Quezi

Step Pyramid Saqqara - courtesy Paul Mannix - CC-BY

The Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the Pyramid of Zoser, is the oldest known free standing stone structure in the world and the first of the Egyptian Pyramids.  King Zoser’ name was Netjerykhet. The name Zoser was given by New Kingdom visitors to the monument, thousands of years later.  The original name of the Step Pyramid is “Libation of the Deities.”  The architect of the Step Pyramid may be the first great “individual” in history. Imhotep, who is credited with the design, was not only an architect, but priest, philosopher, magician, physician, scribe, sage, poet, astrologer, vizier and chief minister.  His cult following grew so large over the years, that the Greeks deified him as the God of Medicine, Imouthes.

The Step Pyramid is one of those superstars of ancient Egyptian monuments that is almost always on the itinerary of tours to Egypt, and there is good reason. Few buildings hold a place in human history as significant as that of this Pyramid. It can be said without exaggeration that the Step Pyramid is a milestone in monumental architecture.  It is the beginning of an evolutionary period that would eventually see the polished, smooth faced pyramids of the 4th Dynasty master builders of Giza.   The Step Pyramid complex was enclosed by an almost 40-foot (10-meter) wall and included courtyards, temples, and chapels covering nearly 40 acres (16 hectares).

There are 16 known pyramids at Saqqara, the most of any location in Egypt. Pyramids from 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th dynasties can be found.  Saqqara was used as a cemetery even into the times of  Greco-Roman Egypt.

The burial chambers of the Step Pyramid are underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels, probably to discourage grave robbers. The tomb was still plundered in ancient times, and all that remains of Zoser, the third king of Egypt’s 3rd dynasty, is his mummified left foot.

For more information about Egyptian pyramids