Egypt is the cradle of civilization. One of the most ancient cities in the world arose precisely on the territory of this state. However, not everyone knows which of them is the 1st capital of the Egyptian kingdom. And it’s not at all that they are weak in history. Just in its entire history in Egypt there were several different kingdoms that were at enmity with each other. Therefore, some answer this question: "The first capital of the Egyptian kingdom was the city of Thebes." Others say that this is Nechen (the capital of Upper Egypt), and the third is Per Wajit (the capital of Lower Egypt). In our story, we will talk about the capital of the united kingdom of Egypt.
New town
According to reliable sources, the first capital of the Egyptian kingdom was the city of Memphis. The history of the creation of this city is very fascinating and refers somewhere to the XXX-XXVIII centuries BC. e, i.e., to the third millennium before the birth of Christ. Its founder is the famous ruler of the Upper Kingdom of Menes, or, as he was otherwise called, Mina. Around the city, on the orders of the king, white walls were built, and this was very rare for Egyptian cities. Therefore, the capital was called Inbu Hedge, that is, the "white walls". Memphis became the central city of the kingdom of Egypt, uniting two hostile states - Upper and Lower Egypt. As mentioned above, Menes was king of the Upper Kingdom. Having defeated the Lower, he united them and proclaimed himself the ruler of both.
At the same time, Menes was crowned with a double crown, which was decorated with symbols of both states - the image of the sacred snake (symbol of Lower Egypt) and a crown of unusual shape - a relic of the Upper Kingdom. His next step was the decision to create a new capital, which was supposed to be at the intersection of these two kingdoms. However, the border between them was the Nile, or rather, one of its arms. Then the king ordered to dig a new channel for this tributary and build a dam to redirect water. On the territory liberated from it, a new city was built. In a word, King Mina became the founder of not only the
ancient Egyptian state, but also its administrative center. Since then, the first capital of the kingdom of Egypt was the city of Memphis.
Multiple Memphis Names
The name Memphis is of Greek origin. During the reign of Pharaoh Pepi (Piopi) I, a grandiose temple complex was built in the city, which was called Men Nefer Pepi (from Egyptian it translates as “durable and beautiful, like Pepi”), or Mennefer, from which the name Memphis came from. The city had another name - Het-Ka-Pta, that is, "the abode of the soul of Ptah." It came from the name of the deity - the patron saint of the city. He was considered the father of the world, and in his honor the temple of Pta was built in the city. The ruins of the building are still considered the sights of these parts.
There is another name for the city of Memphis - "Mehattaui." It was translated as "the scales of both lands." Probably, it was meant that the city, having become the capital, balanced the power of both kingdoms. Until the end of the XXIII century BC. e. the first capital of the kingdom of Egypt was Memphis. However, after this century, the country broke up into many nomes. Each of them wished to have their own administrative center. So there were new capitals of the kingdom of Egypt. However, among them, Memphis always remained the capital of the First (main) nome. It was a religious center, there was a necropolis of Apis - sacred bulls.