Paul & Tara Visit the National Parks: Saqqara

On our final day in Egypt, Tara and I took a guided tour of the necropolis (i.e., burial complex) of Saqqara. We booked it through Intrepid Travel, as an add-on to the main journey. Tara and I were the only people on the tour (with our guide), and it was very fun to visit the site at our own pace. Saqqara is about 20 miles south of downtown Cairo.

Saqqara was the final resting place for some of the earliest rulers of the Old Kingdom.

The centerpiece and highlight of Saqqara is the Pyramid of Djoser.

Djoser ruled as pharaoh for approximately 20 years (c. 2686 - 2648 BC).

Prior to Djoser, pharaohs and other dignitaries were buried in tombs called mastabas. A mastaba is flat-roofed rectangular structure, essentially a mound.

Djoser, in an effort to cement his legacy and as a show of power, decided that he wanted his tomb to be far grander. He would build a slightly smaller mastaba on top of the mastaba, and then another, and then another, eventually forming a pyramid.

Djoser's pyramid (aka, the Step Pyramid) is the oldest pyramid in all of Egypt. Furthermore, it is one of the oldest manmade structures (that is still standing) in the entire world.

Completed around 2648 BC, the Step-Pyramid of Djoser is nearly 4,700 years old. It is made up of six tiers and stands 205-ft tall. Its base is 397 ft by 358 ft.

Previous monuments (such as mastabas) were made of mud-brick. It is believed by many archaeologists that the Step-Pyramid of Djoser is the first structure in the world made out of stone.

the Step-Pyramid towers over Tara

On the north side of the step-pyramid is the serdab, the chamber where Djoser's body was laid to rest. A life-size statue of Djoser is located in this chamber. The statue is placed so that it can "gaze" out through a small, round hole carved on the outside of the pyramid. Ancient Egyptians believed that the statute served as the vessel of the ka ("spirit") of Djoser. The hole was made so that Djoser's spirit could still view and experience the living world.

a replica of Djoser's statue, the original is in the Egyptian museum in Cairo

At the time of its completion, the Step-Pyramid of Djoser was by far the largest structure on earth.

the ancient Egyptians were expert masons

There were other pyramids at the site (some have partially collapsed or are no longer standing). Be sure to explore the sprawling funerary complex. Saqqara was used as a burial site for rulers and other dignitaries well into the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.

with our tour guide

a mortuary temple and, in the background, the Pyramid of Unas (or Unis).

The Pyramid of Unas was completed about 250-300 years after the Step-Pyramid of Djoser (around 2350 BC). At 141 ft, it was the smallest pyramid of the Old Kingdom. It is mostly in ruins, however, tourists can venture inside (see pictures further below).

pyramids in the distance on the horizon

another angle of Step-Pyramid of Djoser

the tunnel down to the ante-chamber of the Pyramid of Unis

a tight squeeze for me, but not too bad.

exploring the Pyramid of Unis

Although small, the Pyramid of Unis is significant because it was the first royal tomb to contain funerary texts on the walls of the burial chamber. These inscriptions (known as the "Pyramid Texts") are hymns, sacred spells, and incantations to help guide the pharaoh to the afterlife.

standing in front of the sarcophagus in the serdab (burial chamber)

the outer sarcophagus

the fat Indiana Jones chronicles 😂

the Pyramid of Unas (the north face of the pyramid collapsed ages ago)

The mastaba (tombs) of Idut and Mehu contained many inscriptions and depictions of daily life in ancient Egypt. Idut was one of the daughters of the pharoah, Unas. Mehu was a vizier (the highest-ranking official in the royal court) for Unas.