The Ancient City of Memphis, now almost completely disappeared, was the administrative and religious center of the nomo I of Lower Egypt. It was located south of the Nile River delta, in the region between Lower and Upper Egypt.
It was, the residence of the pharaohs and the capital of Egypt at the beginning of the dynastic period and the Old Kingdom, and many later rulers maintained a palace there. The temples of the city were among the most important in the country.
Founded around 3050 B.C.E. by the first pharaoh of Egypt, Menes, the ruins of the city are located 19 km south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. The local god was Ptah.
For much of Egyptian history, Memphis was the most important city of the country and the economic center of the kingdom, undisputed capital from Dynasty I to VIII, reviving during the reign of Ramses II and Merenptah. When other cities such as Thebes, Pi-Ramses, Tanis or Sais held the capital, it was still called the Balance of the Two Lands, the most important center of the country.
It is estimated that Memphis was the most populated city in the world until the year 2250 b.n.e., at its peak it could have had more than five hundred thousand inhabitants.
In the area where the city of Memphis was erected, there is now the village called Mit Rahina. Containing a large sphinx, several colossal statues of Ramses II and other archaeological remains, the result of several excavations, has organized an open-air museum and a covered room to guard them.
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