Saqqara & the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt

Saqqara is an instructive place to visit, especially to gain an understanding of the development of the burial rituals and monuments of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Around the site are numerous mastabas: single-storey structures with flat roofs and sloping sides which were built over one or more burial chambers cut into the bed rock. Inside these mastabas you’ll find beautiful painted scenes and hieroglyphics that echo but predate those found in the tombs of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. As the pharaohs became wealthier and more grandiose, they began to stack layers of decreasing size onto their mastabas, a style that culminated with the Step Pyramid of Djoser, an impressive structure with an interesting attendant funerary temple. The logical development of the pyramid continued from Djoser’s Step Pyramid and reached its apogee with the Great Pyramid at nearby Giza. In addition to providing context to the development of tombs and pyramids, Saqqara fascinatingly combines large-scale monuments with smaller gems, like the tomb paintings.