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90-620: There is evidence of settlement in the area as early as the 6th century BC, when Persians built a fort on the Nile, north of Memphis . The Persians also built a canal from the Nile (at Fustat) to the Red Sea . The Persian settlement was called Babylon, reminiscent of the ancient city along the Euphrates , and it gained importance while the nearby city of Memphis declined, as did Heliopolis . During

180-710: A World Heritage Site . The site is open to the public as an open-air museum . According to legends related in the early third century BC by Manetho , a priest and historian who lived in the Ptolemaic Kingdom during the Hellenistic period of ancient Egypt , the city was founded by King Menes . It was the capital of ancient Egypt ( Kemet or Kumat ) during both the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom and remained an important city throughout ancient Egyptian history . It occupied

270-578: A decline during the Third Intermediate Period , which saw great changes in the geopolitics of the country. Instead it is likely that the kings worked to develop the Memphite cult in their new capital of Tanis , to the northeast. In light of some remains found at the site, it is known that a temple of Ptah was based there. Siamun is cited as having built a temple dedicated to Amun , the remains of which were found by Flinders Petrie in

360-472: A mix of Egyptian and Hellenistic influences . Subjects and symbols were taken from both Greek and Egyptian mythology, sometimes altered to fit Christian beliefs . Persia and Syria also influenced Coptic and Hellenistic art, though to a lesser extent, leaving images such as the peacock and the griffin. Coptic icons have their origin in the Greco-Roman art of Egypt's Late Antiquity, as exemplified by

450-464: A mythical king, similar to Romulus of Rome. Some scholars suggest that Egypt most likely became unified through mutual need, developing cultural ties and trading partnerships, although it is undisputed that the first capital of united Egypt was the city of Memphis. Some Egyptologists had identified the legendary Menes with the historical Narmer , who is represented on the Palette of Narmer conquering

540-490: A number of its brown quartzite blocks were found to have been reused by Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BC) for the construction of the small temple of Ptah. This leads some Egyptologists to suggest that the latter temple had been built over the site of the first. According to inscriptions found in Memphis, Akhenaten (r. 1353/51–1336/34 BC; formerly Amenhotep IV) founded a temple of Aten in the city. The burial chamber of one of

630-469: A palace and developed the southeast wall of the temple of Ptah. For the early part of the 19th Dynasty , Memphis received the privileges of royal attention, and it is this dynasty that is most evident among the ruins of the city today. With the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Dynasties , there is a continuation of the religious development initiated by Ramesses. Memphis does not seem to have suffered

720-619: A panel recording official acts of the royal court during this time. In the ruins of the Temple of Ptah, a block in the name of Senusret II bears an inscription indicating an architectural commission as a gift to the deities of Memphis. Moreover, many statues found at the site, later restored by the New Kingdom kings, are attributed to kings of the Twelfth Dynasty . Examples include the two stone giants that have been recovered amidst

810-711: A set of icons to tell a single story). The influence of Coptic art and architecture on Islamic architecture and incorporation of some Coptic features in Islamic building started as early as the 7th century AD As the Church of Alexandria was the first Church of Africa the influence of Coptic art spread to Sudan and Ethiopia. Some forms of the Coptic cross are known as the Ethiopian cross and many Churches in Ethiopia show

900-469: A strategic position at the mouth of the Nile Delta , and was home to bustling activity. Its principal port, Peru-nefer (not to be confused with Peru-nefer at Avaris ), featured a high density of workshops, factories, and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout the ancient kingdom. During its golden age, Memphis thrived as a regional centre for commerce, trade, and religion. Memphis

990-433: A young prince in Memphis. During his exploration of the site, Karl Richard Lepsius identified a series of blocks and broken colonnades in the name of Thutmose IV to the east of the Temple of Ptah. They had to belong to a royal building, most likely a ceremonial palace. The founding of the temple of Astarte (Mespotamian or Assyrian goddess of fertility and war; Babylonian = Ishtar), which Herodotus syncretically understands

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1080-497: Is best known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated manuscripts , and metalwork, much of which survives in monasteries and churches. The artwork is often functional, as little distinction was drawn between artistry and craftsmanship, and includes tunics and tombstones as well as portraits of saints. The Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo houses some of the world's most important examples of Coptic art. Coptic art displays

