In Nov 1999 I visited Egypt with a package tour group. Some of the photos here were taken by my tour group mates, but since they are all mixed up, I won't be able to give due acknowledgement.
We arrived in Cairo in the early morning, after an overnight flight. Straight from the airport, we were driven to the ancient capital of Memphis.
We arrived in Cairo in the early morning, after an overnight flight. Straight from the airport, we were driven to the ancient capital of Memphis.
Memphis was the capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation to 2200BC. It is 20km south of Cairo. Today, nothing is left but a few ruins that were excavated since the 19th century.
One of the more noteworthly sight in Memphis is the Colossal Statue of Ramese II which once stood in front of a pylon of the temple of Ptah. It is 10m long and held inside a small building on the site. The other statue is now in the square in front of the Cairo railway station.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser (Zoser) is in the Saqqara necropolis, 30km south of Cairo. It was built by Imhotep (featured in the Hollywood movie "Mummy") during the 27th century BC. This first Egyptian pyramid consisted of six mastabas (of decreasing size) built atop one another and originally stood 62 meters tall with a base of 109 x 125 m.
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