Saqqara Necropolis
- Jun 29, 2020
- 6 min read
The Saqqara Necropolis was for centuries the burial place of the ancient Egyptian royalty, before being replaced by the Giza Necropolis. Here you can find monuments of extraordinary importance, such as the famous Pyramid of Djoser!
Saqqara is famous mainly for having been the royal necropolis of the ancient Kingdom up to the third dynasty, and for hosting the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid ever built among those attributed to Egyptian civilization.
Saqqara is one of the vast cemeteries and things to do in Cairo, it covers an area of around 7 by 1.5km approximately, ancient funeral area serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian kings and aristocrats as well. The most important feature of Saqqara that it had numerous pyramids, including the famous word Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Pyramid due to its rectangular base (shape), as well as a number of mastabas (Arabic word meaning 'bench'). Placed around 30 km (19 mi) south of current-day Cairo,
The Step Pyramid is the most important monument to see during many of our customized Egypt Tours. You will be able to get there through many Egypt Day Tours.
If you start your Egypt Travel Packages in Luxor or Hurghada, make sure to book your Cairo Day Tours to get there. or even book a round trip flight to Cairo and enjoy a variety of Cairo Day Tours from the Airport.
The famous Saqqara Pyramid dating from the 3rd dynasty (2667—2448 BC), a couple of hundred years before the Great pyramid and was the first complex ever built entirely out of stone. Also, it reveals an extensive structural innovation for the formation of the Giza Pyramids and other later pyramids in the 4th dynasty and later. as it is the first (stepped) Pyramid made of 6 mastabas or steps and sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base.
The area is a must-see site if you're booking any of the tours to Egypt or from our varieties of tours from Cairo.
The location of the cemetery is to the south of Abusir and Dahshur to the South. Some scientists believe that the name (Saqqara) is not derived from the Ancient Egyptian funerary deity, Sokar, but seemingly, from a local Berber Tribe called ( Beni Saqqara ). The working area from Dahshur to Giza has been used as a necropolis by the citizens of Memphis several times, and it was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.
More than ten other pyramids and a large number of tombs and burial temples are scattered around the area of Djoser’s Step Pyramid. and the entire site of Saqqara Necropolis is a witness of the greatness of the early dynasties in Ancient Egypt.
You can book one of the tours listed below to explore the gigantic Step pyramid in Saqqara and a lot of other monuments like the Pyramid of King Teti and King Unas as well as the beautifully decorated tombs of the Nobles buried here in the famous Cemetery that is considered as a gateway to heaven for both royalty and high officials.
Among the tombs of the nobles is the tomb of Kagemni who was the son in law of King Teti himself during the 6th dynasty.
Egypt Travel Packages and Egypt Day Tours Including Saqqara and more historical sites and amazing places:
- Cairo and the Nile by Air 8 Days 7 Nights - Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Sharm El Sheikh - Tour to Giza pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo and Khan El Khalili
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