1170-498: Is called Moph . The Muslim tradition adopted the Coptic etymology which operates with an etymon Māfah , derived from Coptic : ⲙⲁⲁⲃ , lit.   'thirty'. It made the number significant in the following traditions relating to Memphis: it was thirty miles long, Manqāwus built it for his thirty daughters and Baysar lived here with his thirty children. The city of Memphis is 20 km (12 mi) south of Cairo , on

1260-450: Is closely linked to that of the country itself. Its eventual downfall is believed to have been due to the loss of its economic significance in late antiquity, following the rise of coastal Alexandria . Its religious significance was diminished after the abandonment of the ancient religion following the Edict of Thessalonica (380 AD), which made Nicene Christianity the sole religion of

1350-650: Is dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite , also may be dated to the Eighteenth Dynasty, specifically the reign of Amenhotep III (r. 1388/86–1351/1349 BC). The greatest work of this king in Memphis, however, was a temple called "Nebmaatra united with Ptah", which is cited by many sources from the period of his reign, including artefacts listing the works of Huy , the High Steward of Memphis. The location of this temple has not been precisely determined, but

1440-536: The Ayyubid dynasty in the 12th century, Muslim authorities became less tolerant and open-minded towards Christians and the construction of any new churches was strictly forbidden. Despite this, Coptic art and literature still flourished. A number of western European travelers also visited Old Cairo during this period and wrote descriptions of the ancient fortress and its churches. The interiors of churches were embellished with new furnishings and works of art, including

1530-591: The Babylonians , reconstructed and even fortified structures in the city, as is attested by the palace built by Apries at Kom Tuman. Egypt and Memphis were taken for Persia by king Cambyses in 525 BC after the Battle of Pelusium . Under the Persians , structures in the city were preserved and strengthened, and Memphis was made the administrative headquarters of the newly conquered satrapy . A Persian garrison

1620-579: The Ben Ezra Synagogue was converted from a church sold to the Jews by the Coptic community in 882 in order to pay a tribute demanded by the governor of Egypt, Ahmad Ibn Tulun . This story, however, is generally not accepted at face value by modern scholars. Documents in the Cairo Geniza provide evidence of a possible Jewish presence as early as the 6th century, though the current building is

1710-777: The Edict of Milan that declared religious toleration . The Coptic Church later separated from the church of the Romans and the Byzantines. During the reign of Arcadius (395-408), a number of churches were built in Old Cairo. When the Muslim Arabs conquered Egypt in the 7th century, they established a new city, Fustat , outside the walls of the Babylon Fortress. Fustat became the administrative capital of Egypt and replaced Alexandria as its most important city. In

1800-527: The Fayum mummy portraits . The faces of El Fayum are examples of the Coptic art in the 2nd century AD showing the Greek and Roman influence on the Coptic art but with some distinctive features related to Egyptian art. The Muslim conquest of Egypt allowed the local Coptic art to influence Egypt's then Islamic art and architecture with many features that are now integral in many Egyptian buildings. Beginning in

1890-543: The Palermo Stone , and beginning from the reign of Menkaura , we know the names of the high priests of Memphis who seem to have worked in pairs, at least until the reign of Teti . The architecture of this period was similar to that seen at Giza royal necropolis of the Fourth Dynasty, where recent excavations have revealed that the essential focus of the kingdom at that time centred on the construction of

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1980-681: The Ptolemaic period , Babylon and its people were mostly forgotten. It is traditionally held that the Holy Family visited the area during the Flight into Egypt , seeking refuge from Herod. Further it is held that Christianity began to spread in Egypt when St. Mark arrived in Alexandria , becoming the first Patriarch, though the religion remained underground during the rule of the Romans. As

2070-660: The Saint Mercurius Church (located a short distance north of the old fortress). These two churches served as the residences of the Coptic pope and as venues for the consecrations of new popes and other important religious events. In the 14th century, the seat was moved to the Church of the Virgin Mary in Harat Zuwayla , in what was then central Cairo . With the fall of the Fatimids and the rise of

