Atherton Family Notes

The most famous monument at Saqqara (also spelled Sakkara) is the Step Pyramid of Zoser, architected by Imhotep, who was later revered as a god by the Egyptians.

We had been impressed by the Step pyramid earlier in the day, which is visible from the Red Pyramid. When most people think of Egypt, this is not the sort of pyramid they imagine. The steps make you think of some of the structures in Central and South America.

In its heyday, the Step Pyramid was over 60 meters tall and covered with granite, much like the other pyramids we’ve seen today. I guess that the outer covering is missing for the same reason that it is missing elsewhere: recycling. When a structure falls into disuse, the materials get reused elsewhere. Granite is scarce around Cairo, so people used what they could find, and it is clear that the Pharaoh no longer had need of the stone himself.

In fact, the only bit of Zoser’s remains that have ever been recovered is his left foot. The rest of him him is long gong. Perhaps he hobbled off to the next life without the foot.

The Step Pyramid is part of a much larger funerary complex that existed in ancient Memphis. Like all cities of the dead in Egypt, it is located on the west side of the Nile. The complex is an active archeological site, and new discoveries are being made at a steady pace. We only stayed a few hours, but we saw some impressive relics.

The Step Pyramid. It is undergoing significant restoration work and is unsafe to visit, but is still an impressive edifice.

Carissa and Sandi at the entrance to the Step Pyramid south courtyard. The entranceway is part of an on-going effort to restore the outer wall of the complex.

Technorati Tags: ancient memphis, carissa, egypt, imhotep, ken, pyramid, sakkara, sandi, step pyramid

Local Tags: ancient memphis, carissa, egypt, imhotep, ken, pyramid, sakkara, sandi, step pyramid

 Format this post for printing

After we finished our day of pyramid viewing/climbing, we stopped for a late lunch at the Pharounos restaurant. It is located just outside the Saqqara pyramid site, literally at the point where the desert ends and the green zone around the Nile begins.

Lunch consisted of traditional middle eastern cuisine, with shish kabobs and other meats, lots of vegetable mixes, eggplant, chickpeas, pita breads and so forth. It was similar to the meal we had at the restaurant in Cairo the previous night, but with the additional benefit that we got to sit out in the early evening sun on a beautiful day.

Freshly baked pitas from an outdoor fire pit nearby.

Carissa is a picky eater under any circumstances, but all of this exotic food is making it tricky for her to find something to eat. (We brought along a jar of peanut butter just in case she gets too hungry).

Sandi did managed to get her to try some falafel, thought, which she appeared to enjoy… at least until the plain white rice showed up.

Technorati Tags: carissa, egypt, ken, sandi, saqqara

Local Tags: carissa, egypt, ken, sandi, saqqara

 Format this post for printing

Before moving on to some of the other sites we visited, I wanted to post a few more pictures from Giza.

This is a two-shot panorama of the Sphinx that was really the best way to get a picture of the whole statue and its impressive size.  One of the interesting features of this shot is that you can see that the Sphinx actually sits below ground level.

This is a very high resolution picture of the Sphinx’s face, composed of three shots.  Remnants of the statue’s paint are visible at the top of the frame.

Here is a 4-shot panorama shot, fittingly enough, from the location at Giza called, “the Panorama”.

Finally, this picture shows some of the chaos that exists around the Pyramids during the day.  This shot was taken within steps of this picture, but looks like a completely different place.

Technorati Tags: carissa, egypt, giza, ken, panorama, pyramid, pyramids, sandi, sphinx

Local Tags: carissa, egypt, giza, ken, panorama, pyramid, pyramids, sandi, sphinx

 Format this post for printing