Overview

"Mn Nefer" (Memphis, in Greek), which means "the beautiful wall" in the ancient Egyptian language, the capital city of the first unified Egyptian state since the days of Pharaoh Narmer, lies nearly 20 km (12.43 mi) south of Giza. Giza's most famous archaeological site, the Giza Plateau, holds some major monuments of Egyptian history. Once thriving with the Nile that flowed right into the Giza Plateau, the pyramids of Gizawere built overlooking the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis, across the river from modern day Cairo.

The Giza Plateau is also home to Egyptian monuments such as the tomb of Pharaoh Djet of the First Dynasty, as well as that of Pharaoh Ninetjer of the Second Dynasty.

History[edit]

Ancient era[edit]

The area in what is now Giza served as the necropolis of several pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt, during the 2nd millennium BC. Three of these tombs, in the form of giant pyramids, are what is now the famed Three Pyramids of Giza.

Classical to medieval era[edit]

As ancient Egypt passed under several conquests under the Persians, Greeks and Romans, so did the area in what is now Giza. A Roman village named Teresa, located south of Giza, existed before the Muslim conquest of the region.^[2][3]

As Muslims of the fledging Islamic caliphate went on with their conquest of Egypt from the Roman Empire beginning in 639 AD, three years after their victory at the battle of Yarmouk in 636 AD, they conquered all of the land by the time they have captured the city of Alexandria in 641 AD. A year later in 642 AD (year 21 in Islamic calendar), they founded the city of Giza. Its name, al-Jizzah in Arabic, means "the valley" or "the plateau", pertaining to the area's topography.