# Ancient Memphis, Mit Rahina, Cairo > Memphis, the first capital of united Egypt, survives as an open-air museum in the village of Mit Rahina, 20 km south of Cairo. The highlights are a fallen colossus of Ramesses II and an alabaster sphinx. Foreign visitors pay EGP 200; open daily from 8:00, last entry 16:00. An hour is enough — pair it with Saqqara. Web page: https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis - City: [Cairo](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo), Egypt - YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry (foreign visitors): EGP 200; students under 24 EGP 100 - Children: Free under 6 - Hours: Daily from 8:00, last entry 16:00 - Ramadan: From 9:00, last entry 15:00 - Where to buy: Egymonuments website, Experience Egypt app, ticket office and kiosks - Payment: Visa and Mastercard in every sales channel - Refunds: Dated tickets, non-refundable and non-transferable - Phone photography: Free - Time needed: 45–60 minutes - Getting there: Car, ride-hail or tour; public transport takes several changes - Coordinates: 29.84950, 31.25480 - Facts checked: 03.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 10 m** — length of the fallen limestone colossus of Ramesses II, the star of the museum (source: English Wikipedia (Memphis, Egypt); Wikivoyage (Memphis (Egypt))) - **First capital** — of united Egypt; the capital through the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom (source: English and Russian Wikipedia (Memphis, Egypt); Wikivoyage) - **≈ 20 km** — south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile, by the village of Mit Rahina (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1979** — UNESCO World Heritage listing with the pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur, as Memphis and its Necropolis (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **White Walls** — the city's ancient name, Inebu-hedj; the later Men-nefer became the Greek Memphis (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Hut-ka-Ptah** — the temple of Ptah, whose name is thought to be the origin of the word Egypt (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Wikivoyage) - **1820** — the colossus was found by Giovanni Caviglia near the south gate of the Ptah temple (source: English Wikipedia; Wikivoyage) - **No inscription** — on the New Kingdom alabaster sphinx — Hatshepsut and Amenhotep II are the usual guesses (source: Madain Project; Egypt Fun Tours guide) - **332 BC** — Alexander the Great was crowned in Memphis, in the Temple of Ptah (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Quarry** — from the 7th century AD the city's stone was carted off to build Fustat and Cairo (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) > **Set your expectations: it's a statue garden** Almost nothing of the pharaohs' capital stands above ground — its stone was hauled away for centuries to build Fustat and Cairo. What you visit is a small walled garden with palms: a pavilion with the fallen colossus of Ramesses II, a sphinx, statues and temple fragments. It is an hour, not a half day. Don't cross Cairo for Memphis alone; combine it with Saqqara. ## Is Memphis worth visiting? Yes, if you're already heading to [Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara). The museum sits on the way, the ticket is one of the cheapest around Cairo, and the colossus of Ramesses II is a royal portrait you can study up close, inches from the stone. Allow **45–60 minutes**. No, if you have a single day in Cairo. Then the [Giza Pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids) and the [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) come first. And don't expect Luxor-style temples: no walls or columns survive here, only sculpture. Most travellers see Memphis as the first or last stop of a Saqqara–Memphis–Dahshur day, usually with a hired car and driver. That's also the format we'd recommend. ## Memphis tickets, hours and payment Foreign adults pay **EGP 200**, students under 24 with a valid ID EGP 100, and children under 6 go free. Phone photography is free. The museum is open **every day from 8:00, with last entry at 16:00**; during Ramadan it opens at 9:00 with last entry at 15:00. The Ministry asks visitors to arrive at least an hour before closing. Buy tickets on the official Egymonuments website, in the Experience Egypt app, or at the ticket office and kiosks on site. Tickets are for a fixed date and can't be refunded or replaced. **Visa and Mastercard** are accepted in every channel, including the desk, so you don't need cash for entry. Keep small Egyptian pounds for a tuk-tuk, toilets and tips. Older guidebooks and blogs quote EGP 35, 80 or 180 — those prices are out of date. ## What to see at the Memphis open-air museum - **The colossus of Ramesses II** in its own pavilion — a limestone statue about 10 m long, lying on its back with its feet and base broken off. Giovanni Caviglia found it in 1820 near the south gate of the Temple of Ptah. The carving of the face and arms is remarkably fine — the best reason to stop here. - **The alabaster sphinx** in the garden — a large statue cut from a single block of Egyptian alabaster. With no inscription, no one knows whose face it is; Hatshepsut and Amenhotep II are the usual candidates. It turned up during Flinders Petrie's excavations of 1907–1912. - **The standing statue of Ramesses