Saqqara, Egypt - Step Pyramid of Djoser

5/16/2012 Our first pyramid visit was the "Step Pyramid of Djoser".    It was exciting to be in the Saqqara area.  This was a vast ancient burial ground which served as the necropolis (large cemetery or burial grounds) for the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis.

 Our tour guide went to the ticket booth to get our tickets.  She is the patient woman with the light blue shirt waiting for her turn at the ticket window.

We drive on the lower road as we pass by the pyramid.  There was a lot of scaffolding for ongoing repairs.

We walked through the entry hall.  This was a long corrider.  The walkway was between sets of columns. The following photos show the walkway and column details.

This large field was covered with soft sand that made walking very difficult.

A close up on the scaffolding at the top.

There was a large number of workers here today.  These building blocks look heavy, but aren't the huge blocks of stone that is seen on other pyramids.

The part that surprises me the most about this is that it was covered with marble or granite, polished and shiny.  This must have been beautiful.

Camel rides were available. Tour guide Dina recommended waiting until later to take a ride.

The camel drivers exchanging local news.

These camels look ready to ride!

The best way to get across this sandy field. 

This is looking back at the crowd from the pyramid.

This is the Funerary Complex of Djoser.  This faces the large open field.

I walked behind the complex wall to see the open court.

Three unfinished Osirian statues.

Osiris was an Egyptian god usually identified as the god of the afterlife.  More info here.

A closeup of one of the statues.

Djoser Complex Heb-sed court

Sed festival aka Heb-sed was an ancient Egyptian ceremony the celebrated the continued rule of a pharaoh.  More info here.

The guard shack at the entrance.

The tour buses were lined up and waiting for the groups to return.

One last view of the pyramid as we drove away.

Saqqara (marked A on the map) is about 18-20 miles south of Giza/Cairo.