Why is Memphis, Egypt a tourist attraction?

Memphis is a city in Egypt that is located about 12 miles to the south of Cairo.  With its rich contribution to Egypt’s history, Memphis has become a tourist attraction in this beautiful country.  This ancient city is now uninhabited and transformed into a huge museum combining both indoor and outdoor attractions.

In the past, Memphis became Egypt’s capital city, and this continued for a total of eight consecutive kingdoms.  This city also became well-known as the first Nome of Lower Egypt, and marks the division in what was then known as Lower and Upper Egypt.  In ancient times, Memphis also became a popular city in the whole country of Egypt as it became the center for Ptah worship.  Ptah is the Egyptian god associated with artwork and the whole of creation.  Based on some historical text, Memphis was considered a huge city with a large population.  All these basically contributed to the city’s popularity and prestige for eight dynasties.  Over time, though, Memphis’ prestige and relevance eventually waned especially at the time of the Roman influence and rule.  The city was then later replaced by new developments in the northern areas of the country, and this led to many people leaving the city for good.  At the time, the northern city of Cairo began to rise in prominence while Memphis was left to become a quarrying site or as a dumping ground for the country’s various wastes.

Today, the city of Memphis is known for its remains as a capital city in ancient Egyptian times.  These remains are what make this city a famous, tourist attraction in Egypt today.  Parts of the Ptah worship temple, Sphinxes, colossi, including that of Ramses, various statues and architectural remnants are on display in various indoor and outdoor museums.  Many of these remains are actually considered very little of what’s left in the ancient city of Memphis.  This particular city was once a huge capital with lots of activities going on making it an important part of Egypt’s history.