Memphis, ancient Egypt, “the city of Memphis” | Discover the history and facts of the capital of the ancient Pharaonic state and its archaeological and historical landmarks about Ancient Egypt History.
Memphis or Manfer is an ancient Egyptian city and the capital of Enb Hajj, which is close to the modern city of Mit Rahina, only 20 km south of Giza, Cairo. Learn about the history of that city.
Memphis
Construction date: Before the 31st century AD.
Where is Memphis located in Egypt?
Location: Mit Rahina, Giza, Egypt.
In what era was Memphis built?
During the reign of King Iry-Hor of the Dynasty 0 in the Predynastic Period, the actual builder of the city is not known.
What is Memphis famous for?
- The Egyptian Mythology transmitted by Manetho, the priest-historian who dates back to the Ptolemaic Kingdom, say that the founder of Memphis is Mina.
- Memphis was the capital of Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt.
- In the past, it contained a port that included many workshops as in Trade in Ancient Egypt and factories specialized in the manufacture of foodstuffs “Food in ancient Egypt” and the distribution of goods as in Industry in ancient Egypt.
- Memphis flourished in the golden age and became the main regional center for commerce and Ancient Egyptian religion.
- The ancient Egyptians believed that Memphis was under the protection of the God Ptah “The Egyptian Gods“, the god of craftsmen “Sculpture in Ancient Egypt” and their patron.
- The most prominent buildings in the city are the Temple of Hat Kap Tah one of Egyptian Temples.
- After the prosperity of the city of Alexandria, the importance of the religious city of Memphis faded.
Who is Memphis in Egyptian mythology?
- The city became the capital for 8 consecutive times.
- The city flourished during the reign of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, The beginning of a rule king Teti.
- The city’s status declined after The era of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, The New Kingdom period in ancient Egypt, the beginning of the rule of King Ahmose I, and the prosperity of the city of Thebes “Luxor“.
- Memphis regained its position during the era of the Persians, but it declined again after the prosperity of the city of Alexandria.
What is Memphis Egypt famous for?
What is the Great Temple of Ptah Memphis?
- The Great Temple of Ptah is a temple dedicated to the worship of the God Ptah, and it is one of the most important Mortuary Temples in the city.
- Herodotus says that the origin of this temple, He is King Menes or King Narmer of the First Dynasty of Egypt.
- Only the remains of the temple remain, which are displayed near the Statue of King Ramses II from the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt.
What temples did King Ramses II build?
- The temple was next to the southwestern corner of the Great Ptah Temple.
- The temple was small in size and dedicated to King Ramses II “Egyptian Pharaohs kings“next to the state God Horus, Ptah and God Amun.
- The remains of the temple were discovered in 1942 AD by Dr. Ahmed Badawi, an archaeologist and Egyptology.
- Rudolf Antis excavated it in 1955 AD.
- A religious building, a courtyard for offerings, columns and a triple sanctuary were discovered from the remains of the temple.
Temple of Ptah and Sekhmet Ramses II
- The temple God Sekhmet is located near the statue of King Ramses II and dates back to the nineteenth dynasty.
- The foundations of the temple were limestone “Ancient Egyptian Metallurgy“, so the ruins were not well preserved.
- Two statues were discovered from the ruins of the temple, and the two statues date back to the The era of the Middle Kingdom in ancient Egypt, the beginning of the rule of King Mentuhotep I and the period of the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt.
Temple of Ptah Merneptah
- Founded by king Merneptah, members of the Nineteenth Dynasty, in honor of the city god.
- It is located in the southeast of the great temple complex.
- The temple was discovered in the twentieth century by Flinders Petrie “Egyptology“.
- American archaeologist and Egyptologist Clarence Stanley Fisher “C. S. Fisher” excavated the temple in the First World War.
- The area of the temple courtyard is 15 meters.
Temple of Hathor in Memphis
- The temple is dedicated to the God Hathor.
- It was discovered by Abdullah Al-Sayed in the seventies.
- The temple dates back to the era of King Ramses II, The most famous Pharaohs kings.
- The temple is small compared to other temples, so it was believed that it was used to store the items of processions used in religious Festivals in Ancient Egypt.
- It is also believed that there is a major temple to Hathor, but it has not yet been discovered.
Who is the bull in gods of Egypt?
- The main temple of the bull worship Apis deity “Hapis, Hapi-ankh”.
- Herodotus described it as a temple surrounded by columns and giant statues that were built During the reign of King Psamtik I of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty of Egypt and the beginning of the Late Period.
- The temple consists of two rooms, the first room for the bull, and the second for the mother.
- It was believed in the past that the breath of the bull cures the disease, and that it increases the manliness of those around it.
- A window was placed in the temple of glass so that passers-by could see the bull.
What is a triad in Memphis Egypt?
- The temple was built During the Twenty-first Egyptian Dynasty, the beginning of the rule of king Psusennes I and the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt.
- The temple is a shrine to the God Amun.
- It was built by Si-Amun in the south of the Ptah temple.
- The temple is dedicated to the Memphis Triad, which consists of Amun and his wife “God Mut” and their son God Khonsu.
Temple of God Aton
• The temple was discovered in Saqqara.
• It is dedicated to Aten in Memphis.
• Inside the temple are the tombs of the greatest personalities in Memphis, which date back to the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Memphis Cemetery
- The tomb of Memphis is also called the stepped Pyramid of Djoser, which was built in the era of King Djoser of the Third Dynasty of Egypt.
- It is not the only cemetery of Memphis, but there are a group of cemeteries along the valley near The Southern Tomb in King Djoser funeral complex, and one of the most famous Egyptian Tombs of King Memphis is the cemetery of Saqqara.
- The reason for building the cemetery in that area is the sanctity of the area, which attracted the clergy and religious men to establish their cemeteries there.
The open-air museum in Memphis
- The Open air Museum in Memphis is one of the Museums in Saqqara that includes the most important Egyptian Antiquities that have been discovered in the city.
- The statue of King Ramses II is one of the antiquities in this museum and is located at the beginning of the entrance to the museum.
- There is also a statue of King Ramses II in the museum Or the small sphinx of other antiquities found in the Mit Rahina Museum.
- There are parts of the statue of King Ramses II.
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