Pyramid of Djoser
Pharaoh Djoser is credited with commissioning the first pyramid to be built in ancient Egypt around 2,700 B.C. Prior to the pyramids, the ‘mastaba’, Arabic for bench housed the remains of fallen pharaohs. They were rectangular superstructure tombs, built of mud brick or stone with sloping walls and a flat roof while a deep shaft descended to the underground burial chamber.
The Pyramid of Djoser also known as the Step Pyramid is located in the Necropolis of Saqqara, widely acknowledged as the earliest monumental stone building of Egypt.
It is during Djoser’s reign that one of history’s most important and influential humans, Imhotep emerged serving as his royal vizier. By building Djoser’s pyramid, Imhotep became the first pyramid builder.
The Step pyramid once stood at 62.5 meters (205 ft) tall, with a base of 109 m × 121 m (358 ft × 397 ft) and was clad in polished white limestone. The pyramids ultimate look was drawn from several precedents, the most relevant of which was the Saqqara mastaba 3038 built circa, 2700 BC. This structure was almost a pyramid by accident. The Pyramid of Djoser gave birth to the pyramid at Meidum. The Pyramid of Djoser is the smallest of the five pyramids. Its total volume is 330,400 cubic meters (11,667,966 cu ft).
Today, these pyramids serve as a major tourist attraction raking in millions for the Egyptian state.