2160-455: The Sed festival were celebrated in the temple of Ptah. The earliest signs of such ceremonies were found in the chambers of Djoser . During this period, the clergy of the temple of Ptah came into being. The importance of the temple is attested with payments of food and other goods necessary for the funerary rites of royal and noble dignitaries. This temple also is cited in the annals preserved on

2250-492: The Twenty-ninth Dynasty . The execution was recorded in an Aramaic papyrus document (Papyrus Brooklyn 13). Nepherites moved the capital to Mendes , in the eastern delta, and Memphis lost its status in the political sphere. It retained, however, its religious, commercial, and strategic importance, and was instrumental in resisting Persian attempts to reconquer Egypt. Under Nectanebo I , a major rebuilding program

2340-407: The 4th century, churches painted their walls and made icons to reflect an authentic expression of their faith. The figures of saints display eyes and ears larger in proportion to the rest of the face and a smaller mouth, as well as enlarged heads, signifying a spiritual relationship with God and devotion to prayer. Martyrs' faces were peaceful. Many Coptic icon painters did not sign their names, but

2430-584: The Achaemenid monarchy. The stelae dedicated to Apis in the Serapeum at Saqqara, commissioned by the reigning monarch, represent a key element in understanding the events of this period. As in the Late Period, the catacombs in which the remains of the sacred bulls were buried gradually grew in size, and later took on a monumental appearance that confirms the growth of the cult's hypostases throughout

2520-420: The Coptic custom of burying them with the dead, and to the aridity of Egyptian graves. The textiles are commonly linen or wool and use the colors red, blue, yellow, green, purple, black and brown. The dyes were derived from madder , indigo , woad , saffron , the murex shell, and the kermes insect . The first looms used were horizontal low-warp; vertical high-warp looms were introduced later. The basic garment

2610-539: The French archaeologist Albert Gayet published a catalogue of Coptic art and, in the Bulaq Museum , staged the first exhibition of Coptic monuments. The early Coptic textiles still produced pictures and decoration incorporating Egyptian and Greek motifs. Shrouds, for example, might incorporate classical elements were painted in the form of an Egyptian sarcophagus and include representations of Egyptian gods to protect

2700-455: The Kushite king was driven back into Nubia . The Assyrian king Esarhaddon , supported by some of the native Egyptian princes, captured Memphis in 671 BC. His forces sacked and raided the city, slaughtered villagers, and erected piles of their heads. Esarhaddon returned to his capital Nineveh with rich booty, and erected a victory stele showing the son of Taharqa in chains. Almost as soon as

2790-403: The New Kingdom, was still functioning several generations after its establishment at the temple, leading some scholars to suggest that it may have contained the royal burial chamber of the king. Sheshonk also ordered the building of a new shrine for the god Apis , especially devoted to funeral ceremonies in which the bull was led to his death before being ritually mummified . A necropolis for

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2880-529: The Ptolemaic rulers. These decrees were engraved on stelae in three scripts to be read and understood by all: Demotic , hieroglyphic , and Greek . The most famous of these stelae is the Rosetta Stone , which allowed the deciphering of ancient Egyptian script in the nineteenth century. There were other stelae, funerary this time, discovered on the site that have forwarded knowledge of the genealogy of

2970-554: The Roman empire. By the Middle Ages , nearby Cairo had emerged as a major political and economic center. Today, the ruins of the former capital offer fragmented evidence of its past. Many of its remains have become significant tourist destinations. Memphis has had several names during its history of almost four millennia. Its Ancient Egyptian name was Inebu-hedj (𓊅𓌉, translated as "the white walls" ). Because of its size,

3060-535: The Temple of Amun in Gebel Barkal . Following the capture of Memphis, he restored the temples and cults neglected during the reign of the Libyans . His successors are known for building chapels in the southwest corner of the temple of Ptah. Memphis was at the heart of the turmoil produced by the great Assyrian threat. Under Taharqa , the city formed the frontier base of the resistance, which soon crumbled as

3150-487: The Temple of Ptah serves as a memorial of the city's former power and prestige. The Memphis triad , consisting of the creator god Ptah, his consort Sekhmet , and their son Nefertem , formed the main focus of worship in the city. Memphis declined after the Eighteenth Dynasty with the rise of Thebes and the New Kingdom, but was revived under the Persians , before falling firmly into second place following