II** among the palms — the one in this page's photo. - **Statues, stelae and temple fragments** along the garden paths — smaller sphinxes, column pieces and sarcophagi. Labels are scarce, so a guide helps. - **The Apis embalming tables** — huge alabaster slabs within the Ptah temple area where the sacred bulls were prepared for burial in the Serapeum at Saqqara. Ask at the desk whether they're open on the day. ## What was Memphis? The capital of the pyramid age Memphis was Egypt's capital through the first dynasties and the Old Kingdom, when the pyramids were built. Legend, as recorded by the priest Manetho, says King Menes founded it when he united Upper and Lower Egypt; it sat right on the boundary of the two lands. Its earliest name was **Inebu-hedj, the White Walls**; the later Men-nefer, "enduring and beautiful", became the Greek Memphis. The city belonged to **Ptah**, god of craftsmen. His temple, Hut-ka-Ptah, is widely thought to have given Egypt its name via the Greek Aigyptos. Ramesses II lined that temple with colossi, and in **332 BC** Alexander the Great was crowned there. After the Arab conquest in the 7th century the city became a quarry, its temples dismantled to build Fustat and later Cairo. The pyramids are not in Memphis itself but on the desert ridge to the west — its cemeteries at Saqqara, Dahshur, Abusir and Giza. UNESCO listed them together in 1979 as Memphis and its Necropolis. ## How to get to Memphis from central Cairo 1. Easiest: **Uber, Careem or inDrive** from Tahrir Square to the museum at Mit Rahina, 45–60 minutes depending on traffic. Getting a ride back out of the village is hard, so agree up front that the driver waits, or hire a car and driver for half a day with Saqqara. 2. Cheaper but slow: **Cairo Metro Line 2** from Sadat station under Tahrir Square to the El Mounib terminus, about 20 minutes. 3. From El Mounib take a **microbus** to El Badrasheen, 25–30 minutes. Unofficial, per Wikivoyage. 4. From El Badrasheen the museum is about 2 km away — a **tuk-tuk** ride of roughly 5–10 minutes. Fix the fare before you get in. 5. Saqqara is a few kilometres west, 10–15 minutes by car. Dahshur lies further south and usually completes the same day. ## How long to spend and when to go The garden and the colossus pavilion take **45–60 minutes**; with a guide who reads the fragments for you, closer to an hour and a half. Since Memphis, Saqqara and Dahshur all stop admitting visitors at 16:00, start early. Come at the 8:00 opening if you can: it is cooler, and Saqqara, next on most plans, also stops admitting visitors at 16:00. November to March is the most comfortable season; in summer it is hot even early, so bring water and a hat. ## Memphis vs Saqqara vs Giza | | Ancient Memphis | Saqqara | Giza Pyramids | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Statue garden on the old capital | The first, stepped pyramid and nobles' tombs | Three 4th-Dynasty pyramids and the Sphinx | | Foreign adult ticket | EGP 200 | EGP 600 | EGP 700 | | Hours | From 8:00, last entry 16:00 | From 8:00, last entry 16:00 | From 7:00, last entry 16:00 | | Time needed | 45–60 minutes | 2 hours to half a day | About 3 hours | Memphis was the city; Saqqara and Giza were its cemeteries. Memphis and Saqqara are 10–15 minutes apart, so almost everyone sees them on the same day. ## Memphis checklist - [ ] Half-day car, or a driver who agreed to wait - [ ] Memphis and Saqqara on the same day, starting around 8:00 - [ ] Visa or Mastercard for tickets - [ ] Small Egyptian pounds for a tuk-tuk, toilets and tips - [ ] Student card, if you have one - [ ] Water, hat, sunscreen ## Ancient Egypt around Cairo: compare and choose Historic sites in Cairo with a YesGo score. - [Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 200, students EGP 100 - [Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · EGP 550, students EGP 275 - [Al-Azhar Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/al-azhar-mosque) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Cairo Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/cairo-citadel) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 550 EGP, students 275 EGP - [Giza Pyramids](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/giza-pyramids) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · EGP 700, Great Pyramid inside extra - [Khan el-Khalili](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/khan-el-khalili) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free - [Hanging Church](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/hanging-church) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free entry - [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ EGP 1,830, online only - [Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 - [National Museum of Egyptian Civilization](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/egyptian-civilization-museum) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · EGP 550, mummies included ## Memphis, Saqqara and the Grand Egyptian Museum in a day Start with Ramesses II at 8:00, reach the Step Pyramid at Saqqara by 9:30, and spend the evening at the Grand Egyptian Museum, open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. YesGo sets the timings and transfers. 