Saqqara - The Birthplace of Pyramids

After an exhausting day of touring Islamic Cairo and an evening food tour, we were ready to sleep in to enjoy a leisurely day around town. Well, wouldn’t that be nice? Since we had so little time in Egypt, we did not have the luxury of taking things slow. With so many blockbuster sites in and around Cairo, I was determined to make the most of our three short days in Cairo. Truthfully, it was silly of me to think I might cover this city of twenty million in such a short time. After exploring Cario’s Islamic heritage, it was time to discover ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian is the star attraction of the country, after all.

The pyramid of Djoser is widely regarded as the forerunner of Egyptian pyramids.

Planning our Egyptian itinerary was unbelievably stressful. The country is not conducive to independent travel, especially for those with limited time. Since we had minimal time to plan our trip, we organized individual day tours with different operators rather than outsourcing our entire trip to a single tour company. Booking a private tour in Egypt was surprisingly complicated. Instead of booking day trips online, many of the highest-rated operators only take reservations via e-mail. Some require deposits at the time of booking, but a few were okay with paying cash at pickup.

After much research, we settled on Egypt Select Tours. I honestly can’t remember why I settled on them. I think they might be the first agency that responded to my inquiry. It only took half an hour to hear back from them. The correspondence was prompt, and they seemed like an easy company to work with. We signed up for two tours with them: a private tour of Islamic Cairo and a day tour to Saqqara, Dahshu, and Memphis. Amazingly, they were very accommodating when I canceled my Islamic Cairo tours at the last minute. I got a good feeling about this tour operator.

The Roads to Saqqara

We met our tour guide outside our hotel lobby at eight o'clock. It was way too early of a start, but we did have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us. An affable gentleman, our guide Adel was the actual proprietor of the tour company. Brian and I felt very lucky to be led by the big boss! Adel’s encyclopedic knowledge of Egypt was fully displayed as soon as we entered his van. He provided the historical and social context for almost every neighborhood. He was like a real-life audio guide who could narrate nonstop for hours on end.

The urban sprawls of Egypt looks quite terrifying.

The village of Saqarra is located about twenty miles southwest of central Cairo. Because of Cairo’s chronic traffic jams, it could take more than an hour to get there. Cairo’s urban sprawl was impressive, and it was built in such density that it could rival Indian and Chinese cities. Lining the urban expressway were countless partially destroyed apartment blocks. It was clear that they were demolished to make way for the highway. According to Adel, the vast majority of these twenty-story high apartments were built without building permits and planning approvals. The government had no qualms in claiming eminent domain.

What was unusual was how many of the half-demolished buildings were still occupied. According to Adel, the Egyptian authority would only evict those living in the way of the expressway. Laws protect the rest of the tenants but prohibit substantial repairs done to the half-demolished structures. Since these residents do not have the legal right to the land, the government is waiting for them so that the buildings can be demolished. I could sense from Adel’s voice that the city does not live up to its potential because of the ineffective governance.

The palm groves near Saqqara were a welcomed relief of Cairo’s urban sprawl.

As we left the bustle of Cairo behind, the scenery quickly turned to a pastoral landscape with palm groves and an oasis. The scenery immediately brought us back to our fond memories of Oman, our favorite travel destination. Many of Cairo’s elites own a villa in this region to escape the urban chaos. As Cairo expands, Adel fears that the unique agrarian characters will gradually disappear. Although the march of modern progress may be inevitable, I could understand his anxiety about unchecked urban sprawl.

Pyramid of Djoser

At last, we arrived at the village of Saqqara. One thing I noticed was the security presence. There was a police contingent stationed at the village entrance. Adel said the security situation has been ratcheted up since the 2011 revolution. In the chaos of political passions, some undesirable members of society broke into heritage sites and looted a few priceless objects. Naturally, the security measure today is justified, but I can’t help feeling the current government also uses it as an excuse for exerting greater control over regular Egyptians. Given the amount of checkpoints, I am glad we did not attempt to do a self-drive tour of Egypt. Adel knew a lot of security guards well.

Soon after passing through the official entrance gate, we got our first glimpse of the stepped pyramids! Before this trip, we talked to several friends and acquaintances who had visited Egypt previously. While everyone told us that the great pyramids of Giza were terrific, most agreed that their favorite pyramid was Saqqara’s stepped pyramid: the Pyramid of Djoser. For most Egyptologists, the Pyramid of Djoser is the most historically significant pyramid and the predecessor of all Egyptian pyramids. This was why I chose to visit Saqqara Necropolis before the Giza Plateau.

