The Very Best Ancient Egyptian Monuments and Sites

Whereas most Ancient Egypt sites are to be found in Egypt, this second century BC Ptolemaic temple was moved to Madrid in the 60s.

Sa电话ara is a massive historic site and, for those short on time the best places to see are in the north, including the Serapeum, Djosers funerary complex and, in between these two, the Mastaba of Akhti-Hotep and Ptah-Hotep, the son and grandson of official Ptah-Hotep. There are numerous ways to tour Sa电话ara, including camel, horse and donkey tours available around the Step Pyramid.

The Luxor Temple was once a sacred temple built in honour of the deity Amun. Constructed in the 14th century BC by Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty,the Luxor Temple was part of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Today, Luxor is incredibly well-preserved and, with its looming archways and giant statues, the enormous temple is a breathtaking site.

The Very Best Ancient Egyptian Monuments and Sites

What are the best Ancient Egyptian monuments and sites to visit?

From smaller objects such as coins and piece of papyrus to statues of pharaohs and the magnificence of the Royal Mummies room with its eleven mummies, the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is the place to see some of the most significant finds from this period. Perhaps the most famous part of the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is its Tutankhamen collection, which includes the iconic funereal mask of the boy king as well as several other objects related to this pharaoh.

Weve put together an experts guide to ancient Egyptian landmarks, with our top ten places to visit as well as a full list of Egyptian monuments, museums and sites, which shouldnt be ignored if you have the time.

Zawyet el Aryan contains the remains of two Egyptian pyramids, the Layer Pyramid and the Unfinished Pyramid. It is thought they were both built around 2700-2600BC.

Not far from Cairo are the remains of fourteen Egyptian pyramids built by the pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty at the site of Abusir. Whilst not one of the best preserved of the Ancient Egypt sites, they offer a quieter pyramid viewing experience than others.

On the west bank of the Nile around 100km south of Cairo lay the Twelfth Dynasty necropolis of el-Lisht, a Middle Kingdom burial site of Egypts royals and the upper-class elite.

Turins Egyptian Museum is considered to contain one of the best collections of Ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world including three copies of the ancient Book of the Dead and a sculpture of Ramesses II.

Of all the Ancient Egypt sites, Gizas pyramids are definitely the most renowned and include the worlds largest pyramid, that ofKhufu.Khufus pyramid is Gizas oldest and, at its great size of 145 metres, became known as The Great Pyramid.

Vast and full of fascinating sites, Karnak Temple is one of Egypts most visited sites. Most people take a couple of hours at the Karnak Temple, but this is only really enough to scratch the surface of this ancient complex.

Built by the pharaoh Sneferu, the Red Pyramid is one of Dahshurs most famous residents and the second oldest pyramid ever built. Dahshur is also the place to find the Bent Pyramid, so called due to its unusual change of angle. Also built by Sneferu, the Bent Pyramid is atypical as it has two entrances. Visitors to Dahshur can tour the Red Pyramid and the more recently opened Bent Pyramid as well.

The British Museum in London is a world-famous museum of history and culture and has an extensive Egyptian collection.

Abydos is an important Ancient Egyptian site located about 50 miles north-west ofLuxorwhich contains a wealth of tombs, temples and other archaeological vering a vast area, Abydos has offered up many historical sites and much of the area still remains uncovered. It is perhaps best known for the well preserved remains of the Temple of Seti I. This is the principle tourist attraction of the Abydos site, and in fact much of Abydos is not open to the travelling public. Other notable historic sites at Abydos include the Osireion, the symbolic tomb of Osiris, the necropolis of Umm el-Qaab and the Temple of Ramesses II. Many visitors will visit Abydos – along withDendera- either by train or organised tour from Luxor.

Sa电话ara was the burial place of the city of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt founded in 3000 BC by Menes. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Sa电话ara is home to eleven major pyramids sprawled over six miles, including the first ever pyramid, known as the Step Pyramid and funerary complex of pharaoh Djoser.

A small hidden gem amongst Ancient Egyptian sites, Dahshur is much quieter than Giza but still offers some great things to see. Unlike the more popular Giza and Sa电话ara, Dahshur has not become a tourist hotspot, despite its ancient attractions, including the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid.

Abu Simbel is an archaeological site in Egypt housing a series of incredible Ancient Egyptian monuments, especially a number of temples, the most famous of which are the two Temples of Ramesses II. Incredibly, the temples at Abu Simbel were once located elsewhere, but were moved with the help of UNESCO to their current location in order to protect them from flooding. The place they once stood is now under water. Today, the Abu Simbel temples form part of a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Nubian Monuments.