3240-855: The Third Intermediate Period and the Late Period , Memphis is often the scene of liberation struggles of the local dynasties against an occupying force, such as the Kushites , Assyrians, and Persians. The triumphant campaign of Piankhi , ruler of the Kushites, saw the establishment of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty , whose seat of power was in Napata . Piankhi's conquest of Egypt was recorded on the Victory Stele at

3330-548: The Two Lands"), stressing the strategic position of the city between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt . This name appears to date from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1640 BCE), and is frequently found in ancient Egyptian texts. Some scholars maintain that this name was that of an area that contained a sacred tree, the western district of the city that lay between the great Temple of Ptah and the necropolis at Saqqara . At

3420-501: The ancient Egyptian later name for Memphis mjt-rhnt meaning "Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes" being a reference to the ancient causeway connecting Memphis and Saqqara, on which the procession of the dead bull travelled for burial in the Serapeum of Saqqara , but its been rejected by numerous Egyptologists on the basis of the town's earlier name Minyat Rahina ( Arabic : منية رهينة ), which could possibly be derived from

3510-541: The beginning of the New Kingdom (c. 1550 BC), the city became known as mn-nfr (anglicized as Men-nefer , meaning "enduring and beautiful"), which became " Memfi " ( ⲙⲉⲙϥⲓ ) in Bohairic Coptic . The name " Memphis " ( Μέμφις ) is the Greek adaptation of the name that they had given to the pyramid of Pepi I , located west of the city. Some claim that modern town Mit Rahina received its name from

3600-482: The city also came to be known by various other names that were the names of neighbourhoods or districts that enjoyed considerable prominence at one time or another. For example, according to a text of the First Intermediate Period , it was known as Djed-Sut ("everlasting places"), which is the name of the pyramid of Teti . At one point the city was referred to as Ankh-Tawy (meaning "Life of

3690-634: The city of Memphis came under siege. Following its capture, many monuments and statues of the ancient capital were dismantled, looted, or damaged by the Hyksos kings, who later carried them off to adorn their new capital at Avaris . Evidence of royal propaganda has been uncovered and attributed to the Theban kings of the Seventeenth Dynasty , who initiated the reconquest of the kingdom half a century later. The Eighteenth Dynasty thus opened with

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3780-586: The city's gradual decline. It was Ptolemy I who first introduced the cult of Serapis in Egypt, establishing his cult in Saqqara. From this period date many developments of the Saqqara Serapeum, including the building of the Chamber of Poets, as well as the dromos adorning the temple, and many elements of Greek-inspired architecture. The cult's reputation extended beyond the borders of the country, but

3870-528: The city's population to have numbered approximately 6,000 inhabitants during the Old Kingdom. During the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom, Memphis became the capital of Ancient Egypt for more than six consecutive dynasties . The city reached a peak of prestige under the Sixth Dynasty as a centre for the worship of Ptah , the god of creation and artworks. The alabaster sphinx that guards

3960-461: The city. Memphis under the Late Period saw recurring invasions followed by successive liberations. Several times besieged, it was the scene of several of the bloodiest battles in the history of the country. Despite the support of their Greek allies in undermining the hegemony of the Achaemenids, the country nevertheless fell into the hands of the conquerors, and Memphis was never again to become

4050-421: The construction of royal tombs. Spread over several kilometres stretching in all directions, Memphis formed a true megalopolis , with temples connected by sacred temenos , and ports connected by roadways and canals. The perimeter of the city thus gradually extended into a vast urban sprawl . Its centre remained around the temple complex of Ptah. At the beginning of the Middle Kingdom , the capital and court of

4140-570: The country, and particularly in Memphis and its necropolis. Thus, a monument dedicated by Cambyses II seems to refute the testimony of Herodotus, who lends the conquerors a criminal attitude of disrespect against the sacred traditions. The nationalist awakening came with the rise to power, however briefly, of Amyrtaeus in 404 BC, who ended the Persian occupation. He was defeated and executed at Memphis in October 399 BC by Nepherites I , founder of

