May 4, 20207 min read

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

The famous stepped pyramid of the Saqqara necropolis, in Egypt, is considered the oldest in the world. It was built in 2630 BC as a resting place for King Djoser, founder of the Old Kingdom. And it houses inside architectural innovations made for the first time such as columns, the capital with hanging leaves and large ceremonial pavilions.

The 1992 earthquake had seriously damaged the internal structure of the pyramid. For this reason, restoration work began in 2006 which lasted for 14 years through many difficulties. In 2011, the works suffered an interruption due to the revolution, now it’s open for visitors and tourists from all over the world.

The Step Pyramid of King Djoser at Saqqarais one of the most important things to do in Cairoor maybein all Egypt. This structure shows us the development of pyramid construction. It is the initial pyramid constructed in Egypt and while it is not a ‘true pyramid’ with smooth sides, like those at Giza and Dahshur.

The first large-scale cut-stone structure in the world consists of the six steps, built on top of one another. Djoser’s builders decided to stack several of these structures to create a more imposing monument to the pharaoh, that stands 203 feet tall.

Jean-Philippe Lauer, a French architect who reconstructed the complex. At the north side of the pyramid, the pyramid temple is settled, whereas in the next pyramids it is on the east side. The complex is surrounded by a wall of limestone 10.5 m high known as the palace façade, which imitates bound bundles of reeds. The overall structure imitates mudbrick. The wall has 14 doors, but only one entrance, in the south corner of the east façade, is for the living. The remaining doors are known as false doors, for the king’s use in the afterlife.

Then we enter the roofed colonnade passageway with a limestone ceiling was made from whole tree trunks led to a massive stone imitation of two open doors was a hall with twenty pairs of limestone columns built to look like bundles of plant stems and reaching a height of 6.6 m. The columns were not free-standing but were attached to the wall projections. Between the columns on both sides of the hall were small chambers, which suggested to be for each of the provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt. At the end of the colonnade was the transverse hypostyle hall with eight columns connected in pairs by blocks of limestone. There are curved stones inside the judiciary that are thought to be markers associated with the Heb-sed festival, an important ritual completed by Egyptian kings when they completed 30 years to renew their powers.

At the southern end of the court was a platform approached by steps. It has been recommended that this was a principle for the double throne. The whole Step Pyramidcomplex symbolizes the royal palace enclosure and allows the king to perform the rituals associated with kingship. The South Tomb very Closet south to the South Court lay

The burial chamber which cannot be visited at the moment during Cairo Day Tours is made below a deep shaft 28 meters deep as well as a tunneled chambers and galleries connected to a central shaft then to king’s burial room, the burial of family members, and the storage of goods and offerings.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

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