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Memphis and its Necropolis, Egypt
Centred on the remains of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, 12 miles south of Cairo, this extensive site was added to the UNESCO list in 1979. Taking in stunning temples, tombs, palaces, statues and pyramids galore, it houses an embarrassment of archaeological riches, though you have to single out the Great Sphinx, the Pyramid of Djoser – the very first pyramid – and the Great Pyramids of Giza. Built around 2600 BC, the 138.5-metre (454ft) Pyramid of Khufu in Giza was the world’s tallest human-made structure for 3,800 years – until it was surpassed by Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.
