Memphis und seine Nekropole
3100 BC
Memphis, near the modern village of Mit Rahina not far from Cairo, and its necropolis were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Said to have been founded by the legendary first king of Egypt Menes in 3100 BC, the ancient city of Memphis was the capital during the Early Dynastic Period (c.3100–2686 BC) and Old Kingdom (c.2686–2181 BC), and continued to be one of the most important cities throughout more than three-thousand years of ancient Egyptian history. It was a center for the worship of the god Ptah, whose temple was one of the most important places in all of ancient Egypt. It was so important, that the origin of the word “Egypt”, from Greek Aigyptos, comes from the temple’s ancient name, Hikuptah “The Temple of the ka (‘soul’) of Ptah. The city’s longevity is reflected in the sheer size and number of the many ancient cemeteries in its area. These include from north to south; Abu Rawash, the Giza Plateau; the site of the three world famous Pyramids of Giza, Zawyet al-‘Aryan, Abu Ghurab, Abusir, Saqqara, Mit Rahina, and Dahshur.
Überblick
Inscribed
Memphis, near the modern village of Mit Rahina not far from Cairo, and its necropolis were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979. Said to have been founded by the legendary first king of Egypt Menes in 3100 BC, the ancient city of Memphis was the capital during the Early Dynastic Period (c.3100–2686 BC) and Old Kingdom (c.2686–2181 BC), and continued to be one of the most important cities throughout more than three-thousand years of ancient Egyptian history. It was a center for the worship of the god Ptah, whose temple was one of the most important places in all of ancient Egypt. It was so important, that the origin of the word “Egypt”, from Greek Aigyptos, comes from the temple’s ancient name, Hikuptah “The Temple of the ka (‘soul’) of Ptah.
The city’s longevity is reflected in the sheer size and number of the many ancient cemeteries in its area. These include from north to south; Abu Rawash, the Giza Plateau; the site of the three world famous Pyramids of Giza, Zawyet al-‘Aryan, Abu Ghurab, Abusir, Saqqara, Mit Rahina, and Dahshur.
The pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are among the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and indeed already were even in Roman times. Each of these spectacular structures served as the final resting place of a king of the 4th Dynast...
Located 40 km southwest of Cairo, Saqqara is one of the most important cemeteries of Memphis, which was itself one of the most important cities in ancient Egyptian history. The name of the site most likely derives from the god of this necropolis,...
Meet Egypt’s World Heritage sites that are declared by UNESCO! On this day we will celebrate our heritage. Make sure to visit all these incredible landmarks in Egypt.