Saqqara Archaeological Site

Saqqara served as one of the principal cemeteries of Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital, and preserves monuments from an extraordinary range of periods. Early Dynastic royal and elite tombs were built here before the development of pyramid architecture. In the Third Dynasty, King Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex introduced a revolutionary new form of monumental stone construction. Later Old Kingdom rulers built additional pyramids at Saqqara, including those of Unas, Teti and Pepi rulers. The Pyramid of Unas is especially important because its burial chambers preserve the earliest known Pyramid Texts. The site also contains extensive mastaba cemeteries decorated with scenes of daily life, New Kingdom temple-tombs, later-period burials, the Serapeum and important Coptic remains. Because Saqqara covers a large desert area with many separately named monuments, visitors should choose a route rather than expect to see everything in one short stop.