Saqqara: Funerary Complex

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Title	Saqqara: Funerary Complex
Alternate Title	Step Pyramid Complex of Netjerikhet, Djoser's Step Pyramid
View	The southeast corner in the limestone Enclosure Wall (restored), showing recessed paneling and the protruding bastion
Notes	funerary
Work Type	necropolis gateway tomb pyramid enclosure wall
Style/Period	Egyptian (ancient) Old Kingdom (Third Dynasty)
Contributors to Project	architect Imhotep
Major Design Aspects	symbolic forms & elements
Elements & Spatial Types	false door court
Climate Type	hot & dry
Country	Egypt
City	Saqqara
Alternate Place Names	Saqqarah, Sakkara, Memphis
Architectural Material	stone
Structural System	bearing masonry
Patron	King Djoser
Dates	ca. 2630 BCE
Century	27th century BCE
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision Inc.
Date Photographed	8/18/2003
Subject Information	Saqqara is an immense necropolis (cemetery) just south of Cairo and west of the ancient city of Memphis of which very little remains. Used as a burial ground for thousands of years, Saqqara hides its secrets well under desert sands. Despite virtually continuous excavations for some two centuries, much of the area remains to be excavated. The site stretches six kilometres from north to south and more than 1.5 kilometres across at its widest point. The site's best-known feature is the Step Pyramid, the world's oldest major stone structure. It was built in the 3rd Dynasty (around 2630 BC) for King Djoser and its construction was overseen by his vizier Imhotep. All over Saqqara can be found tombs of different periods. Those open to the public date to the Old Kingdom. Around the northern-most of Saqqara's pyramids is that of the 6th Dynasty pharaoh Teti. Adjacent to the pyramid are the mastabas (free-standing tombs of earlier periods) of his officials, some of whom had marvellous reliefs created for themselves. Source: http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/saqqara.htm *** 'The funerary complex built for Netjerikhet represents an immense leap forward in Ancient Egyptian architecture. Although it was based on existing, older structures, dated to the 2nd Dynasty, and although the 'Great Enclosure' contains some elements made with stone, it was the first time that a complex of this size was built in stone. The structure of this complex is quite unique. An immense limestone wall covered an area of about 15ha, the size of a large town of that era. Enclosed within this wall was a complex of buildings with columns and stairways, platforms, terraces, shrines, chapels and statues. Both the central step-pyramid and the South tomb had an impressive and complex sub-structure consisting of corridors, halls and chambers, several of which were decorated. Most buildings that are part of the complex were filled with rubble at the time they were constructed and did not have any interior rooms. The chapels in the Heb-Sed Court and the Houses of the South and the North had a solid core. The function of these buildings was thus symbolic rather than practical. This is very typical for the Netjerikhet Complex and is usually explained by the fact that the ancient builders were not accustomed to using natural stone on this large a scale. Even though practical considerations may indeed have had a hand in the unique way the complex was built, it is also important to point out that the mere presence of buildings that symbolised chapels or temples would be sufficient to invoke their power on a magical level. The false doors that were so common from the Old Kingdom on were stone representations of doors that could not be used by the living, but that allowed the deceased to travel between the world of the dead and the world of the living. Similarly, the false buildings of the Netjerikhet Complex served a magical purpose of allowing the deceased king to parttake in the goings on of the living. Archeological research has also shown that large parts of this complex was partially buried in the sands immediately after it was built. This again shows that the complex, perhaps with the exception of the Northern Temple, was not intended for use by the living. Source: http://www.ancient-egypt.org/saqqara
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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Saqqara: Funerary Complex

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