We saw a small temple platform with a lone column from the ticket office. This was the Valley Temple, the ceremonial entrance point, and the mummification temple for the larger funerary complex we would visit later. This spot marks the edge of the Sahara desert. This marks the border between the desert sand and the green oasis nowadays. But before the construction of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s, the flood water of the Niles would rise to this elevation yearly during the flood season. Archaeologists believe the river played an important role in transporting building materials and the bodies of the deceased.

We had first glimpsed the stepped pyramid from the nearby parking area.

After a few minute’s drive from the ticket booth, we arrived at the parking lot at the base of the stepped pyramid. Luckily, we arrived early enough to avoid the big bus tour group. We were ecstatic to face to face with an Egyptian pyramid finally. Before we get to the pyramid, we must pass through the formidable entrance gate. Measuring over thirty feet in height, the wall encircles the religious complex, the size of a few dozen football fields. The exterior of the enclosure wall is encased in polished Tura limestone. Remarkably, the main gate into the complex survived forty-five hundred years.

The restored gate of the Djoser temple complex.

I could not quite believe the gate before us was the original. Its condition was almost too pristine to be authentic. Typically, the fine architectural finishes from this period were either lost to sandblasting or stripped away for repurposing through the ages. This was precisely the reason why the outer casing of most pyramids was lost. Assuming Adel was correct, the survival of such a grand entrance was almost miraculous. Not only did the exterior finishes look new, but the original stone hinges of the massive doors were still in place. I was keen to test out the door hinges, but the door seemed too heavy to budge.

Just beyond the entrance door is a colonnaded hall comprised of forty columns. Each column has a beautifully fluted profile to mimic a bundle of reeds. The roof is a stone slab with sculptured ribbed details to resemble the tree trucks used for their roof construction. Unfortunately, one small section of the original roof remains. A modern concrete slab roof was installed above it to protect the site from the elements. Between each column is a niche, which was rethought to house the statue of the pharaoh or diety. However, it was a mystery that archeologists never found any such statues on the premises.

At the end of the colonnaded hall is South Court, which opens up to the full frontal view of the stepped pyramid at the end of the arcade. The Pyramid of Djoser may not be as ornamental as Chichen Itza or as big as the temple of Teotihuacan, but it has a definite charisma that only came with age. After all, this is the world’s original pyramid and was instrumental in developing Egyptian architecture. Completed in 2,650 B.C., the structure was built for Pharaoh Djoser of the Old Kingdom’s Third Dynasty and was the largest man-made structure of its time.

According to ancient Egyptian belief, the dead shall be buried on the eastern bank of the Niles, where the sun sets. Conveniently, the east bank of the Niles is also elevated above the flood plain of the Niles and is suitable for tomb building. Following the tradition, Djoser constructed his tomb underground in the shape of a mastaba, a large platform elevated above ground.. According to the legend, the pharaoh was unsatisfied with the result as he could barely see the tomb from his palace in Memphis, several miles away. To make the structure more prominent, he instructed the architect to build an additional platform on top of the previous one. Over his long reign, it eventually became a structure with six distinct tiers, inadvertently creating the world’s first pyramid.

While the architectural concept of the pyramid may seem simple, the execution faces a few engineering challenges. Setting aside the need to move granite blocks into higher and higher positions, the ‘pyramid’s bottom tiers were not designed to take on additional load from the upper tiers. The extra weight requires additional structural reinforcement of the bottom tiers. The first three tiers were made of limestone blocks laid horizontally. With each additional tier, they found it more challenging to maintain structural stability. To prevent the corners from collapsing, the limestone blocks were placed on an incline to fortify the corners. Since such a structure and building of this height had never been attempted, the builders made their own rules.

The genius behind this innovative architecture was Imhotep, a trusted advisor of the pharaoh and a high priest of the sun god. Little detail was known about his life, but he somehow became one of the most famous figures from ancient Egypt. Soon after his death, he was revered, and his cult became immensely popular, even eclipsing the cult of his boss, Djoser. He is widely credited as the architect of the stepped pyramid, and his name can be found inscribed throughout the structure's interior. Some might even consider him to be the first architect of human civilization. Ironically, Imhotep is known today not for his architectural achievements but for his fictional cameo in the Hollywood The Mummy film franchise.

