temple with the statue of the bull god Apis. A dig by Polish archaeologists has uncovered found the tomb of a high official; it is hoped that this tomb will provide more information about the end of the Old Kingdom.

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