1. [Memphis](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/ancient-memphis) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · EGP 200, students EGP 100 2. [Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/saqqara) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · EGP 600, pyramid interior +280 3. [Grand Egyptian Museum](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/grand-egyptian-museum) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ EGP 1,830, online only > **Souvenir stalls and helpful strangers** The exit runs past souvenir stalls, and self-appointed guides by the statues will expect a tip. Prices at the stalls run well above [Khan el-Khalili](https://yesgo.io/egypt/cairo/khan-el-khalili) — about triple, according to Wikivoyage. A polite "la, shukran" (no, thank you) does the job. The café across the road is pricey, so bring your own water and snacks. ## Don't confuse Memphis, Egypt, and Memphis, Tennessee, are different cities, though searches mix them up constantly. The Ramesses II colossus at the Grand Egyptian Museum is the granite twin of the one at Memphis; it stood for decades in Ramses Square by Cairo's main station. The Memphis sphinx is alabaster and modest in size; the Great Sphinx is at Giza. ## Tips - Don't make a separate trip to Memphis — slot it in on the way to or from Saqqara. - Walk all the way round the Ramesses II colossus — the face and hands reward a close look. - Be there by 8:00 so both Memphis and Saqqara fit comfortably before last entry. - Cards work for the ticket, but you'll want small Egyptian pounds for the tuk-tuk and toilets. - If you come by Uber, agree a waiting time — booking a ride out of Mit Rahina is hard. - Bring water; the café by the entrance charges a premium. ## Questions ### Where is ancient Memphis? On the west bank of the Nile about 20 km south of central Cairo, at the village of Mit Rahina in Giza Governorate. The Saqqara necropolis is a few kilometres to the west. ### How much is the Memphis ticket? EGP 200 for foreign adults, EGP 100 for students under 24, free under 6. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. ### What are the Memphis open-air museum's opening hours? Daily from 8:00 with last entry at 16:00. During Ramadan it opens at 9:00 with last entry at 15:00. ### Is Memphis, Egypt worth visiting? Yes as part of a Saqqara day — it's cheap, quick and the Ramesses II colossus is superb. Not worth a separate trip if your time in Cairo is short. ### How long do you need at Memphis? 45–60 minutes for the garden and the colossus pavilion; up to 90 minutes with a guide. ### How do I get to Memphis from Cairo? Uber or a taxi from Tahrir Square takes 45–60 minutes — ask the driver to wait. On a budget: Metro Line 2 to El Mounib, a microbus to El Badrasheen, then a tuk-tuk. ### Can I visit Memphis, Saqqara and Dahshur in one day? Yes, and most people do. They are close together; with a car and driver start by 8:00, since all three stop admitting visitors at 16:00. ### What is there to see at Memphis? The fallen 10-metre colossus of Ramesses II, the alabaster sphinx, a standing statue of Ramesses II, and fragments of the Ptah temples in the garden. ### Where is the other Ramesses II colossus from Memphis? Its granite twin stands at the Grand Egyptian Museum, moved there in 2018 after decades in Ramses Square in central Cairo. ### Are there pyramids at Memphis? Not at the museum. The pyramids of Memphis are its cemeteries on the plateau to the west: Saqqara, Dahshur, Abusir and Giza. ## How we checked Fares, concessions, hours and Ramadan hours come from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' official ticketing page for Memphis; payment, sales channels and the refund rule from its FAQ. Saqqara and Giza fares for comparison come from the same official pages. Wikivoyage still lists EGP 35 and blogs quote EGP 80 or 180 — all outdated, so not used. The English core was built from English-language search results and related questions for Memphis, Egypt, its open-air museum and Mit Rahina. History is from English and Russian Wikipedia, cross-checked with Wikivoyage. Sources disagree on the colossus: Wikipedia and Wikivoyage say about 10 m, one guide says over 13 m; we use about 10 m. The sphinx's missing inscription and the Hatshepsut or Amenhotep II attributions come from Madain Project and Egypt Fun Tours; its weight appears in only one source, so we leave it out. Whether the Apis embalming tables are open on a given day is not officially stated. Transport is unofficial: ride-hail times from travel guides, metro and microbus from Wikivoyage, and the El Badrasheen distance and tuk-tuk time are our own estimate from OpenStreetMap. Wikivoyage puts Saqqara 3 km away and other sources 5 km, so we give drive times instead. ## Sources - Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, official Egymonuments ticketing: Memphis — fares, hours, Ramadan hours, free entry, photography; Saqqara Monuments and Pyramids for comparison; FAQ — sales channels, payment, refunds - English and Russian Wikipedia: Memphis, Egypt; Wikidata Q5715 - Wikivoyage: Memphis (Egypt), Saqqara — transport from Cairo, the museum, shops - Madain Project: Open Air Museum and Lapidarium of Memphis — the sphinx and garden statues - Egypt Fun Tours and Paliparan guides: Memphis Open Air Museum; Memphis: Exploring the Old Capital — exhibits, the sphinx - OpenStreetMap — location of the museum and El Badrasheen station, distances --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.