Philosophers' Circle

Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta


This quite sad-looking group of Greek statues, the remnant of a collection of philosophers and poets set up as a wayside shrine by Ptolemy I (323–283 BC) as part of his patronage of learning, is arranged in a semicircle and sheltered by a spectacularly ugly concrete shelter. From left to right are Plato, Heraclitus, Thales, Protagoras, Homer, Hesiod, Demetrius of Phalerum and Pindar.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta attractions

1. Tomb of Akhethotep & Ptahhotep

0.12 MILES

This joint mastaba for Akhethotep and his son Ptahhotep has two burial chambers, two chapels and a pillared hall. The painted reliefs in Ptahhotep’s…

2. Serapeum

0.15 MILES

The Serapeum, dedicated to the sacred Apis bull, is one of the highlights of visiting Saqqara. The first Apis burial took place in the reign of Amenhotep…

3. Mastaba of Ti

0.21 MILES

The Mastaba of Ti was discovered by Auguste Mariette in 1865. This grand and detailed private tomb is not only Old Kingdom art at its best but also one of…

4. Step Pyramid of Zoser

0.34 MILES

In the year 2650 BC, Pharaoh Zoser (2667–2648 BC) asked his chief architect, Imhotep (later deified), to build him a Step Pyramid. This is the world's…

5. Pyramid of Userkaf

0.4 MILES

Northeast of the Step Pyramid is the Pyramid of Userkaf, the first pharaoh of the 5th dynasty (closed to the public for safety reasons). Although the…

6. Pyramid of Unas

0.5 MILES

To the southwest of Zoser’s funerary complex is the Pyramid of Unas, last pharaoh of the 5th dynasty (2375–2345 BC). Built only 300 years after the…

7. Tomb of Mereruka

0.54 MILES

Mereruka was the successor to Kagemni as Pharaoh Titi's chief justice and his tomb, like Kagemni's, is full of preserved reliefs of daily life. Some of…

8. Pyramid of Teti

0.56 MILES

The Pyramid of Teti (2345–2323 BC), the first pharaoh of the 6th dynasty, was built in step form and cased in limestone, but today only a modest mound…

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      "country": "Egypt",
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