Memphis Open-Air Museum

What makes it special

The colossus runs about 10 metres, even with its base broken away. It was found face-down in a field in 1820 and now lies in a pavilion built around it.

Look at the chest for the cartouches, the oval frames that hold a king's names. They carry Ramesses II's throne name and his personal name.

The statue was one of an identical pair that stood in front of the Temple of Ptah. Its twin is on show at the Grand Egyptian Museum on the edge of Giza, so you can see both on one trip.

Outside, the alabaster sphinx sits in the garden with a second large sphinx, among smaller colossi, statues and pieces of temple masonry. The park takes in parts of the Great Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Hathor and the embalming temple of the sacred Apis bull.

Most of the smaller finds from the site went to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. What stays here is the heavy stone, shown on the ground where it was dug up.

Visiting

Starting in the colossus hall, the plain building near the entrance, you walk the length of the statue at floor level. Then climb to the second-floor balcony to look down on the face.

Back outside, the sculpture park spreads across open ground. Find the alabaster sphinx first, then work round the second sphinx, the statues and the scattered temple stones at your own pace.

Expect a step up onto some of the sculpture bases. Read up on the main pieces beforehand if you come without a guide.

Guided or on your own

A guide adds the most here, because only a few of the main pieces carry an information board. You can hire a local guide at the entrance. Organised day tours from Cairo pair Memphis with Saqqara and usually run about six hours.

Tips

Once you leave the hall, the park has almost no shade, so carry water and cover your head. Wear comfortable shoes for the sandy, uneven ground.

Carry small cash for tips and for the village shops along the road. Photography is allowed in the hall and across the park.