Saqqara

Saqqara

سقارة
The stepped Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
Shown within 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)
Reference	86-002
Inscription	1979 (3rd Session)
Area	16,203.36 ha (62.5615 sq mi)

Saqqara (Arabic: سقارة, Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [sɑʔːɑːɾɑ]), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English /səˈkɑːrə/, is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate,^[1] that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis.^[2] Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the Pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb, and a number of mastaba tombs. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km (4.3 by 0.9 mi).

Saqqara contains the oldest complete stone building complex known in history, the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the Third Dynasty. Another sixteen Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, which are now in various states of preservation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire Pharaonic period. It remained an important complex for non-royal burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times.

North of the Saqqara site lies the Abusir pyramid complex, and to its south lies the Dahshur pyramid complex, which together with the Giza Pyramid complex to the far north comprise the Pyramid Fields of Memphis, or the Memphite Necropolis, which was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.^[3]

Some scholars believe that the name Saqqara is not derived from the ancient Egyptian funerary deity, Sokar, but from a local Berber tribe called the Beni Saqqar, despite the fact that a tribe of this name is not documented anywhere.^[4][5] Medieval authors also refer to the village as Ard as-Sadr (Arabic: ارض السدر, lit. 'land of the buckthorn').^[6]