Saqqara / Pyramid of Djoser
هرم زوسر
The world's oldest large stone structure: the 4,700-year-old Step Pyramid of Djoser, plus well-preserved painted noble tombs and a newly reopened underground gallery.
Saqqara is the necropolis of the ancient capital Memphis, about 25 km south of Giza. Its centrepiece is the six-tier Step Pyramid (about 60 m high), built around 2650 BC for the pharaoh Djoser by the architect Imhotep. It is considered the earliest large-scale stone building in the world, and its internal burial chambers reopened after restoration was completed in 2020. Highlights of the site include the pyramid and its surrounding funerary complex (the entrance colonnade and the Heb-Sed court). The mastaba tombs of nobles such as Ti and Kagemni have finely painted reliefs that show daily life in the Old Kingdom. The Serapeum, the underground tunnels for the sacred Apis bulls, features enormous granite sarcophagi that are truly impressive. The Pyramid of Unas contains the earliest pyramid texts. The Imhotep Museum at the entrance is worth a look first. Admission for foreign adults is about EGP 600 (2025), and entering the interior of the Djoser pyramid costs about EGP 200 extra. Opening hours are 08:00 to 17:00. Most visitors combine Saqqara with Dahshur (the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, about EGP 300, where you can enter when it's quiet) and the Memphis Open-Air Museum (with its colossal statue of Ramesses II) into one day. You can hire a car from Cairo for about EGP 1,500–2,500 per day, or join a day tour. The sites are spread out and need a vehicle to get between them, so bring plenty of water and sun protection.
Opening hours
08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Memphis Open Air Museum
- Dahshur
- Giza Pyramids & Great Sphinx
- Coptic Cairo / Hanging Church
- Mosque of Amr ibn al-As
- National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
- Manial Palace
- Grand Egyptian Museum