Saqqara

Also known as Sakkara, Saccara

Saqqara ( : saqqāra[t], ), 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 south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around .

AI overview

Saqqara is an Egyptian village that contains ancient pyramids and tombs, including the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, and served as the burial ground for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. The site is archaeologically significant because it preserves numerous royal mausoleums and mastaba tombs that provide insight into ancient Egyptian civilization.

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Place details

Locality: سقارة
Region: الجيزة
Country: مصر
Population: 450

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Ancient site.name: Saqqara
Ancient site.native_name: سقارة
Ancient site.image: Saqqara pyramid ver 2.jpg
Ancient site.caption: The stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
Ancient site.map_type: Egypt
Ancient site.relief: yes
Ancient site.location: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Ancient site.region: Lower Egypt
Ancient site.type: Necropolis
Ancient site.epochs: Early Dynastic Period to Middle Ages
UNESCO World Heritage Site.child: yes
UNESCO World Heritage Site.part_of: "Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur"; part of Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
UNESCO World Heritage Site.criteria: (i), (iii), (vi)
UNESCO World Heritage Site.ID: 86-002
UNESCO World Heritage Site.year: 1979

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Elevation: 39
Image: Saqqara, Ancient Egypt.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Saqqara
native label: سقارة
P12749: Callixtus III

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Understand

350px|thumb|The Step Pyramid

The desert plateau above the modern village of Saqqara formed one of the main cemeteries of the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis for thousands of years. As such, it attracted a large number of royal and high prestige burials, the remains of which can be seen in pyramids and decorated tombs scattered across the area. The site of Saqqara is quite extensive, stretching 6 km north-south and 1.5 km across at its widest point.

Get around

As 11/2024, Pepi I and Pepi II pyramid área is closed for tourism.

See

Saqqara complex. Opening hours: 9AM-5PM, and till 4PM in winter. Entrance fees (as of Dec 2018), students are entitled to 50% discount: see the wesite for latest prices. General admission to the complex and Imhotep Museum: LE600 (April 2026) Tomb of Mereruka: LE200 Tombs at the Unas Causeway ("Saqqara New Tombs"): LE400 Temple Tombs of the New Kingdom (Tomb of Horemheb): LE200 Serapeum: LE340 Step Pyramid of Djoser: LE280 Inclusive ticket: LE1000

Tickets are sold at near the entrance or online here

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~20 min read

Article

20 sections

Contents

History
Early Dynastic
Early Dynastic monuments
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom monuments
First Intermediate Period monuments
Middle Kingdom
Second Intermediate Period monuments
New Kingdom
New Kingdom monuments
After the New Kingdom
Monuments of the Late Period, the Graeco-Roman and later periods
Site looting during 2011 protests
Archaeology
Recent Discoveries
2010s
2020s
See also
References
External links

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.