Where is Saqqara Necropolis and what is its history?
A few kilometers south of Cairo and about fifteen kilometers from the Giza Plateau, the Saqqara Necropolis is an exceptional archaeological site. Located on the western bank of the Nile, with approximately 8 kilometers long, it is the largest of its kind in Egypt and can be accessed from the capital by car. A tour of this complex of Egyptian tombs, which dates back to antiquity, is a marvel for lovers of cultural visits, archaeologists, and budding Egyptologists.
In Egypt, since antiquity, the location of necropolises has always been to the west of inhabited areas. The people of that time focused on an existence marked by the path of the sun. This principle was elevated to the rank of belief and encouraged them to live on the eastern side of the Nile, that is, on the right bank.
As a result, the lands along the western side of the river, where the sun sets, were places reserved for the construction of dwellings of eternity, funeral complexes, as well as other tombs and burials.
Extended over the Saqqara Plateau, the necropolis of the same name is truly impressive. The first use of the area as a place to receive tombs and burials dates back to 3,050 B.C., already in the First Dynasty. However, it was during the whole period of the ancient empire that the construction of these chambers reached its peak in this place.
After a period of transition, during which the necropolis of Saqqara was less used, the rulers and other dignitaries resumed the installation of their burials there until the arrival of the New Empire Period. For a period of at least 2,000 years, between 3050 and 1050 B.C., the necropolis was one of the most used places for the construction of tombs, monuments, and other funerary complexes.
At Saqqarah, visitors rub shoulders with explorers and archeologists as the necropolis is still a perpetual excavation. New tombs are regularly discovered there, which is enough to enhance the immense collection of Ancient Egyptian history. The Saqqara Necropolis is of special historical interest since the traces and remains of these tombs provide Egyptologists with valuable clues to understand the existence of the Egyptians during those distant times.
The ancient cemetery of Memphis
The ancient cemetery of Memphis, the resting place of dozens of pharaohs and their families, administrators, generals, and sacred animals, covers an area of 7 kilometers in the western desert above the cultivated area of the Nile valley.
The name probably derives from Sokar, the god of death. The pharaohs of the ancient kingdom were buried within the 11 major pyramids, while their subjects were buried in hundreds of smaller tombs.
Most of the area has been buried in the sand, with the exception of the stepped pyramid, since Roman times, when it went into disuse, until the mid-19th century when Egyptologist Auguste Mariette discovered the Serapeum. In 1979 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The most recent discovery was in July 2018, when a mummification laboratory with five mummies in their sarcophagi was exhumed.
The most famous pyramid in Saqqara and the necropolis of Saqqara
The stepped pyramid of Djoser (or Zoser), is undoubtedly the most famous in Saqqara. It rises in six mastabas (truncated pyramid burial) of decreasing size. Built in the twenty-seventh century BC by the architect Imhotep for the pharaoh of the third dynasty that bears the same name as the pyramid.
It is a monumental structure carved in the oldest stone in the world. Nowadays the pyramid is closed, it is forbidden to visit it inside, but contemplating it from the outside remains a breathtaking sight.
Many of the pyramids in this area were built in economically unfavorable times so that the not very valuable materials did not stand the test of time. In addition to the aforementioned pyramid of Djoser, a masterpiece of architecture, there are ten other pyramids in different states of conservation, some of which are open for visits.
The most interesting of these is certainly the Pyramid of Teti, pharaoh of the sixth dynasty, whose sarcophagus still remains in the funeral chamber.
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The series of tombs and Mastabas of Saqqara
The Saqqara area is also home to an impressive series of tombs and mastabas, including the mastaba of Kagemni, the chief judge of Teti, and the mastaba of Ti, the superintendent of the pyramids in Abusir.
What is particularly interesting about the latter tomb is that its reliefs and friezes have been carefully restored and are considered one of the best-preserved examples of the art of the ancient kingdom.
Particularly interesting are also the subjects depicted which bring to light descendants of everyday life in ancient Egypt, accompanied by hieroglyphic dialogues.
The Serapeum of Saqqara
The Serapeum, as we said, was the first element of the area to be brought to light, represents another unmissable point of attraction of Saqqara. It was the underground burial chamber dedicated to the Apis bull.
Bred and venerated in the Temple of Ptah in Memphis during their lifetime, the sacred bulls were mummified after death and taken to the Serapeum to be buried in stone sarcophagi. This practice lasted for over 1,300 years.
To learn more about this and other Old Kingdom rituals, don’t miss the Imhotep Museum, located right at the entrance to Saqqara.
The five rooms of this building, absolutely worth visiting, show some of the most interesting finds on the site, including the wooden coffin of the same Imhotep, the oldest royal mummy ever found, and a reconstruction of the library of the French architect Jean-Philippe Lauer.
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