The step pyramid
The step pyramid
The step pyramid
The step pyramid of King Djoser and his funeral complex in
Saqqara Covering an area of eight kilometers, the necropolis of
Saqqara is the largest in Egypt. Historically it is also the most
important as all the main dynasties are represented, from the
first up to the Ptolemaic and Persian eras.
Rising like a citadel surrounded by pyramids and mastabas of all
periods, the funerary structures of Djoser represent the ideal
center.
To the north a series of quite beautiful tombs spreads out,
including the pyramid of Teti and the Serapeum. Partron of the
necropolis was the god Sokar "and the area is named after him"
often portrayed clothed in green and with a hyena's head.
Splendid images of the monumental site of Saqqara dominated
by the step pyramid that, was the last resting place of Djoser.
The most fascinating element in the king's funerary chamber is
the decoration of the walls "detail below" consisting of
thousands of blue and green majolica tiles representing bundles
of rushes. The horizontal limestone moldings are similar to the
cords that bound the stalks of the papyrus.
The Step Pyramid a residence for eternity
Although the third dynasty actually began with the king Sankhat,
of whom little is known despite a reign that lasted for eighteen
years, the real founder is considered to be Djoser, a name
derived from "geser" in Egyptian meaning sacred and whose
importance is such that his name is written in red ink in the
Turin Canon of kings.
Djoser is Saqqara and Saqqara is Djoser perhaps only in the
case of Abu Simbel and Ramesses II has a king been so closely
identified with his architectural monument.
The majestic step pyramid of Djose, at the center of the funerary
complex of Saqqara, is the oldest structure in the world entirely
built of stone.
Discovered in 1821 by the Prussian General von Minutoli, it was
systematically explored and studied some twenty years later by
the German archaeologist Lepsuis.Originally it was constructed
in the form of a normal mastaba.
The mastaba "which in Arab means bench or shelf" was the
tomb of nobility and court dignitaries, rectangular in shape and
with slightly inward- leaning walls.
A second mastaba was added on top of the first, then a third
and several more until a pyramid of six gradually diminishing the
Sumerian Ziggurat.
As it stands today, the pyramid is 62 meters in height and the
base measures 109 by 125 meters. The burial chamber of the
king was located almost at the center of the pyramid, at the
bottom of a large vertical shaft 28 meters deep.
From here a labyrinth of rooms, corridors, chambers and
passageway and protecting the eternal rest of the sovereign
spreads outwards over an area of more than five kilometers.
The shards of about forty thousand alabaster pots, plates,
bowls and vases were found here and some four thousand
have been restored to their original form.
The complex of Saqqara in enclosed by a rectangular
peripheral limestone wall ten meters high with 14 false
doorway creating recesses and reliefs in imitation of the facade
of the royal palace of Memphis.
The South Tomb
The replica of the tomb found inside the pyramid is a complete
secondary funerary monument. Built to house the canopic
vases of the king, it has the same architectural and decorative
elements, the stairway that that is 30 meters long reaching a
well 28 meters deep, the crypt built of granite and the
chambers decorated with blue faience porcelain tiles.
The "House of the South" and the "House of the North"
Built in the north eastern part of the courtyard, at the back of the
great pyramid, these two structures are also dummies as the
interiors are bricked and have no chambers. They may perhaps
have been intended to symbolize Upper and Lower Egypt as,
reproduced on the capitals of the columns that decorated the
façade, are respectively the lotus flower for the "House of the
South" and the papyrus for the "House of the North" .
Visible above the entrance door of the former is the elegant frieze
known as a "Kheker" an imitation in stone of a roof covering made
from bundles of reeds.
The Courtyard of Heb Sed "Jubilee Courtyard"
The great courtyard named for the festival of Heb Sed lies to the
east inside the Djoser complex. On the north side is the
immense hulk of the step pyramid, on the east side were
thirteen chapels with vaulted roofs, while the façade had three
slender grooved columns.
These chapels, dedicated to the jubilee celebration, have no
interior and were probably dummies dedicated to the Egyptian
deities.
The South tomb is at the south west corner of the courtyard and
has various funerary chambers which probably housed the
internal organs of the King.
A chapel beside the tomb has a characteristic frieze decorated
with a cobra, the king's protective symbol.
In a corner of the courtyard stand three statues of imposing size, supported by a pilaster like a caryatid, these are a rare example
of the statuary of the Old Kingdom.
They are much damaged, but the central one clearly represents
Djoser, with the long artificial beard, the arms crossed on the
breast, holding the symbols of power, and the long adherent
costume worn on the occasion of Heb Sed.
What is the Heb Sed or Jubilee Festival?
During the 25th or 30th year of a king's reign the ceremony of
Heb Sed took place and was to all extents and purposes, a
jubilee when the sovereignty of the ruler was again recognized
and confirmed.
The ceremony which began during the first dynasty, is
frequently portrayed in wall paintings and it has therefore been
possible to reconstruct the event.
It was celebrated on the first day of the month of Typi during the
season when crops were sown "Peret", and was originally held in
a series of structures made of leaves and papyrus and lotus
stalks.
The king Djoser decided that the event should be more
important and had stone, and therefore permanent, buildings
made to accommodate it.The festival began with a great
procession lead by a High Priest and was celebrated in the
various chapels situated around the courtyard. Once the gods
had given their consent to the king's spiritual suitability, he had
then to demonstrate his physical suitability by undergoing tests
that could vary from one sovereign to another.
The test may have been a bullfight, or shooting arrows to the
four cardinal points, but the most common was a race running
along a course indicated on the ground of the court, around the
house of the North and the house of the south. At the end of the
race, the king was crowned for a second time with the white and
the red crowns of the two kingdoms.
Who is Imhotep?
Imhotep is one of the great geniuses in the history of mankind.
Architect, magician, philosopher, so great a doctor that the
Greeks identified him with Asclepius, their god of medicine, he
was without doubt the author of a Book of knowledge which,
however, has been entirely lost.
family tradition his father was Kanofer
whom the King personally appointed to be
in charge of all the kingdom's buildings.
He learned his trade in his father's
workshop, probably in Memphis, firstly
carving stone vases, then becoming a
sculptor and architect and subsequently
rising to assume the highest offices of the
state, both religious and administrative.
The high priest of Heliopolis as well as grand vizier, on the base
of a statue erected in honor of Djoser an engraving describes
him as "first after the King".
On becoming a deity, Imhotep- whose name means "he comes
in peace" joins the triad of Ptah, to whom he is son and
Sekhemkht.
He is represented seated, dressed in a long tunic, his head
shaved and a papyrus scroll on his lap. According to Manetho,
it was Imhotep who "discovered how to cut stone for building of
monuments, yet also introduced the new techniques
extensively, bringing about an unprecedented artistic revolution.
