SAQQARA

HISTORY

Saqqara, situated on the west bank of the Nile, is a necropolis associated with the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Similar to other necropolises in Lower Egypt, Saqqara had a series of temples and tombs with the most notable structure being the Step Pyramid of King Djoser, first pharaoh of the 3rd dynasty.  

The earliest Ancient Egyptian tombs discovered at Saqqara date to the Predynastic Period and were simple mastabas, rectangular monuments made of dried clay bricks. In the 3rd dynasty, Djoser’s vizier, Imhotep, envisioned a greater tomb for his king thus developing the idea of stacking mastabas to create a pyramid like structure. The final result was the Step Pyramid, the forerunner to the pyramids built at Dashur and Giza, two other necropolises affiliated with Memphis. Unlike previous mastabas, those of the Step Pyramid were built out of stone and were square instead of the customary rectangular shape. 

The pharaohs of the 4th dynasty built their tombs at other necropolises but those of the 5th dynasty resumed tomb construction in Saqqara. A notable 5th dynasty tomb is the pyramid of King Unas since it is the first to have inscribed on the walls the Pyramid Texts, writings meant to protect the pharaoh in the afterlife. After the Old Kingdom, few tombs were built at Saqqara during the Middle Kingdom but there are several from the New Kingdom including that of the military general and pharaoh Horemheb. 

Another major, and interesting, component of the Saqqara necropolis is the subterranean galleries containing the burials of the sacred Apis bulls with the most famous being the Serapeum. Apis (Egyptian term is Hep or Hapi) was a sacred bull deity worshiped at Memphis and associated with Ptah, the main god of the ancient capital. 

VISITING SAQQARA 

Saqqara is a necropolis situated south of Cairo and Giza and west of Memphis. I have had the opportunity to visit Saqqara twice; however, both trips have felt a bit rushed even though on the second trip we were able to see some tombs. My blog consultant, Alicia, and I agree that in order to fully appreciate Saqqara one should allow three to four hours for the visit. The necropolis is more interesting than Giza given the amount of temples and tombs plus there tends to be no crowds and the vistas are beautiful. When you visit the pyramids at Giza, you can see the town, hear the traffic, and are surrounded by crowds, touts, and those selling camel and horse carriage rides. At Saqqara, you are surrounded by the stillness of the Sahara and on a beautiful day, in the distance, you can catch a glimpse of the pyramids at Dashur. I saw few vendors at Saqqara during my second visit and they generally did not bother my tour mates and I; it may be that we were with a tour group or it may be that they aren’t as aggressive as their Giza counterparts.

Ticket that provided access to the complex
and the tombs of Unas-Ank and Inefert

View of the pyramids at Dashur; the
 Bent Pyramid is in the background

On my first trip, Contiki arranged a short visit to view just the Step Pyramid and from the company’s website, I see that they no longer offer tours to this site. For my second trip, Trafalgar arranged a stop at Saqqara between our visits to Memphis and Giza. Fortunately, this tour allowed for a bit more time at the site and we had the opportunity to visit some of the tombs. 

Step Pyramid of Djoser 

The Step Pyramid is in dire need of repairs and unfortunately, it has fallen victim to shoddy maintenance efforts caused by a lack of funding. During both my visits, one side of the pyramid was covered by scaffolding and we were not allowed to get too close to the structure. Since there aren’t large crowds at Saqqara, it is easy to take great pictures of the pyramid and the surrounding remains of the temple.

Step Pyramid of King Djoser

Temple Wall, entrance to the complex.

Hall of Columns leading to the Step Pyramid. 

Tombs of Senior Officials

My second trip to Saqqara included a tour of the tombs of Unas-Ank and Inefert, two senior officials in the 5th dynasty. The tombs were filled with well preserved hieroglyphs and some of the original colors were still visible.

The hieroglyphs in the 2nd and 4th row mean 'thousand'. The
images in the 1st and 3rd row indicate which items were being
offered to the gods. Thus, for example, the first two rows indicate
offerings of 1000 breads, 1000 jars of beer, & 1000 containers of incense. 

When visiting Saqqarra, I highly recommend wearing closed, sturdy shoes given the uneven and rocky terrain. We had to climb down several stone steps on our way to the tombs but this shouldn't be a problem for most; my two tour mates with mobility issues were able to navigate the steps. I also suggest wearing sunscreen and a hat especially during the warmer months because there is no shade at Saqqara except for inside the tombs.

In planning my third trip to Egypt, I have come across several websites detailing all the sites one can visit while at Saqqara. I understand there is a lot to see in Egypt and most tours just provide an overview of the sites; however; it is a shame that more time is not allotted to Saqqara given its importance in Ancient Egyptian history and the number of places to visit.

Per travel websites, one can see the following at Saqqara: 

• Step Pyramid of Djoser (Tourists can't enter the pyramid given its instability)
• Imhotep Museum (New museum that opened in 2006)
• Pyramid of King Unas (Some sites report that this pyramid is now open; first pyramid to contain the important pyramid texts) 
• Tomb of Nefer-her-ptah
• Double Mastaba of Nebet and Khenut (Wives of the Pharaoh Unas) 
• Tomb of Nefer and Companions
• Double Tomb of Ni-ankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep
• Tomb of Iru-kaptah Khenu
• Pyramid of Userkaf
• Pyramid of Teti
• Tomb of Mereruka (Per the pictures online, this tomb looks like it is worth a visit)
• Mastaba of Kagemni
• Mastaba of Ptahhotep
• Serapeum (Burials of the Apis bulls)
• Monastery of St. Jeremias (Not ancient Egyptian but still interesting)

On my third trip, I hope to visit the Imhotep Museum, Pyramid of Unas, Double Mastaba of Nebet and Khenut, Pyramid of Teti, Tomb of Mereruka, the Serapeum, and Monastery of St. Jeremias.

NOTE Most tours do not include a visit to Dashur; therefore, I have not had the opportunity to view the Red Pyramid and Step Pyramid. I had tour mates on both trips arrange a visit to Dashur prior to the start of the tour and all said it was well worth the time and money. I plan on visiting Dashur during my 3rd trip to Egypt.