Memphis
The ruins of the first capital of a united Egypt, now among palm groves around the village of Mit Rahina. An open-air museum here keeps a colossal fallen statue of Ramesses II and a large alabaster sphinx.
- Where
- Mit Rahina, Giza, Egypt
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 29.8447, 31.2509
Get the Memphis stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Memphis. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Giza volume with your photos and a note.
Near Memphis
Saqqara 1.8 km
The great burial ground of ancient Memphis, stretching about 7 kilometres along the desert edge south of Cairo. Its pyramids include the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and its mastaba tombs hold some of the liveliest carved scenes of everyday life in Egypt.
Step Pyramid of Djoser 4.4 km
The first Egyptian pyramid, six stepped tiers of stone raised in the 27th century BC for the pharaoh Djoser and credited to his architect Imhotep. It is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt, set in a vast walled courtyard of ceremonial buildings.
Serapeum of Saqqara 5.0 km
Underground galleries cut into the rock where the sacred Apis bulls of Memphis were buried, each believed to be an incarnation of the god Ptah. Side chambers along the tunnels hold enormous stone sarcophagi, so large it is hard to see how they were moved in.
Dahshur 5.2 km
A royal necropolis in the desert south of Saqqara, where the pharaoh Sneferu worked out how to build a true pyramid. His Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid stand here, far quieter than Giza, alongside later pyramids of the Middle Kingdom.
Red Pyramid 5.9 km
The largest pyramid at Dahshur and the third largest in Egypt, after Khufu's and Khafre's at Giza. Named for the reddish tint of its stone, it is thought to be Egypt's first successful smooth-sided pyramid, and its passage leads down into high corbelled chambers.
Bent Pyramid 7.3 km
The second of four pyramids built by the Old Kingdom pharaoh Sneferu, about 40 kilometres south of Cairo. Partway up, the angle of its sides changes sharply, a record in stone of builders learning as they went, and much of its smooth casing survives.
Hanging Church 18 km
Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest churches in Egypt. It earned its nickname by being built over a gatehouse of the Roman Babylon Fortress, so its nave seems to hang above the passage below.
Ben Ezra Synagogue 18 km
A former synagogue in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, where local folklore places the spot where the baby Moses was found. Its storeroom held the Cairo Geniza, a vast hoard of medieval manuscripts that told scholars about daily life around the Mediterranean.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Giza
Questions
Where is Memphis?
Memphis is in Mit Rahina, Giza, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Saqqara (1.8 km), Step Pyramid of Djoser (4.4 km), Serapeum of Saqqara (5.0 km).
How do I get the Memphis stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Memphis and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Giza volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Memphis before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Giza volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.