Our first stop of the day was at Saqquara, to see the Stepped Pyramid.
Where the oasis ends and the desert begins. I told you it was abrupt!
The site was commissioned by Djoser, the second Pharaoh of united Egypt (27th century BC). The small section of wall on the left is all that remains of what was once a vast rectangular enclosure 3 stories high and 5400 feet long. This perimeter restricted access to only the high priests who made daily offerings to the deceased Pharaoh. The Stepped Pyramid is on the right.
Close up of the entrance. You'll notice I'm wearing a sweatshirt, which luckily Michael brought along (I'm on the back left). It was about 40ยบ cooler on our last day than the rest of the time we were there, which was quite a difference to say the least. Apparently this temperature is much more normal for mid-March, but there had been a record-breaking heat wave when we were there. Leave it to us to travel when it is unusual weather, as we were in Istanbul with its record-breaking lows. Anyway, everyone else loved the cooler weather, but of course I was a little chilly in the morning (it's only about 8:30am in these pictures), and we had no idea it was going to be that much cooler until we were already outside and on the road.
Walking through the main entrance. The columns here are the first stone columns ever erected anywhere, and only a few survive, but seeing as they were constructed over 4,000 years ago, it's amazing that they're still standing at all.
Donkeys, camels, and horses
The Stepped Pyramid is not only the first pyramid, but the first stone structure ever built. While the rest of the world was playing in the mud, the Egyptians were building this. The fact that any of this stuff survives is mind boggling, given how long ago things were constructed. Part of it is the desert, which, with its lack of moisture, creates an ideal environment for preservation. But of course, credit must also be given to the absolutely genius construction of the Egyptians. The pyramid's design is basically a stacked mastaba tomb. Mastabas are large, rectangular stone structures used to mark and protect the burial site of the deceased. A single mastaba is shaped like one of the six horizontal layers seen here. Djoser was still very much alive when his original mastaba tomb was completed and so he had his architect build up, and thus the pyramidal shape was born in architecture.
Workers cleaning off sand. A decade's worth? A year's worth? With the rate the wind was blowing and kicking up sand it could have been a day's worth.
Part of the larger funerary complex
In the distance (from left to right): the Bent Pyramid, the Black Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid
I had to kick off my shoes and put my feet in the sand!
Perfecting our Egyptian poses
Where the oasis ends and the desert begins. I told you it was abrupt!
The site was commissioned by Djoser, the second Pharaoh of united Egypt (27th century BC). The small section of wall on the left is all that remains of what was once a vast rectangular enclosure 3 stories high and 5400 feet long. This perimeter restricted access to only the high priests who made daily offerings to the deceased Pharaoh. The Stepped Pyramid is on the right.
Close up of the entrance. You'll notice I'm wearing a sweatshirt, which luckily Michael brought along (I'm on the back left). It was about 40ยบ cooler on our last day than the rest of the time we were there, which was quite a difference to say the least. Apparently this temperature is much more normal for mid-March, but there had been a record-breaking heat wave when we were there. Leave it to us to travel when it is unusual weather, as we were in Istanbul with its record-breaking lows. Anyway, everyone else loved the cooler weather, but of course I was a little chilly in the morning (it's only about 8:30am in these pictures), and we had no idea it was going to be that much cooler until we were already outside and on the road.
Walking through the main entrance. The columns here are the first stone columns ever erected anywhere, and only a few survive, but seeing as they were constructed over 4,000 years ago, it's amazing that they're still standing at all.
Donkeys, camels, and horses
Workers cleaning off sand. A decade's worth? A year's worth? With the rate the wind was blowing and kicking up sand it could have been a day's worth.
Part of the larger funerary complex
In the distance (from left to right): the Bent Pyramid, the Black Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid
I had to kick off my shoes and put my feet in the sand!
Perfecting our Egyptian poses
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