Memphis: Exploring the Old Capital of Ancient Egypt

February 29, 2024May 17, 2024 Koen 0 Comments

This guide shows how you can visit the ruins and museum at Memphis, the old capital of Ancient Egypt just outside of Cairo.

A visit to Ancient Memphis

Having visited the Step Pyramid of Djoser at the Saqqara Necropolis, as well as the Dahshur Pyramids, it was time to head to the last destination on my day trip out of Cairo: Ancient Memphis.

Saqqara, Dahshur, and Ancient Memphis are located relatively close together and can therefore easily be combined on a trip from Cairo if you hire a taxi for a day or take Ubers.

I managed to get myself a car and driver for $30 for a half-day trip.

As I really enjoyed the visit to Saqqara and Dahshur, I was curious how the sights of Ancient Memphis would be like.

step pyramid djoser saqqara necropolis egypt — *The Step Pyramid of Djoser and the Saqqara Necropolis. ©Paliparan*

dahshur bent pyramid egypt — *The iconic Bent Pyramid at Dahshur. ©Paliparan*

About Ancient Memphis

Memphis became the capital of Ancient Egypt during the early Dynasties and reached its zenith in the Sixth Dynasty.

From the Eighteenth Dynasty onward, the influence of Memphis gradually declined, initially due to the ascendance of Thebes and later due to the foundation of Alexandria by Alexander the Great.

It does however mean that during a significant part of its history, it was Memphis from where Egypt and its conquered territories were ruled.

Although we refer to this ancient city by the Greek name of Memphis, the name was originally derived from ‘Men-nefer’, which is how the Egyptians called the city back then.

Exploring Memphis

Memphis was eventually abandoned when Egypt fell under the control of the Byzantine Empire.

Its crumbling and ruined buildings were repurposed as a quarry for stones to construct new settlements.

Eventually, the modern-day Egyptian town of Mit Rahina was built over the lands and ruins of Ancient Memphis.

Across Mit Rahina, you can still find some archaeological sites where the ruins of Ancient Memphis remain visible.

However, to appreciate sights such as the Temple of Ptah and the Temple of Hathor, you either need a knowledgeable guide or a significant amount of imagination, as there isn’t much more remaining than a few stone blocks at these archaeological sites.

Instead, it’s recommended to head straight to the museum in Mit Rahina, as this is where you will find the most interesting artefacts about Ancient Memphis.

ancient memphis Mit Rahinah visit — *Ancient Egyptian artefacts and archaeological remains of Ancient Memphis in Mit Rahina. ©Paliparan*

Mit Rahina Museum

The Mit Rahina Museum is the best place to learn more about Ancient Memphis.

This museum is primarily an open-air museum, with historic artefacts and archaeological remains placed around a palm-fringed garden.

Although I paid just 80 EGP (€2.40) to enter the museum, the ticket price reportedly went up to 180 EGP (€5.40) in 2024.

mit rahina museum ancient memphis visit — *Most of the artefacts in the Mit Rahina Museum have been placed outside in the palm garden. ©Paliparan*

Sphinx

One of the main museum artefacts you will encounter first when you stroll through the museum gardens is an alabaster Sphinx.

The origins of this Sphinx can be traced back to the New Kingdom (the 18th Dynasty, to be precise) and it likely guarded the entrance to the Temple of Ptah.

Like many other significant artefacts and archaeological remains of Ancient Memphis, this Sphinx was discovered during the excavations led by British archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie at the site between 1907 and 1912.

alabaster sphinx ancient memphis museum — *Alabaster Sphinx which once stood in Ancient Memphis. ©Paliparan*

sphinx ancient memphis egypt — *Sphinx of Ancient Memphis. ©Paliparan*

Walking around the museum garden

There are a couple of other noteworthy ancient Egyptian artefacts and archaeological remains you can admire in the museums gardens of Mit Rahina.

You can’t really miss the large statue of Pharaoh Ramses II.

Some of the smaller statues in the museum gardens are however more interesting, in my opinion.

In particular, I like the red granite statue of a kneeling man holding a shrine in his hand.

This man was Prehotep, a powerful Vizier under Pharaoh Ramses II, who also happened to be the mayor of Memphis and a High Priest.

The figure inside the shrine which Prehotep is holding is the god Ptah.

It’s however a pity that only a few main artefacts at the Mit Rahina Museum have an information board that explains what you are actually seeing.

Without a guide at your side or having quite some knowledge about Ancient Egypt yourself, it’s challenging to fully appreciate the archaeological finds at this museum, especially when compared to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

ancient egyptian stele — *Ancient Egyptian stele. ©Paliparan*

ancient memphis egypt — *All that remains of the buildings and temples of Ancient Thebes are stone slabs and pillars. ©Paliparan*

hieroglyphs statue ancient egypt — *Hieroglyphs on the remnants of a statue. ©Paliparan*

Prehotep Ptah statue — *Statue of Prehotep, who is holding a shrine of the god Ptah in his hands. ©Paliparan*

ramses II statue ancient memphis — *Statue of Ramses II. ©Paliparan*

mit rahina museum ancient memphis — *Archaeological artefacts at the Mit Rahina Museum. ©Paliparan*

hieroglyphs stone — *Hieroglyphs carved in stones. ©Paliparan*

Colossus of Ramses II

The main archaeological object at the Mit Rahina Museum is not located in the open-air gardens but indoors, in a nondescript building near the entrance.

Inside you can find the Colossus of Pharaoh Ramses II, which is carved out of limestone and about 10 metres high.

It was actually offered to the British Museum in London by the Ottoman rulers of Egypt in the early 19th century, but the British actually declined this offer as they thought it would be nearly impossible to ship it.

The Colossus of Ramses II was part of a pair of identical statues that originally stood in front of the Temple of Ptah at Ancient Memphis.

The other Colossus can be admired at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum on the outskirts of Giza.

ancient memphis colossus ramses II egypt — *The Colossus of Ramses II at the Mit Rahina Museum. ©Paliparan*

Colossus of Ramses II Ancient Memphis — *Colossus of Ramses II. ©Paliparan*

colossus ramses II — *A close-up look at the Colossus. ©Paliparan*

Conclusion

Memphis used to be the capital of Egypt throughout most of its ancient history, although sadly, little remains of it today.

The modern-day town of Mit Rahina currently occupies the ground on which this ancient Egyptian city once stood, and at archaeological sites across the town there isn’t much more to see than a few stone blocks and some other remains.

At the Mit Rahina Museum, you can however see a couple of impressive artefacts and objects from Ancient Memphis, such as an alabaster Sphinx and the Colossus of Ramses II.

It’s however a pity that so few objects at this museum are properly labelled, which makes it hard to appreciate the archaeological objects and artefacts.

Compared to Saqqara and Dahshur, Ancient Memphis was by far the least impressive of the three sights I visited on my Cairo day trip.

Although I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit Ancient Memphis and the Mit Rahina Museum alone, it still makes for a good stop on a Cairo day trip if you combine it with the nearby sights of Saqqara and Dahshur.