4230-599: The creation of the Contemporary or Neo-Coptic school of iconography. In 1952, architect and coptic Christian Ramses Wissa Wassef founded the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center in Giza, Egypt. He asked 14 children, mostly Copts, to develop a new artform by reviving the ancient coptic weaving method. The coptic weaver Maryam Hermina (born 1932) taught the children the technique. The Art Centre has

4320-528: The dead. Later coptic textiles showed the influence of Byzantium and later, Islamic art. Modern Coptic art is also known as the Neo-Coptic school. In recent centuries icons have been the main means of expression, keeping most traditional aspects. Coptic icons are more concerned religious truth and beauty than with realism, the depiction of depth, or perspective. As in the Byzantine and related traditions,

4410-482: The early twentieth century, in the south of the temple of Ptah complex. According to inscriptions describing his architectural work, Sheshonk I (r. 943–922 BC), founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty, constructed a forecourt and pylon of the temple of Ptah, a monument that he named the "Castle of Millions of Years of Sheshonk, Beloved of Amun". The funerary cult surrounding this monument, well known in

4500-525: The early years of Arab rule, the Copts were allowed to build several churches within the old fortress area. Some of the oldest churches in Cairo, the Church of Saint Barbara and the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus are dated to around this time, from the late 7th or early 8th century. There may have also been a Jewish presence in the area in the early period of Muslim rule. A traditional account claims that

4590-425: The elaborate wooden altar screens seen in some of the churches here today. During the 17th century, as the religious climate under the Ottomans became more open again, restoration and reconstruction of churches resumed on a more significant scale. In addition to the building activity, patronage of the arts grew and a large number of church icons preserved today were commissioned in the 18th and 19th centuries. By

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4680-403: The erection by the king of a shrine to the god Ptah, master of Truth. Other blocks registered in the name of Amenemhat II were found to be used as foundations for large monoliths preceding the pylons of Ramses II. These kings were also known to have ordered mining expeditions, raids, or military campaigns beyond the borders, erecting monuments or statues to the consecration of deities, evinced by

4770-405: The figures are depicted frontally, looking straight at the viewer. Today, Coptic icons are found not only in churches, but also in homes and praying altars. They may also be purchased from Coptic gift shops throughout Egypt and the Coptic diaspora. During the papacy of Pope Cyril VI , the emergence of Coptic painters like Isaac Fanous Youssef , along with the revival of Coptic art, brought about

4860-421: The footprint of the ancient city is uninhabited. The closest modern settlement is the town of Mit Rahina. Estimates of historical population size differ widely among sources. According to Tertius Chandler , Memphis had some 30,000 inhabitants and was by far the largest settlement worldwide from the time of its foundation until approximately 2250 BC and from 1557 to 1400 BC. K. A. Bard is more cautious and estimates

4950-407: The founder of the city. Alternatively, Epaphus (king of Egypt, whose wife was Memphis ) is regarded in the Greek myths as the founder of Memphis, Egypt. Little is known about the city of the Old Kingdom and before. It was the state capital of the powerful kings, who reigned from Memphis from the date of the First Dynasty . According to Manetho, during the earliest years of the reign of Menes,

5040-481: The founding of Alexandria . Under the Roman Empire , Alexandria remained the most important Egyptian city. Memphis remained the second city of Egypt until the establishment of Fustat (or Fostat) in 641 AD. Afterward it was largely abandoned and became a source of stone for the surrounding settlements. It was still an imposing set of ruins in the twelfth century, but soon became little more than an expanse of low ruins and scattered stone. The legend recorded by Manetho

5130-430: The high priests of Memphis dating precisely from the Twenty-second Dynasty has been found west of the forum. It included a chapel dedicated to Ptah by a prince Shoshenq , son of Osorkon II (r. 872–837 BC), whose tomb was found in Saqqara in 1939 by Pierre Montet . The chapel is currently visible in the gardens of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, behind a trio of colossi of Ramesses II, which are also from Memphis. During

5220-406: The high priests of Ptah were constructed near the royal pyramids at Saqqara, showing that the royalty and the clergy of Memphis at that time were closely linked. The Thirteenth Dynasty continued this trend, and some kings of this line were buried at Saqqara, attesting that Memphis retained its place at the heart of the monarchy. With the invasion of the Hyksos and their rise to power ca. 1650 BC,