Ultimately, the pyramid measures 205 feet high and about 380 feet across at its base. The pyramid was initially covered in a final layer of limestone casing, gradually stripped away. Today, only a tiny section of the limestone casing still exists at the pyramid base. They likely survived the journey because they were hidden by fallen debris or shifting sands. Adel pointed to a section of the collapsed walls up close to the pyramids where the original wooden beams were from the original construction. As an architect, I found these artifacts of ancient construction awe-inspiring.

The original cedar woods used for the construction are still visible.

After a 14-year restoration project that finished in 2020, the Pyramid of Djoser was in excellent shape. On a more superficial level, I was glad we could see it without modern scaffolding. But despite the recently completed restoration, the burial chambers of the Pyramid of Djoser remain closed to visitors. Even though the pyramid looks very sturdy and straightforward, there is a complex and lengthy network of tunnels and chambers within. Archaeologists even believe the layout and the interior decorations are reminiscent of the royal palace in Memphis. Compared to later pyramids, the interior of Saqqara is suprisingly more complex.

Located immediately north of the pyramid base is a mortuary temple. This is by far the most fascinating element of the whole complex. This was perhaps the most important temple in the complex and where daily rituals and offers were performed. But what made this temple so fascinating was serdab, a tiny structure angled toward the north like the adjacent pyramid face. Inside a chamber is the ka statue of Pharoh Djoser angled toward Polaris, the Northern Star. Two rounded holes were cut out to provide direct alignment between the statue’s eyes and the eternal star. Because Polaris never sets below the horizon, the ancient Egyptians regarded it as a symbol of eternal life. It was not until the New Kingdom era that pharaohs shifted their preference toward the sun.

Most archaeologists believe the two holes also allowed the spirit of Djoser to move and out freely. The survival of this serdab felt almost miraculous to me. Visitors could pear through these holes to get a glimpse of the Djoser. The architectural setup felt quite intimate. I couldn’t help feeling intrusive when I peeked and said hi to him. One could only speculate how Djoser would feel knowing he would be greeted by thousands of tourists yearly. On the other hand, he still gets to stare at Polaris every night. It certainly beats staying at the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo.

I admit this is a wonderful set for a photoshoot.

Before leaving the temple complex, visitors must visit the Sed festival complex in the southeastern corner of the enclosure. This is perhaps the best-preserved part of the complex, with many buildings still standing and decorations intact. As the name implies, this section was constructed to host the Heb-Sed Festival. Translated to “Feast of the Tail” in English, this ancient ritual was a Jubilee celebration of the pharaoh. It is a celebration reserved only for rulers who reigned for over thirty years.

Illustration of a hieroglyph depicting the Heb-Sed Festival.

The purpose of the ritual was to reinforce the pharaoh’s dominance over the Upper and Lower Egypt. A stone is at each end of the court, symbolizing the two realms. Lining the court’s two sides are a series of chapels dedicated to a particular province of the realm. Each chapel has an access stair leading up to an altar or a false door. In the ceremony, a pharaoh was supposed to run from chapel to chapel with full imperial regalia. The ritual was meant to symbolize the touring of his realms. But more importantly, it meant to demonstrate the monarch’s physical virality. Much of what we knew about the ceremony came from the hieroglyph inscription. We could only imagine what a sight the ceremony might be.

We walked by a giant pit before heading out of the temple complex. It was so deep that we could hardly see the bottom. Before the rise of the pyramids, the most popular burials were in chambers hidden within deep pits. However, most archaeologists believe this one is somewhat different. The burial chambers here are way too small for body burial, prompting some to speculate that this was where the inner organs of the pharaohs were kept. The decorative treatment of the walls within is said to be the most splendid in Saqqara.

Pyramid of Unas

I am not going to lie. We were both disappointed we couldn’t get inside the Pyramid of Djoser on this visit. Luckily, the next spot we were visiting was the Pyramid of Unas. Unas was the final ruler of the fifth dynasty. His reign was relatively long, but he oversaw a period of economic decline. At 141 feet, his pyramid is relatively tiny compared to others in Saqqara. Unlike the stepped pyramid, this structure looked like a rocky hill with little resemblance to a classic pyramid.

Although this was the smallest of all the pyramids built during the Old Kingdom, it is said to have the most beautiful interior of all the monuments in the Saqqara necropolis. Before we knew it, we arrived at the pyramid entrance. Remarkably, many of the original outer casing of the pyramid are still in place. A few pieces of the casing stone were decorated with hieroglyphs, which is highly unorthodox.

