Djoser's Sakkara Pyramid, Memphis

About 19 miles south of Cairo is Djoser's Sakkara was built by Egyptians about 4,700 years ago.  It is the oldest stone pyramid built and is  located in Memphis, the same place where we visited the Statue of Ramses II in a previous post. 

Photo taken from the bus as we approached Sakkara.

If I don't take photos of signs or entrance tickets, I forget the names of places. Bear in mind that at each stop we are constrained by the clock and are rushing around to make the most of our time. When I return home, I have to ask myself, "What did we just see?" At 72, my short term memory is not like it used to be and my only excuse now is, "My computer chip is full." 

Djoser's Sakkara, also known as the "Step Pyramid," is made of limestone and the largest main cemetery complex in Memphis.  It was used for non-royal burials and for cult ceremonies. It contains scores of mastaba tombs which were box-like structures with a flat roof, rectangular in shape. Mastaba in Arabic means "stone bench. " Each mastaba is massive and the entrance to the tomb shaft was closed up and hidden to discourage looters. When completed, an outer layer of finely polished limestone rocks covered it tightly. However, most of the outer layer of polished rocks have been removed to build other structures so what we see here is not the way it was found originally.  These structures marked the burial sights of many Egyptians and more than a dozen pharaohs were buried at Sakkara in mastabas. 

This is a photo of Pharaoh Djoser on display in the Cairo Museum which we visited.   This statue of painted limestone is supposedly the oldest known life-sized Egyptian statue.  It was discovered curing excavations in 1924-25.

Before this period of time, tombs were made of mud bricks but later stone was used. Stone was carved to resemble wood, reeds, or other softer materials to make the tomb stronger. 

The Djoser's Step Pyramid complex was enclosed by a 30' wall and included courtyards, temples and chapels covering about 40 acres.  The Step Pyramid's tombs or burial chambers are underground and hidden in a maze of tunnels about 3.5 miles in length.  It started out as a tomb or flat-roofed struct- ure with sloping sides and evolved into a 197' high pyramid with six layers, with one built on top of each other.  

 Elevation plan of the  Sakkara Pyramid Complex.

The gentleman in the black suit was one of three security guards who always accompanied our group of 90.

The Djoser pyramid was the first pyramid was made of stone because the mud bricks from the past would not stand the test of time.  In doing so, Pharaoh Djoser did not want to change the way the structure looked so he crafted his stone to look like the early building material.

"Smile for the camera, Jimmy." 

Egyptians buried their dead in the west because that is where the sun sets or symbolically dies.  In order to mark the first underground tomb of the pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, smaller steps were added to the first one.  The steps were formed one layer at a time because each was a layer of tombs. The steps made it possible for mourners to visit their dead.

I couldn't resist buying some handmade necklaces made of camel bone. At least, that is what the he told me.  (Anything for a sale, right?)

Camels were strategically placed by owners to solicit rides.  

This student didn't realize that when the Egyptian man said, "Take a photo," that he wanted to be paid.  If you do, be prepared to hand them an American dollar bill because they are aggressive and will follow you around until you have over some cash.  As previously stated in a prior post, 40% of Egyptians live below the poverty level which is only $2/day. Had I realized that before our trip, I may have been more generous.  

This was the entry hall to the Sakkara pyramid complex.  Stone columns were carved to look like reeds. This once had a roof and this corridor led into the complex. 

Heiroglyphics of Pharaoh Djoser. 

Egyptian hieroglyphs were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt. It combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements with a total of some 1,000 distinct characters. 

On the inside of the walls of the burial chambers are relief carvings which reveal how the ancient Egyptians lived. The carvings show that they farmed, fished, manufactured bronze, played musical instruments and much more. They sacrificed animals such as apis bulls, made offerings of oil and practiced circumcision. They believed in the afterlife, that their bodies and spirits separated upon death, that they would face judgement and that they would have eternal life.

The carvings were remarkable!  Engravers must have used templates to make them uniform. Our guide said that lines were drawn perpendicularly and horizontally to help them but it's truly hard to imagine how they could be drawn so precisely.

Hieroglyphics on the ceiling.

Egyptians buried their dead in the West because that is where the sun sets or symbolically dies. They also mummified their animals and nearly 8 million animal mummies have been uncovered at Sakkara.  It was believed that dogs were intended to pass on prayers of the owners to their Gods.  (If I had been an Egyptian, I am sure I would do what the Egyptians did and mummified our beloved dog, Misty!)

We are with Summer, one of our very talent students, from the Jerusalem Center.

"You like a donkey ride back to the bus?"

The pyramid was constructed using 11.6 million cubic feet of stone and clay. 

"I'll take you on my mule."

Sakkara Temple Complex.  

One last look of the Sakkara Complex before we leave the area.

In the distance you can see the Great Pyramids which is the next place we will visit. 

To be continued . . . .