5310-439: The higher clergy of Memphis, a dynasty of high priests of Ptah. The lineage retained strong ties with the royal family in Alexandria, to the extent that marriages occurred between certain high priests and Ptolemaic princesses, strengthening even further the commitment between the two families. Coptic art Coptic art is the Christian art of the Byzantine - Greco-Roman Egypt and of Coptic Christian Churches . Coptic art

5400-529: The influence of the Coptic art. Menas flasks are very cheap terracotta bottles bought by pilgrims to Abu Mina , the shrine of Saint Menas , in the 4th and 5th centuries. The clay was impressed before firing with blocks with images of the saint. They have been found nearly all over the Christian world, and many scholars trace influence from their fairly crude images in the emerging iconography of Western medieval art , among other Coptic influences. A remarkable number of Coptic textiles survive today, due to

5490-454: The king had moved to Thebes in the south, leaving Memphis for a time. Although the seat of political power had shifted, Memphis did remain perhaps the most important commercial and artistic centre, as evidenced by the discovery of handicrafts districts and cemeteries, located west of the temple of Ptah. Also found were vestiges attesting to the architectural focus of this time. A large granite offering table on behalf of Amenemhat I mentioned

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5580-420: The king left, Egypt rebelled against Assyrian rule. In Assyria, Ashurbanipal succeeded his father and resumed the offensive against Egypt. In a massive invasion in 664 BC, the city of Memphis was again sacked and looted, and the king Tantamani was pursued into Nubia and defeated, putting a definitive end to the Kushite reign over Egypt. Power then returned to the Saite kings , who, fearful of an invasion from

5670-447: The late 19th century, however, many churches were suffering from neglect. The situation was improved in part thanks to the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe , an agency established in 1881 to restore and conserve Cairo's historic monuments. Starting in 1897, the Comité was given a budget to safeguard Coptic monuments in particular, aided by funding from the Coptic patriarchate. Another aspect of this conservation effort

5760-546: The local population began to organize towards a revolt, the Romans, recognising the strategic importance of the region, took over the fort and relocated it nearby as the Babylon Fortress . Trajan reopened the canal to the Red Sea, bringing increased trade. Over the three first centuries of the Current Era, a substantial portion of the population of Egypt converted from pagan beliefs to Christianity. They were however subjected to persecution by certain Roman emperors, mainly Diocletian around 300 AD. The persecutions ended following

5850-415: The name of a Bedouin tribe. While attempting to draw ancient Egyptian history and religious elements into that of their own traditions, the Greek poet Hesiod in his Theogony explained the name of the city by saying that Memphis was a daughter of the Greek river god Nilus and the wife of Epaphus (the son of Zeus and Io ), who founded the city and named it after his wife. In the Bible, Memphis

5940-410: The nation's capital. In 332 BC came the Greeks, who took control of the country from the Persians, and Egypt would never see a new native ruler ascend the throne until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 . In 332 BC, Alexander the Great was crowned king in the Temple of Ptah, ushering in the Hellenistic period . The city retained a significant status, especially religious, throughout the period following

6030-486: The nearby port of Peru-nefer (literally, "Good Travels" or " Bon Voyage ") the gateway to the kingdom for neighbouring regions, including Byblos and the Levant . In the New Kingdom, Memphis became a centre for the education of royal princes and the sons of the nobility. Amenhotep II, born and raised in Memphis, was made the setem —the high priest over Lower Egypt—during the reign of his father. His son, Thutmose IV received his famed and recorded dream whilst residing as

6120-557: The priests of this cult has been uncovered at Saqqara. His successor Tutankhamun (r. 1332–1323 BC; formerly Tutankhaten) relocated the royal court from Akhenaten's capital Akhetaten ("Horizon of the Aten") to Memphis before the end of the second year of his reign. Whilst in Memphis, Tutankhamun initiated a period of restoration of the temples and traditions following the era of Atenism , which became regarded as heresy . The tombs of important officials from his reign, such as Horemheb and Maya , are situated in Saqqara, although Horemheb

6210-409: The prominent among them include St. Luke (traditionally believed to be the first icon painter) and two Coptic Popes , Pope Macarius I and Pope Gabriel III Starting mid-18th century icon painting enjoyed a revival in Egypt and once again was popular. One of the most famous artists was Yuhanna al-Armani whose works were noted for using more developed techniques and novel construction (e.g. using

