Ayn Shams (Ancient Heliopolis)
π Location: Matariyya district, north-east Cairo Β Β· Β πΊ Period: Old Kingdom to Greco-Roman Β Β· Β ποΈ Tickets: see on-site
"Ayn Shams" literally means Eye of the Sun β a fitting modern name for the ground that the ancient Egyptians called Iunu and the Greeks renamed Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. For millennia this was the spiritual headquarters of the sun-god Ra and one of the three great religious capitals of pharaonic Egypt, alongside Memphis and Thebes.
The temple precinct that once stood here is thought to have rivalled Karnak in size, but most of its stone was quarried away in the medieval period to build Cairo. What survives is still extraordinary: a standing obelisk of Senwosret I (c. 1950 BC), the oldest obelisk still in its original position in Egypt, plus Old Kingdom tombs of priests, fragments of a column of Merenptah, and a sprawling archaeological zone still being uncovered by Egyptian-German excavations.
Heliopolis was the cradle of Egyptian solar theology; it is where the priests refined the calendar and where the legend of the Bennu bird (the original phoenix) was born. Greek scholars including Plato and Herodotus reportedly came here to study.
Highlights
- Standing obelisk of Senwosret I β the oldest in Egypt
- Old Kingdom tombs of Panhesy and Khonsu-ankh
- New finds from the HelioΒpolis excavation (huge royal statues of Psamtik I and Ramses II have come out in recent years)
- The wider Matariyya neighbourhood, also home to Mary's Tree
Visiting
- Opening hours: roughly 9 am β 5 pm
- Tickets: modest fee at the obelisk park
- Best time: winter mornings; little shade
- Nearby: Mary's Tree, Heliopolis (the Belle-Γpoque suburb)