Mit Rahinah Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Mit Rahina Museum Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Jun)
Mit Rahina Museum / Memphis Museum, Egypt
The Mit Rahina museum, also known as the Memphis open-air museum, in Egypt showcases the ancient capital of Memphis. It features the colossal statue of Ramses II, 10 meters tall, and the impressive Alabaster Sphinx, also known as Baby Sphinx. The ruins of the Temple of Ptah, dedicated to the deity of Memphis, can be explored. Additionally, visitors can see the Colonnade of Pharaoh Nectanebo I, offering a glimpse into the architectural grandeur of ancient Egypt.
#egypt #cairo #memphis #museum #history #ancientcity
TheTravelingSuitcase (@thetravelingsuitcasee) Memphis|A capital repeatedly plundered by ancient large military forces
|A capital repeatedly plundered by ancient large military forces. It is usually a stop on the 'Giza-Saqqara-Memphis-Dahshur' day trip around the suburbs of Cairo, but for an ancient Egypt enthusiast like me, it's exceptionally important!
✓Visited and plundered by armies since before the Common Era
✓The first true capital of ancient Egypt
✓The famous 'Narmer Palette' in the Egyptian Museum depicts the great King Menes, who was the founder of the ancient city of Memphis
【What is Memphis】
Memphis was not the original name of this place. The name originated from the pyramid called Mennefer built by Pharaoh Pepi I of the 6th Dynasty (2345-2181 BCE), which was mispronounced by Greek scholars and passing merchants as Memphis.
However, after the rise of the city-states of Thebes in Upper Egypt, Thebes became the political center, and the old capital Memphis in Lower Egypt was repeatedly plundered:
① Nubian region - Kingdom of Kush
② Assyrian Empire
③ Persian Empire
④ Ancient Greek Macedonian King Alexander
⑤ Roman Empire
⑥ Arab Empire Abbasid Dynasty
After being plundered by armies from various countries for over a thousand years, the city of Memphis was completely destroyed.
【A Brief History of Ancient Memphis】
Ancient Egyptians called the Nile River 'Iteru' (meaning 'river').
Before 10,000 BCE: Traces of humans appeared in Egypt, and the tropical savannas of the valley provided ample food and raw materials for production and life for the primitive tribal hunters. Later, climate change turned the lush vegetation into desert areas, and these tribes gradually gathered near water sources, making the Nile River banks a fertile habitat.
3100 BCE: King Narmer united the people from the first cataract of the Nile to the Mediterranean estuary, and Upper and Lower Egypt were unified into one state. Narmer became the pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt and established the capital at Memphis.
2650-2323 BCE: Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom built pyramids on the plains of Giza and Saqqara, and a large number of nationals were engaged in this monumental project.
2125-1650 BCE: The city of Thebes in Upper Egypt rose, and Thebes became the center of religious belief and political power in Upper Egypt. The then ruler Mentuhotep II moved the capital to Thebes in Upper Egypt, and Memphis in Lower Egypt gradually declined.
The first capital of ancient Egypt is now just a small village called Mit Rahina, a stopover for a day trip. Busy tourists only glance at a few stone sculpture fragments in the square, then sigh over the fallen colossus of Ramesses II.
Another similar statue of Ramesses II, which originally stood in Ramses Square in Cairo, was transported to the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2006, but nearly 20 years have passed, and the museum is still not fully open.
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