Per governmental regulations, tour guides were not allowed inside, so we had to embark on this adventure ourselves. Immediately after scanning our entrance ticket, one staff member handed us a flashlight. Even though Adel had told us that we were not supposed to tip any staff member, I can’t help but wonder whether the baksheesh was warranted because of the complimentary flashlights we were handed. I felt guilty for giving him a few Egyptian pounds. This was my least favorite thing about traveling in Egypt.

The understated entrance to the Pyramid of Unas.

Immediately upon entering, it was a steep ramp going down toward the bottom. This being our first time going into a pyramid, we were prepared for how steep and narrow the passageway was. It was just wide enough for two people to pass each other. The ceiling was high enough not to require visitors to crawl on all fours. However, it was physically taxing due to the heat and humidity. I could imagine this would be a nightmare for anyone with claustrophobia. We arrived at a leveled passageway after a few minutes of steep descent. However, the low ceiling here did not make the passage any easier. The interior was surprisingly crowded and damp. Typically, stone buildings are cool and dry, so we certainly did not expect to be in an ancient sauna.

After a short distance, we arrived at the antechamber with giant granite gates. Two rooms are connected to the antechamber, one to the serdab and the other to the pharaoh’s burial chamber. The burial vault is decorated with elaborate decorations. Most walls are covered with vertical columns of hieroglyphs, commonly known as the Pyramid Texts. The texts were protective magic spells reserved for pharaohs, guarding the mummy from external threats. Before Unas, these spills were recited verbally during the interment or written on papyrus and placed inside the sarcophagus. Unas was the first pharaoh to inscribe them on the wall, thus making this the oldest pyramid text ever discovered. Specifically, this text granted the pharaoh eternal life after death.

The Pyramid Text inside the Pyramid of Unas is the oldest in Egypt.

The causeway connects the Pyramid of Unas and the Valley Temple half a mile away.

Sadly for Unas, the spells did not work. Archaeologists believe the tomb was raided in the ancient time. Not only was the tomb stripped of its treasures, but Unas’s mummy also went missing. Thanksfully, archaeologists found a fragment of the mummy, and the architectural decorations remain largely intact. On the ceiling of the burial chambers are sculptural reliefs of gold stars with painted blue backgrounds. Interestingly, these are five-pointed stars in the shape of a starfish. These stars represent Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, who unsuccessfully kept watch of the Unas’s mummy.

The staff were eager to point out various hieroglyphs in these rooms for a tip. For whatever reason, the only symbol I remembered is cartouche, an oval with a line at one end, serving as the personal emblem of a pharaoh. Even for casual visitors to Egypt, learning about common pharaonic symbols and names might be helpful while touring the country. But as beautiful as the interior chambers were, Brian and I were eager to head for the exit.

Once you recognize it, the *cartouches* of Unas are suddenly everywhere.

Even though the Pyramid of Unas is not grand architecturally, many accessory structures of the complex survived in some forms. The most prominent feature is the causeway that connects the pyramid to the Valley Temple we saw earlier. At nearly half a mile long, this was one of the longest causeways for an Egyptian pyramid. In its day, the causeway was enclosed by a stone slab roof with a slot opening letting in natural light. A section of the original roof was restored to give visitors a glimpse of the scale of the monumental construction. The linear skylight looks ever so precarious if you ask me.

A reconstructed section of the causeway showing the ‘slit” skylight.

Lining the causeway is painted bas-reliefs; a few fragments remain intact. These reliefs were incredibly delicate and artistically sublime. The depicted scheme includes boats sailing up and down the Niles and agricultural and fishing activities. The imagery portrays a sense of economic prosperity during Unas’s reign. However, archaeologists found a few scenes depicting famines, which became increasingly frequent toward the end of his rule. But why would the pharaoh record such an honest depiction of famine in stone? Some speculate the scene intends to demonstrate his good-hearted nature in feeding the poor.

Considering the quality of these reliefs, I was surprised at how they survived 4,500 years’ worth of blazing suns and sand storms. It felt odd that these museum-quality artworks, ever so delicate, had no protection from the elements. Thanksfully, relatively few visitors bothered to discover this section. We had the whole causeway for ourselves. Looking out to the Nile valley down below, I could appreciate why the Ancient Egyptians chose this place for their passage to the afterlife.

▲

Saqqara - The Birthplace of Pyramids

The Roads to Saqqara

Pyramid of Djoser

Pyramid of Unas

Discover Old Taipei

Foods of Cairo’s Backstreets