Saqqara

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Saqqara

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Iwyt of * King Djoser

The Step Pyramid

Iwyt of * Vizier Imhotep

Imhotep's Construction Zone

Iwyt of * Hilarity Hatshepsut

Egyptian Smile

Iwyt of * Pythagoras Curius

Asklepiad

Iwyt of * King Unas

Pyramid of Unas : Neferisut Unas

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Travel to other Sepats in... Mennefer

	Giza Plateau
	Mit Rahina
	Saqqara
	The Royal Palace
	The Temple of Ptah Complex
	Whryt - The Riverside Docks

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Mennefer's District of

Saqqara

Heri-tep a'a: Position is currently vacant

The Step Pyramid. (Photo: Mirjam Nebet)

General

Not far from Saqqara is the remains of MenNefer (Gr: Memphis), in the 1st Nome of Lower Egypt, which was the main city of Egypt during the Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom. The earliest names of the city was 'Mekhat Tawy', (Balance of the Two Lands) and 'Inbw Hedj', (White Wall) which also is the hieroglyph used for the nome, but the name MenNefer wasn´t used until the Middle Kingdom. Other names for it are 'Ankh Tawy' which means That Which Binds the Two lands. Another was Hewet ka-Ptah which is Houes of Ptah. And in Arabic it´s called Mit Rahina. It was a huge and bustling city in its time, with central temples for the worship of Ptah, the national deity at this period, there was a harbour and workshops as foreign trade was developing already which meant ships coming and going and new goods arriving at the city.

The Necropolis
Such a big city needed a big necropolis and this was located on the western shore. The necropolis covers more than 30 km, which tells of the size of the city itself, and include the modern villages Dashur, Saqqara, Abusir, Zawyet el-Aryan, Giza and Abu Rawash. In ancient times these areas probably were connected instead of as now, being separate locations. This vast area covers the times from the 1st Dynasty on into the Greco-Roman Period. When you stand by the Step Pyramid, you can see the pyramids at the Giza Plateau to the north, and looking south you see the distinct 'Red Pyramid' at Dashur.

Overview of the Saqqara area. After M. Lehner - The Complete Pyramids

Of these Saqqara is of the greatest importance, maybe more than the Giza plateau. Saqqara has its name from the ancient mortuary deity Sokar and was known in antiquity as kbhw-ntrw (libation of the deities). With the complex of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Dynasty 3, Saqqara alone covers some 6 km x 1.5 km and lies ca 30 km south of Cairo, on the western side of the Nile and is only one part of the large necropolis of MenNefer. It gives us some of the most important sources for tradition and kingship from the Early Dynastic Period. The area is generally divided into North Saqqara with the Step Pyramid, Archaic tombs and Old and New Kingdom cemeteries, and South Saqqara with several other pyramids, among them Pepi I. It was here at Saqqara that the first pyramid shaped tomb was developed from an original mastaba, and this made an important architectural step not only for the history of Egypt but also for the world in general. It is said to have been built by King Djoser, but in fact, this name was only given to him a thousand years after it was built. The only name inscription found on its walls is Netjerikhet. According to tradition it is also said that it was built by the architect Imhotep, who was deified in the New Kingdom.

Something which is common both for the step pyramid itself and the secondary structures in the complex, is that there are traces of paint on the Sed chapels and the North and South Houses which shows that they were painted red to imitate wood. The enclosure wall is built to look like one of mudbrick and the ceiling imitates wooden log beams. The builders were heavily influenced by structures from earlier periods and so built in stone what was usually built in wood, mudbrick reed etc. and this made out a novelty, a new step in architectural design. The area of Djoser´s pyramid has been supposed to be a copy of his royal residence. Another interesting hypothesis is that the whole complex is a replica in stone of Egypt in the Hereafter. The south tomb would be a symbol for Abydos and the King´s rule of Upper Egypt and the North tomb (the pyramid) would suggest the Royal seat in Lower Egypt. The whole Great Court and the Heb Sed chapels would symbolize the land of Egypt with its temples while the north court would mean the area of Lower Egypt. It is all surrounded with the high wall to protect 'Egypt' from the chaos outisde its borders. This hypothesis is interesting but not widely acknowledged.

Check out the latest at this resource:
Saqqara Online

If you want to live at Saqqara, you can be a farmer living in the green area close to the river, or you can be any kind of artisan; stone mason, carpenter, painter, or a guard of the tombs.