6300-506: The recovery of the country by the Persians, he succumbed to an invasion in 340 BC. Nectanebo II retreated south to Memphis, to which the Achaemenid king Artaxerxes III laid siege, forcing the king to flee to Upper Egypt, and eventually to Nubia. A brief liberation of the city under the rebel-king Khababash (338 to 335 BC) is evinced by an Apis bull sarcophagus bearing his name, which was discovered at Saqqara dating from his second year. The armies of Darius III eventually regained control of

6390-420: The result of a reconstruction in the 1890s. In the Fatimid period , the Coptic Patriarchate was moved from Alexandria to Fustat during the patriarchate of Cyril II (1078–1092), due to the demands of the Fatimid grand vizier , Badr al-Jamali , who wished for the Coptic pope to stay close to the capital. The new seat of the Patriarchate became the Church of the Virgin, now known as the Hanging Church , and

6480-467: The royal funerary chamber, housing all the elements necessary to royalty: temples, shrines, ceremonial courts, palaces, and barracks. The golden age began with the Fourth Dynasty , which seems to have furthered the primary role of Memphis as a royal residence where rulers received the double crown , the divine manifestation of the unification of the Two Lands. Coronations and jubilees such as

6570-417: The royal tombs. A strong suggestion of this notion is the etymology of the name of the city itself, which matched that of the pyramid of Pepi I of the Sixth Dynasty . Memphis was then the heir to a long artistic and architectural practice, constantly encouraged by the monuments of preceding reigns. All these necropoleis were surrounded by camps inhabited by craftsmen and labourers, dedicated exclusively to

6660-496: The seat of power was farther to the south, at Thinis . According to Manetho, ancient sources suggest the "white walls" (Ineb-hedj) or "fortress of the white wall" were founded by Menes. It is likely that the king established himself there to better control the new union between the two kingdoms that formerly were rivals. The complex of Djoser of the Third Dynasty , located in the ancient necropolis at Saqqara , would then be

6750-464: The six daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Her fate is unknown. Similarly, Horemheb consolidated power when he married Nefertiti's sister Mutnodjemet. There is evidence that, under Ramesses II , the city developed new importance in the political sphere through its proximity to the new capital Pi-Ramesses . The king devoted many monuments in Memphis and adorned them with colossal symbols of glory. Merneptah (r. 1213–1203 BC), his successor, constructed

6840-526: The takeover by one of his generals, Ptolemy I . On the death of Alexander in Babylon (323 BCE), Ptolemy took great pains in acquiring his body and bringing it to Memphis. Claiming that the king had officially expressed a desire to be buried in Egypt, he then carried the body of Alexander to the heart of the temple of Ptah, and had him embalmed by the priests. By custom, kings in Macedon asserted their right to

6930-426: The temple ruins, which were later restored under the name of Rameses II. Finally, according to the tradition recorded by Herodotus, and Diodorus , Amenemhat III built the northern gate of the Temple of Ptah. Remains attributed to this king were indeed found during the excavations in this area conducted by Flinders Petrie , who confirmed the connection. It is also worth noting that, during this time, mastabas of

7020-582: The territory of the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt and establishing himself as king. This palette has been dated to ca. 31st century BC and thus, would correlate with the legend of Egypt's unification by Menes. However, in 2012 an inscription depicting the visit of the predynastic king Iry-Hor to Memphis was discovered in the Sinai. Since Iry-Hor predates Narmer by two generations, the latter cannot have been

7110-415: The throne by burying their predecessor. Ptolemy II later transferred the sarcophagus to Alexandria, where a royal tomb was constructed for its burial. The exact location of the tomb has been lost since then. According to Aelian , the seer Aristander foretold that the land where Alexander was laid to rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever". Thus began the Ptolemaic dynasty , during which began

7200-502: The victory over the invaders by the Thebans. Some Eighteenth Dynasty kings, particularly Amenhotep II (r. 1427–1401/1397 BC) and Thutmose IV (r. 1401/1397–1391/1388 BC) gave considerable royal focus to Memphis, but for the most part, power remained in the south. With the long period of peace that followed, prosperity again took hold of the city, which benefited from her strategic position. Strengthening trade ties with other empires made

