Memphis and Sakkara, Cairo

A nice side trip from Cairo is down to the ancient captial city of Memphis. Though little remains of this Pharonic city, the open air museum here is worth a visit, especially to see the hugh fallen image of Ramses II that the museum was built around.

Located about 24 KM south of Cairo.

Another nice side trip, which can be taken in conjunction with a visit to Memphis would be to visit the final resting place of Zoser at Sakkara.

The step pyramid of Zoser is a marvel in itself and was a precurser to its more famous cousins at Giza.

The image of this pyramid also can be found adorning a can of Sakkara beer, which is a local Egyptian brew....

In the open air museum of Memphis is -except the large statue of Ramses II - also an alabaster sfinx of eight tonne in the garden.
Furtheryou can see the sarcophagus Amenhotep and more smaller statues of Ramses II.

Opening hours: 8 am to 5 pm
Entrancefee: 14 Egyptian pound

Memphis, founded in 3.100 BC, was the glorious capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt.
Even in the 5th century BC, long after Thebes became the new capital of Egypt, was Memphis still a "prosperous city and cosmopolitan centre" (Herodotus).
Nowadays it's only a small museum in open air. The main attraction is the huge limestone statue of Ramses II. This staue is lying down and is similar to the one standing at Midan Ramses in Cairo.

Saqqara, named after Sokar the God of the cemetaries, is the necropolis of Memphis.
In 3000 years the necropoils grew 7 KM into the western desert.
Zoser's step pyramid is the most known structure of Saqqara, but there is so much more, that for exploring the site you need more than one day. So you have to make choices.
The archaeologists ignored the site a long time. The mortuary complex round the pyramid is first discovered 80 years ago.

The Step Pyramid of King Zoser is the largest stone structure ever built. The brilliant architect Imhotep, also first minister and doctor of Zoser, constructed the pyramid in 2675 BC. His way of construction was new and a break with traditions to build royal tombs as undergroud rooms.
This pyramid became the inspiration and the start for the future architectural achievements and building of pyramids in Egypt.

The mortuary complex around the step pyramid is 544M long and 277M wide and there is a lot to explore. A part of the 10M high enclosure wall with bastions survived and is restored. In the wall were many false doors, so the spirit of Zoser could come and go. For the living people is only one entrance from where you can reach the Great South Court. Further you can have a look at the Houses of the South and the North, the serdab and the mortuary temple.
The complex is very impressing. I visited Saqqara two times, but will be back.

You can enter some tombs and the serdab. I did'nt the first time 20 years ago, when I visited Saqqara with a guided tour, but maybe the tombs were not open yet.
The second time we went on our own and could spend as much time we liked.
In the mastabi, open for the public you can see extraordinary reliefs, paintings and statues, who give a nice view at the daily life of the 27th century BC.

In the tombs of Saqqara you can find a lot of paintings telling about of the daily life in the 26th and 25th century BC.
So you can see craftsmen at work, medical scenes, families on a boattrip at the Nile, playing girls, priests, musicians.
There are funeral ceremonies with families bringing food like bread, vegetables, fruits, wine and cattle to their dead relatives.
You need time for discovering the scenes. The paintings are not always very clear.

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After the Bent Pyramid pharaoh Sneferu had a new pyramid built, the Red Pyramid (North Pyramid). This time the pyramid was built in an angle of 43 degrees from the beginning and therefore it became the first proper pyramid. Together with the Bent Pyramid the Red Pyramid is the third largest pyramid in Egypt.

Entrance fee to the area is 20 pounds. There also is a fee for the car of 2 pounds. From the entrance the road leads to the Red Pyramid where there is a parking lot.

From the parking lot there is a stair up to the entrance of the Red Pyramid. The entrance is 30 metres up and from there you can see the pyramids of Saqqara. A passage is leading 65 metres down to the chambers. The first chamber has a 12 metres high corbelled ceiling. The second chamber is the burial chamber and there the corbelled ceiling is 15 metres high. Not until I was on my way out of the pyramid did I meet other people. It was nice to see such an old and interesting monument without the crowds you see in many other places in Egypt.
There is no extra fee to enter the pyramid.