Saqqara is the biggest necropolis
of the nearby ancient city of Memphis.
After the unification of Egypt under Menes,
he built the city of Memphis -as believed-. His successors began
to use Saqqara until the capital was shifted from Memphis to
Thebes
(Luxor).
Though other sites were also used, Saqqara's role is the biggest
among all because of the big amount of monuments found there
and because of their variance: Saqqara has pyramids, mastabas,
temples and even a Christian monastery.
The main attraction of Saqqara is Djoser's
step pyramid built by his vizier
Imhotep
who was deified after his death. The pyramid is the oldest in
Egypt and is considered as the earliest stone structure of its
kind in the world.
The amount of the monuments in Saqqara made it difficult to
reveal all the secrets of the area, so excavations work still
continue and many finds are expected in the future. |