Our list of Egyptian sites is growing all the time, but we may not cover them all. So, if you know of other Ancient Egyptian landmarks, you can always add them to Trip Historic now by contacting us today.

The Naples National Archaeological Museum holds comprehensive collections from the Greek, Roman and Egyptian eras.

Beyond the most famous Ancient Egyptian landmarks, theres many similar places to visit, including Karnak Temple, Dahshur and Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities to name but a few. Were constantly expanding this list of The Very Best Ancient Egyptian Monuments and Sites and you can view the current selection below.

Medinet Madi Temple is a 12th Dynasty Egyptian temple to the fierce crocodile deity, Sobek.

This beautifully preserved ancient temple took over 180 years to complete and was dedicated to the Egyptian deity of the pharaohs. This is one of the most popular of Ancient Egyptian sites.

A famous ancient temple in the western Egyptian desert, famously visited by Alexander the Great.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is a world-class museum of art containing a myriad of ancient works in Copenhagen including a collection of Ancient Egyptian art.

Musee du Louvre is a twelfth century fort turned palace and today stands as one of the worlds foremost art museums.

A sprawling complex with a wealth of Ancient Egyptian ruins, ancient temples and sanctuaries, the UNESCO-listed Karnak Temple is amongst the most remarkable of Ancient Egypt sites and once formed part of the city of Thebes.

The Serapeum was a magnificent ancient temple and library complex in Alexandria of which little remains today.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Giza is also where one finds the Great Sphinx. Several other tombs and Queens pyramids pepper Gizas landscape, some of which are open to the public.

The Valley of the Kings was once part of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. From the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth, the pharaohs of Egypt were buried in the Valley of the Kings. Today, visitors flock to see the myriad of ancient tombs cut into the limestone of the Valley of the Kings, mostly contained in its eastern valley. The valley has almost thirty tombs in all and,together with theotherremains of Thebes,forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Kom Ombo Temple is a sacred Ptolemaic temple co-dedicated to the crocodile deity Sobek and to the falcon-headed Haroeris.

The Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities contains the most comprehensive and important collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world. Indeed, it is said to have over 100,000 pieces in all.

The Alexandria National Museum in Alexandria, Egypt houses one of the worlds finest collections of Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Coptic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic artefacts in the world.

Sprawling over two square kilometres, the site known as the Karnak Temple was built and expanded by a succession of pharaohs. The result is an incredible maze of temples, sanctuaries, sphinxes, columns and pylons amidst other ancient buildings. One of the most important and impressive sites at the complex is the Temple of Amun-Ra, with its world famous Great Hypostyle Hall.

Many tourists will visit Dendera on a day trip from Luxor and, given that a number of tour companies offer this option from many Luxor hotels, this can be the most practical way to explore the Dendera complex and Temple of Hathor.

The Very Best Ancient Egyptian Monuments and Sites

Unsurprisingly, the Black Pyramid, also at Dahshur cannot be toured. In fact, this pyramid, built for the pharaoh Amenemhat III and originally 266 feet high, has deteriorated badly due to the unstable ground on which it sits and the mud brick used in its construction.

The most prominent site in the Dendera complex is the Ptolemaic-era Temple of Hathor. As well as the Temple of Hathor, other notable areas include both Egyptian- and Roman-era birth houses, a chapel dedicated to the Egyptian deity Isis, the gateways of Domitian and Trajan and a late-Roman Empire period Christian basilica.

Theres a host of top Ancient Egyptian monumentsand sites to visit and among the very best are the world famous sites ofGiza, Abu Simbel and Sa电话ara. Other popular tourist attractions tend to include Luxor Temple, Abydos and the Valley of the Kings.

Dendera contains the stunning Temple of Hathor and is a real gem amongst Ancient Egyptian ruins. It contains some of the best preserved and most accessible ancient Egyptian ruins to be found in Egypt, including temples, tombs and even a Christian chapel.

The Ancient Egypt collection at Berlins Neues Museum includes the bust of Nefertiti, the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a world renowned museum exhibiting works spanning eight thousand years.

The Hawara Pyramid in Egypt was built by Amenemhat III.

The Temple of Taffeh is a 1st century AD Roman temple in Egypt, built by the Emperor Augustus.

The second largest pyramid in Giza belongs to Khufus son, Khafra. In fact, the elevation on which Khafras pyramid is built is deceptive, making it appear larger that his fathers. The smallest of the three kings pyramids belongs to the sixth king of the Fourth Dynasty, Menkaure and is one tenth the size of Khafres.

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