Saqqara
When it comes to Egypt, the oldest of everything is here, as many said: “Egypt came first, then history was written.” And this is vividly obvious in this unique location, Saqqara, Egypt. It’s a vast necropolis where many Kings and high-ranking viziers were buried. The tombs differed from each other in shape, size, and even the creatures buried in them.
1st of all the Pyramids
Even though The Great Pyramids of Giza are the most popular worldwide, they are not the oldest. In fact, the first attempt to build a pyramid was here, at Saqqara, and it was called the Step Pyramid or Djoser Pyramid.
Step Pyramid
We are probably talking now about the oldest building in human history. It was built in the 27th century BC by King Djoser, from the third Dynasty. It was called the Step Pyramid because of the six steps, or Mastabas (benches) fixed over each other, forming the Pyramid body. Each bench is smaller than the one below it.
Who was the architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara?
Such a brilliant design was the idea of Imhotep, who was the King’s chancellor and the high priest of the god Ra, the sun. It’s believed that he was the first in history to use columns to support buildings. No wonder Egyptians worshipped him as a god after his death.
Ironically, the tomb of the Step Pyramid builder, which was used as the tomb of King Djoser, was never found, even after decades of excavations. However, the tomb of Imhotep is believed to be somewhere in the Saqqara area or even somewhere in Djoser’s burial complex, as he was considered to be one of the royal family.
The Necropolis, Saqqara
There’s no doubt that the Stepped Pyramid is the most famous in this area, but actually, it’s not the only Pyramid there; there are eleven pyramids belonging to some Kings and Queens from different dynasties. Such as the Unas Pyramid, which was the last King of the fifth Dynasty, and the Pyramid of Teti, the first King of the sixth Dynasty.
There are also many tombs belonging to viziers and officials, such as the tomb of Mereruka, a great vizier during King Teti’s reign. Surprisingly, Saqqara wasn’t only for human beings, there’s a cemetery of Bulls, called the Serapeum, where sacred bulls symbolizing the god Apis, were supposed to be buried, but what we have is mainly empty sarcophaguses.
The Saqqara complex was the spark of the age of Pyramids; it was followed by so many attempts to develop the whole idea until they reached the level of wonder by building the Great Pyramids of Giza.
