Heliopolis of ancient Egypt, also known as the City of the Sun, was a major city located in ancient Egypt. Heliopolis was the capital of the Thirteenth Nome or the capital of the Heliopolitan Nome, one of the nomes in Lower Egypt according to ancient Egyptian geography, and at the same time, it was a major religious center.
The ancient city of Heliopolis:
It is a city located specifically in the Ain Shams area, which is one of the northeastern suburbs of Cairo.
The ancient city of Heliopolis was one of the most important and oldest cities of ancient Egypt.
And then that city was inhabited, and its residents were settled there since the rule of the Pharaohs during the pre-dynastic period, starting from the pre-dynastic period and the Naqada III civilization, the Second Egyptian Dynasty, and the Zero Egyptian Dynasty.
Then, it expanded significantly and greatly under the rule of the Old Kingdom in Pharaonic Egypt, beginning with the reign of King Djoser of the Third Dynasty and the Middle Kingdom in Pharaonic Egypt, beginning with the reign of King Mentuhotep I of the Eleventh Dynasty at the same time. Unfortunately, today it is largely a ruined city.
All the Egyptian temples and various other buildings were also scattered and destroyed so that they could build the great city of Cairo in the Middle Ages.
What remains now of the city of Heliopolis?
The main remnant that is still left from the ancient city of Heliopolis is the obelisk belonging to the temple of Ra-Atum, the most famous of the ancient Egyptian gods, which was erected by King Senusret I, one of the rulers of the Twelfth Dynasty.
Moreover, the obelisk of Senusret I in Faiyum still stands in its original place, and it is now located inside the obelisk in the Matariya area, in the heart of Cairo.
The height of that obelisk, which was made from ancient red granite, one of the most important ancient Egyptian minerals, and the extent of the development of sculpture in ancient Egypt, is approximately 21 meters, or about 69 feet. It also weighs around 120 tons, or approximately 240,000 pounds.
Why was it formerly called the City of the Sun?
In fact, the importance of sun worship in the ancient city of Heliopolis is reflected in several of the most significant aspects of ancient Egyptian religion and beliefs, as well as in various contemporary major monotheistic beliefs.
Since the legends of the pharaohs and ancient myths considered that the Bennu bird or the phoenix brought the ashes of its ancient predecessor to the altar of the sun god in the city of Heliopolis, of course, every time it was reborn.
Moreover, the city of On or Heliopolis was once a center dedicated solely to the worship of the sun, and it is now buried beneath the suburb of Ain Shams and the nearby area of Matariya.
The modern history of Heliopolis
At the beginning of the 20th century, Baron Empain, with the help of his Egyptian partner, Baghus Nubar Pasha, chose a remote area to build his dream city, located northeast of Cairo, specifically near the Matariya area and the ruins of the old Heliopolis city. This city, which transformed from an idea in Baron Empain's mind to one of the most successful urban experiments in the early 20th century, was able to turn the desert into a vibrant suburb with comprehensive services, accommodating all segments and classes of society.
New Cairo was also a melting pot where many new and innovative architectural styles merged, combining Islamic, Hindu, and European styles. The Baron Palace, completed in 1911, stands as the greatest testament to this diversity, as its design was inspired by Cambodian temple architecture by the French engineer Alexandre Marcel.
The beautiful city of Heliopolis was not designed merely as an innovative architectural and urban project that revives Egypt's rich Islamic heritage in a new way, but its founders—Baron Empain and his partner, Baghous Nubar Pasha—also envisioned the city as inclusive and cosmopolitan.