Ayn Shams (Ancient Heliopolis)

Ayn Shams, in Cairo's Matariyya district, is the site of ancient Iunu (Heliopolis), centre of the sun god Ra. Its main sight is the obelisk of Senwosret I from around 1950 BC; the site opens roughly 9 am – 5 pm and the obelisk park charges a modest fee.

"Ayn Shams" translates as Eye of the Sun, a fitting modern name for the place the ancient Egyptians knew as Iunu and the Greeks called Heliopolis, the City of the Sun. For thousands of years it was the religious home of the sun god Ra and one of pharaonic Egypt's three great sacred capitals, together with Memphis and Thebes.

The temple complex here may once have rivalled Karnak in size, but in the Middle Ages most of its stone was carted off to build Cairo. What remains is still impressive. The obelisk of Senwosret I (around 1950 BC) is the oldest obelisk in Egypt still standing in its original position. There are also Old Kingdom priests' tombs, pieces of a column of Merenptah and a large archaeological zone that Egyptian-German teams are still uncovering.

Heliopolis was where Egyptian sun theology took shape. Priests here refined the calendar, and the legend of the Bennu bird, the first phoenix, began here. Greek scholars including Plato and Herodotus are said to have come to study.

What to see

• The standing obelisk of Senwosret I, the oldest in Egypt
• The Old Kingdom tombs of Panhesy and Khonsu-ankh
• New finds from the Heliopolis excavation, including huge royal statues of Psamtik I and Ramses II found in recent years
• The wider Matariyya neighbourhood, which also has Mary's Tree

Visiting

• Opening hours: roughly 9 am – 5 pm
• Tickets: a modest fee at the obelisk park
• Best time: winter mornings; there is little shade
• Nearby: Mary's Tree, Heliopolis (the Belle Époque suburb)