Saqqara is an Egyptian site on a desert plateau about 20 km south of Cairo and just west of the ancient city of Memphis, which flourished as a necropolis and religious centre in the Dynastic, Late and Greco-Roman periods. In the Coptic period it continued in use as a monastic centre. The most important structure of the Early Dynastic period, however, is the funerary complex of Djoser [Djoser, Zoser, Netjerikhet, ca. 2630-ca. 2611 BCE, first ruler of the 3rd dynasty], which marks the first appearance of monumental stone architecture in Egypt. Its central element is a massive stepped pyramid (140 x 118 x 60 m); of limestone masonry. The complex is surrounded by a recessed limestone wall with bastions and 14 imitation closed gates enclosing an area roughly 300 x 500 m. The single genuine entrance in the south-eastern corner leads into an entrance colonnade comprising 48 ribbed columns. The southern massif of the enclosure conceals a structure known as the 'Southern Tomb' which includes a shaft, a burial chamber,
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Saqqara is an Egyptian site on a desert plateau about 20 km south of Cairo and just west of the ancient city of Memphis, which flourished as a necropolis and religious centre in the Dynastic, Late and Greco-Roman periods. In the Coptic period it continued in use as a monastic centre. The most important structure of the Early Dynastic period, however, is the funerary complex of Djoser [Djoser, Zoser, Netjerikhet, ca. 2630-ca. 2611 BCE, first ruler of the 3rd dynasty], which marks the first appearance of monumental stone architecture in Egypt. Its central element is a massive stepped pyramid (140 x 118 x 60 m); of limestone masonry. The complex is surrounded by a recessed limestone wall with bastions and 14 imitation closed gates enclosing an area roughly 300 x 500 m. The single genuine entrance in the south-eastern corner leads into an entrance colonnade comprising 48 ribbed columns. The southern massif of the enclosure conceals a structure known as the 'Southern Tomb' which includes a shaft, a burial chamber,
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