7290-491: The west bank of the Nile . The modern cities and towns of Mit Rahina, Dahshur , Abusir , Abu Gorab , and Zawyet el'Aryan , south of Cairo, all lie within the administrative borders of historical Memphis ( 29°50′58.8″N 31°15′15.4″E  /  29.849667°N 31.254278°E  / 29.849667; 31.254278 ). The city was also the place that marked the boundary between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. (The 22nd nome of Upper Egypt and 1st nome of Lower Egypt). Today,

7380-399: Was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah , the patron of craftsmen. Its great temple , Hut-ka-Ptah (meaning "Enclosure of the ka of Ptah"), was one of the most prominent structures in the city. The name of this temple, rendered in Greek as Aἴγυπτoς (Ai-gy-ptos) by Manetho, is believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English name Egypt . The history of Memphis

7470-513: Was buried in the Valley of the Kings after reigning as king himself (r. 1319–1292 BC). He had been commander of the army under Tutankhamun and Ay . Maya was overseer of the treasury during the reigns of Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb. Ay had been Tutankhamun's chief minister, and succeeded him as king (r. 1323–1319 BC). To consolidate his power he married Tutankhamun's widow Ankhesenamun , the third of

7560-442: Was initiated for temples across the country. In Memphis, a powerful new wall was rebuilt for the Temple of Ptah, and developments were made to temples and chapels inside the complex. Nectanebo II meanwhile, while continuing the work of his predecessor, began building large sanctuaries, especially in the necropolis of Saqqara, adorning them with pylons, statues, and paved roads lined with rows of sphinxes. Despite his efforts to prevent

7650-620: Was later eclipsed by the great Alexandrian Serapeum , built in Ptolemy's honour by his successors. The Decrees of Memphis were issued in 216 and 196 BC, by Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy V respectively. Delegates from the principal clergies of the kingdom gathered in synod , under the patronage of the High Priest of Ptah and in the presence of the king, to establish the religious policy of the country for years to come, also dictating fees and taxes, creating new foundations, and paying tribute to

7740-459: Was permanently installed within the city, probably in the great north wall, near the domineering palace of Apries. The excavations by Flinders Petrie revealed that this sector included armouries. For almost a century and a half, the city remained the capital of the Persian satrapy of Egypt ("Mudraya"/"Musraya"), officially becoming one of the epicentres of commerce in the vast territory conquered by

7830-525: Was that Menes , the first king to unite the Two Lands , established his capital on the banks of the Nile by diverting the river with dikes. The Greek historian Herodotus , who tells a similar story, relates that during his visit to the city, the Persians , at that point the suzerains of the country, paid particular attention to the condition of these dams so that the city was saved from the annual flooding . It has been theorised that Menes may have been

7920-540: Was the tunic , which would become the dalmatic. Some tunics were woven in one piece. They were decorated by clavi, a stylistic import from Rome. Some fine examples of the Coptic textile are shown in museums all over the world and a large collection is in the Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo Tens of thousands of coloured fragments found their way into the museums of the world, especially after 1889 when

8010-476: Was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj , the first nome of Lower Egypt that was known as mḥw ("North"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina (Arabic: ميت رهينة ), in markaz ( county ) Badrashin , Giza , Egypt . Along with the pyramid fields that stretch on a desert plateau for more than 30 kilometres (19 mi) on its west, including the famous Pyramids of Giza , Memphis and its necropolis have been listed as

8100-729: Was the opening of the Coptic Museum in 1910 in order to house and protect historic works of Coptic art, relevant artefacts from archeological excavations, and decorative architectural elements drawn from churches and houses around the country. It now houses the world's most important collection of Coptic art. Coptic Cairo is, to this day, a predominantly Christian area, hosting many historically important churches: 30°00′23″N 31°13′54″E  /  30.00628°N 31.231781°E  / 30.00628; 31.231781 Memphis, Egypt Memphis ( Arabic : مَنْف , romanized :  Manf , pronounced [mænf] ; Bohairic Coptic : ⲙⲉⲙϥⲓ ; Greek : Μέμφις ), or Men-nefer ,

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