The Railway, passing Bûlâk (p. [454]), runs to the N.W. and crosses the Nile. 2 M. Embâbeh, noted for the ‘battle of the Pyramids’, in which Bonaparte defeated the Mamelukes in 1798.—Describing a circuit the train next comes to (6¼ M.) Bûlâk ed-Dakrûr, on a Nile canal. At (8 M.) Gîzeh (p. [461]) we sight the Pyramids (p. [461]) on the right, and then, on the left, Old Cairo (p. [460]) and the long range of the Mokattam (p. [454]), continued to the S.E. by Gebel Turra. Next, on the left, is Gezîret Tirsâ, an island in the Nile.
14½ M. Abu Nemrûs. On the right rise the hills bordering the Libyan desert, with the pyramids of Abusîr. Beyond (17½ M.) El-Hawamdîyeh the step-pyramid (p. [465]) is visible for a short time. To the left, at the foot of Gebel Turra, lies Helwân (Hélouan), a winter health-resort.
20½ M. Bedrashein, on the E. side of the railway.
From the railway-crossing we ride to the W., past the village (Wed. market), by a road through green fields, which are entirely flooded in autumn, to the (20 min.) palm-grove of Bedrashein.
In the foreground, shaded by palms, lies the site of Memphis, now a heap of débris, the oldest capital of Egypt, founded under the name of ‘White Walls’ about 3400 B.C. by Menes, the first historical king. The vast area of the ruins seems to have extended, down to the 12th cent. A.D., as far as Gîzeh. The chief quarters of the city probably lay on the fields of Bedrashein and Mit-Rahîneh.
The road forks 20 min. beyond Bedrashein. The Summer Route, impassable during the inundations, leads to the left in about 8 min. to the two *Colossal Statues of Ramses II. (p. [456]), both now prostrate, which once stood at the entrance to the famous temple of Ptah. The first is 25 ft., or including the crown 31½ ft., long; the second, protected by a mud-hut (adm. 4 pias.), is 42 ft. in length.
We now ride on, leaving the village of Mit Rahîneh at a little distance to the right, towards the palm-grove of Sakkâra, at the foot of the desert-plateau. On the yellow sand of the desert rise eleven pyramids. To the extreme left (S.) is the necropolis of Dahshûr, where the ‘blunted pyramid’ or ‘pyramid of the two angles’ catches the eye. To the right (to the N.W. of the huts of Sakkâra) rise the Onnos and step-pyramids (see below).
Turning to the N. near Sakkâra, ½ hr. beyond the statues of Ramses, and skirting the palm-grove, we ride towards the ruins of some mud-built houses. The Winter Route from the bifurcation mentioned at p. [464] makes a long bend to the N. and leads through the palm-grove of Bedrashein and past the ruins of the brick houses of ancient Memphis; it then crosses a sluice-bridge, passes on either side several ponds, and rejoins the summer route.
We now ascend to the sandy plateau and overlook the *Necropolis of Sakkâra. This vast area, about 4½ M. long from N. to S. and from 550 to 1600 yds. in breadth from E. to W., has afforded material for repeated exploration.
We ride straight to the *Step Pyramid (Arab. El-Hâram el-Mudarrag), the great landmark of Sakkâra. This was the tomb of king Zoser (3rd Dynasty, about 2900–2850 B.C.), and is still older than the pyramids of Gîzeh. It is 196 ft. high, and each step recedes about 6½ ft.