Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser

Saqqara lies on the desert edge west of the Nile, about 30 kilometres south of central Cairo in Giza Governorate. It was the main burial ground of Memphis, the first capital of united Egypt, and was used for more than 3,000 years. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Memphis and its Necropolis, with the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur.

The Step Pyramid was built for King Djoser of the Third Dynasty around the 27th century BC. His architect, Imhotep, later honoured as a sage and healer, began with a flat mastaba tomb and enlarged it into six stone steps, reaching about 62 metres. It is generally described as the earliest large-scale cut-stone construction and the forerunner of the true pyramids.

The pyramid stands within a large walled enclosure with a colonnaded entrance hall, courtyards and ceremonial buildings for the king's jubilee festival. Underground lies a network of tunnels and burial chambers, some lined with blue faience tiles. After a 14 year restoration, the pyramid reopened to visitors in March 2020.

Around the pyramid are many other monuments. The Pyramid of Unas holds the Pyramid Texts, the oldest known religious writings carved in a royal tomb. The Serapeum contains huge stone coffins for sacred Apis bulls, and the mastabas of nobles such as Ti and Mereruka have detailed reliefs of daily life. The Imhotep Museum near the entrance displays finds from the site.

The Saqqara area ticket costs EGP 600 for foreign adults and EGP 300 for students, with separate tickets for the Pyramid of Djoser and the Serapeum and an inclusive option. The site is open daily from 8 am to 4 pm. Plan at least half a day and visit early to avoid heat.

Is excavation still going on? Yes, and Saqqara has produced some of Egypt's headline finds of recent years. In November 2018 archaeologists opened the 4,400-year-old tomb of Wahtye, a priest under King Neferirkare Kakai, about 10 metres long with more than fifty sculptures, and nearby tombs held mummified cats with about 100 wooden and gilded cat statues. Through 2020 a series of shafts yielded first 59, then more than 80 and finally more than 100 sealed painted coffins from the Late Period, along with statues of the god Ptah-Soker. In January 2021 a team led by Zahi Hawass found the funerary temple of Naert, a wife of King Teti, beside the Sixth Dynasty Pyramid of Teti.