Saqqara
A vast necropolis of ancient Memphis containing pyramids, mastabas, temples, tombs, galleries, and monuments spanning much of Egyptian history.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Country
- Egypt
- Region
- Giza Governorate
- Civilisation
- Ancient Egyptian
- Period
- 3rd millennium BCE–Late Antiquity
- UNESCO
- World Heritage
Through time
The story
Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English, is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient mausoleum crypts of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the Pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Pyramid, and a number of mastaba tombs. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km (4.3 by 0.9 mi).
Saqqara contains the oldest complete stone building complex known in history, the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the Third Dynasty. Another sixteen Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, which are now in various states of preservation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire Pharaonic period. It remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times.
North of the Saqqara site lies the Abusir pyramid complex, and to its south lies the Dahshur pyramid complex, which together with the Giza Pyramid complex to the far north comprise the Pyramid Fields of Memphis, or the Memphite Necropolis, which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.
Some scholars believe that the name Saqqara is not derived from the ancient Egyptian funerary deity, Sokar, but from a local Berber tribe called the Beni Saqqar, even though a tribe of this name is not documented anywhere. Medieval authors also refer to the village as Ard as-Sadr (Arabic: ارض السدر, lit. 'land of the buckthorn').
Adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What you will see
- Step Pyramid of Djoser
- Serapeum
- Pyramid of Unas
Before you go
- Check opening hours and ticket rules shortly before your visit — they change seasonally.
- Plan for the heat. Most ancient sites have little shade; go early or late.
- Respect the barriers. Fragile surfaces are protected for the next visitors.
Discoveries from Saqqara
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