City to the south of modern Cairo, once the capital of the first Lower Egyptian nome and from the Early Dynastic Period on the capital city of Egypt. According to tradition the city was founded by King Menes, the unifier of the Two Lands. Its location on the borders of the two regions, at the start of the Delta, made it possible to control the entire country. The name Memphis is derived from 'Men-nefer'('-Pepi'), the name of the pyramid town of Pepi I (6th Dynasty), situated in Saqqara. The Egyptians themselves usually called Memphis 'the White Walls', which probably refers to a palace surrounded by walls of a king from the early period. Not much has been found from that early time; the archaeological remains nearly all date from the New Kingdom and later. The temple of the god of Memphis, Ptah, was built in the New Kingdom using stone blocks from monuments of earlier periods, including pyramids. Another, smaller temple of Ptah lay close to a palace of Merenptah (19th Dynasty). An embalming place for Apis bulls dating to the 22nd Dynasty has also been found here. Interesting, too, is the discovery of an extensive faience manufacturing industry dating to the Roman Period. The necropolis of Memphis covers many kilometers. Places such as Giza, Abu Sir, Saqqara and Dahshour are included in it.