Egyptian / Egyptian Revival Architecture - Table of Contents.........................Architecture Around the World
Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt
Saqqara (or Sakkara, Saqqarah)
Map of Saqqara Necropolis
TEXT Beneath Illustrations
Necropolis: large cemetery or burial place
World's first columns |
Covered Colonnade |
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Cobra Wall (Uraei) |
Cobra Wall (Uraei) |
View from Cobra Wall |
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Step Pyramid of Djoser ..... Pyramid of Unas |
Pyramid of Unas |
Step Pyramid of Djoser - the first pyramid |
Step Pyramid of Djoser |
Step Pyramid of Djoser |
Located some 30 km south of modern-day Cairo, Sakkara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis (large cemetery or burial place) for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis.
Sakkara is best known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt's 97 pyramids.
It was built in 2700 BC for King Djoser (Zoser) of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect and genius Imhotep, who was the first to build stone tombs in honor of the king's majesty.
Today it is considered as one of the oldest stone structures built by man, and the first time the Ancient Egyptians would attempt to use limestone. Zoserís Pyramid is entirely built of limestone, small bricks of limestone, and not of the best quality, and yet it has remained for more than 4700 years.Prior to its construction. pharaohs were buried beneath rectangular mastabas which were ancient Egyptian tombs, in the form of a massive brick or stone mound with battered walls on a rectangular base. The sarcophagal chamber was deep underground below.
Imhotep created a pyramid by stacking six increasingly smaller mastabas on top of each other.
Later pharaohs took it a step further to create the pyramids seen at Giza and elsewhere.
Colonnade [The] passage into the interior of the complex, which consists of a long hall with twenty pairs (40 total) of limestone columns.... Today, the roof of the colonnade has been added by the restorers, and is somewhat higher than the original, allowing more light to enter this part of the building... Reaching a height of almost six meters, the columns in the colonnade were composed of drum shaped segments. However, they were not freestanding, but were rather connected with the side walls by masonry projections. At this early date, the architects obviously did not yet trust columns as sole supports, for the most part. The form of the columns is modeled on a bundle of plant stems."
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