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Saqqara
سقارة
Saqqara pyramid ver 2.jpg
The stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
Saqqara is located in Egypt
Saqqara
Location in Egypt
Location Giza Governorate, Egypt
Region Lower Egypt
Coordinates 29°52′16″N 31°12′59″E / 29.87111°N 31.21639°E / 29.87111; 31.21639
Type Necropolis
History
Periods Early Dynastic Period to Middle Ages
Site notes
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
Includes
  • Buried Pyramid
  • Gisr el-Mudir
  • Pyramid of Djoser
  • Mastabat al-Fir’aun
  • Pyramid of Userkaf
  • Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi
  • Tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum
  • Pyramid of Unas
  • Pyramid of Teti
  • Tomb of Akhethetep
  • Mortuary complex of Pepi I
  • Pyramid of Merenre
  • Tomb of Perneb
  • Pyramid of Khendjer
  • Serapeum of Saqqara
Criteria Cultural: (i), (iii), (vi)
Inscription 1979 (3rd Session)
Area 16,203.36 ha (62.5615 sq mi)

Saqqara (Arabic: سقارة), or Sakkara, is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, an area of 7 by 1.5 km (4.35 by 0.93 mi). It was the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara has numerous pyramids, including the world famous Pyramid of Djoser. This is sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, and its 'steps' (mastabas: the Arabic word for 'bench'). It is some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo.

Djoser's pyramid is the oldest complete stone building complex known in history, built in the Third Dynasty. Another 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, now in various states of preservation or dilapidation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the whole pharaonic period. It was an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times.

The area from Giza to Dahshur was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The official name is Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur.

Some scholars think the name 'Saqqara' is not derived from the ancient Egyptian funerary god Sokar, but from a supposed local Berber Tribe called Beni Saqqar.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Saqqara para niños

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