The ancient Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara is located about 20 kilometers south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. It was already used as a burial site during the 1st Dynasty. The step pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser was built during the 3rd Dynasty (around 2700 BCE) and is the oldest ancient Egyptian pyramid. It is considered the oldest, still-intact stone structure in the world. Numerous shaft tombs and mastabas from earlier dynasties have been found, as well as several classical (barely preserved) pyramids from the 5th and 6th Dynasties.

The ruins of Memphis, a city founded around 3100 B.C. by Egypt’s first pharaoh, Menes, lie approximately 20 kilometers south of Cairo. For much of ancient Egyptian history, Memphis was the country’s most important city and the economic center of the kingdom. From the First to the Eighth Dynasty, it was the undisputed capital, which experienced a revival during the reigns of Ramses II and Merenptah. It is estimated that Memphis was the most populous city in the world by 2250 B.C. Around 2040 BC, Thebes replaced the city as the capital, a development that led to the gradual decline of Memphis. An interesting open-air museum houses important finds from the area.