(ORDO NEWS) — The Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser is located in Saqqara and today is the oldest pyramid on the entire planet. Its value is difficult to exaggerate, it is a vivid example of how people learned the craft of architecture.
Pharaoh Djoser ordered to build the pyramid as his tomb, and Imhotep, the high priest of the temple of worship of the sun god Ra, took up this difficult task. It was he who developed the drawings, which represented a tomb in a new form, like none of the pharaohs before.
It is also interesting that Imhotep himself later became more popular among the Egyptians than his ruler, and the people of Egypt elevated him to the rank of saints: Imhotep was called the god of construction and medicine.
Be that as it may, the fact that this pyramid has survived to this day is already a great miracle. Initially, there was a small town around it, in which there was also a temple for worshiping the pharaoh, two large residential buildings, a special hall that led to the tomb with columns, and the usual master’s houses for cattle and camels.
Only the pyramid has survived to this day. Its size is 62 meters in height and an area of 125 by 115 meters. It was the pyramid of Djoser that was taken as the basis for the construction of all other Egyptian pyramids and even the construction of the great sphinx.
This design was entirely innovative for its time. Inside the pyramid itself there were 11 full-fledged rooms, which, apparently, were intended for all members of the pharaoh’s family.
On the walls of the rooms there were drawings that displayed the external arrangement of the city, from which it became known about the rest of the premises.
The pharaoh himself was buried 27 meters deep under the pyramid, in a special capsule. After everyone knew the pyramid of Djoser, where it was located and who created it, bad rumors spread around Egypt.
The thing is that Pharaoh Djoser during his lifetime, in addition to his main tomb, gave the task to Imhotep to build a second burial ground, only more modest and inconspicuous. Perhaps the first was a distraction, since the ruler knew how often such places were robbed and disturbed by the peace of the dead.
Be that as it may, when our contemporaries tried to find Djoser in his grave after the discovery of this treasury, they did not find anything there. Among the many inner corridors, only one mummified hand was found. To whom it belongs is still unknown.
Neither the body of the pharaoh, nor the remains or burial of his priest and the first architect in the history of mankind – no one has found to this day.
The main builder, or as he was called in Egypt, “the one who looks at the Supreme God”, was later elevated to the rank of the same deities. And all due to the fact that during his lifetime Imhotep was something like a shadow and the right hand of his pharaoh.
It is worth being frank, during his reign, Djoser did not distinguish himself in anything special and went down in history only thanks to his tomb, as well as to the person to whom he once ordered to build it.
It is also interesting that during the excavation of this miracle, it was revealed that various rituals of a mystical nature were often performed in the temple, which, in general, was quite logical for that time.
Ibis birds, which were the symbol of Saqqara, were found here in the form of mummies. Imhotep thought for a very long time how to please his master and decided that his soul after burial should have a way to heaven, in the form of convenient steps. That is why the second name of this tomb is “stepped”.
To date, archaeologists can only guess about the approximate age of this building. Very general figures tell us that all the above action took place around 2600 BC. Why was such a huge and expensive complex of buildings chosen, given that all the rulers before Djoser were not like this?
And all simply because in this way ordinary people were frightened, who now and then liked to rebel and argue about the way of life. Therefore, the lord wanted to show all his strength, power, and most importantly, his belonging to the world of Gods and higher beings.
It is also important that the pyramid was conceived as a place to avert eyes in front of the true burial places of both the pharaohs and all their wealth.
Yes, the wives, children and immediate relatives of the head of the country were buried here, but without pomposity and as many honors as the main ruler. That is why many robbers who encroached on the peace of Djoser found nothing but mummified corpses.
Many were simply afraid to go there, not to mention stealing something because of the legend that Imhotep was a priest and a witcher, and built such a non-standard building based on magic and sorcery: anyone who disturbs the peace of his pharaoh will lose peace when life and be stuck in these stone walls forever.
Whatever it was, but all these tricks worked wonderfully, as evidenced by the still perfectly preserved stone step beauty.
Pyramid of Djoser – a historical monument of the most ancient culture
The Step Pyramid of Djoser is the burial place of one of the Egyptian pharaohs and his entire family. This is the very first construction of the tomb in the form of a pyramid, and the progenitor of this method is Djoser himself and his priest Imhotep.
By the way, the latter became over time also (or even more) popular than its ruler. At the entrance to the pyramid itself there is a stone at the foot, which testifies to all the ranks and ranks of the world’s first architect. During the reign of Djoser, Imhotep became the keeper of the upper seal, the divider of lands and crops, the chief priest of the god Ra, the adviser and right hand of the ruler.
After his death, a temple was created in Egypt to worship his spirit and a school for teaching all his wisdom. Amazing frescoes have been preserved on the walls of the pyramid inside, which tell about the history of the reign of the pharaoh, about all the members of his dynasty and about his deeds.
For example, it was from such wall inscriptions that it became known that Djoser connected Upper and Lower Egypt and came up with a way for his soul to move to heaven after death. This is how the architect and builder Imhotep embodied his request. In the future, the followers built all the other tombs in the manner and likeness of the first.
Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser – a brilliant idea or an accident?
The first idea, according to scientists, was to build a rectangular cube that would have halls and labyrinths inside, through which the soul would rise to heaven. But it was the first architect who had the idea to bend all the walls to a single center, in order to simplify this task for the spirit of the pharaoh.
The first dimensions of the building were grandiose – more than 60 meters in height and an area of 125×115 meters. Over time and the influence of a huge number of natural factors, the area of the pyramid has significantly decreased, but the base has survived to this day. The height is less than 1 meter, the area is 121×109. Yes, and it’s not that important.
We might not have seen what was left if the high priest had not been so enterprising: he was the first in the history of mankind to come up with the idea of using not typical mud and bricks from it, but heavy stone blocks. Is it just a guess?
How did the Egyptians pile these blocks one on top of the other? Whatever it was, but this building can be safely considered one of the very first, architectural, man-made wonders of the world. It is also worth noting that the site chosen for the construction is excellent: the view from the pyramid complex opens onto Memphis and the entire site is heated under the rays of the sun of the colorful plateau.
Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, its myths and mysteries
The Pyramid of Djoser, a photo of which can easily be found on the net, like other sights of Egypt, has a lot of mysteries. The most important obscure fact is the mystery of the disappearance of the body of the pharaoh himself.
According to the structure of the pyramid, the capsule with the mummy should have been located under the center of the building at a depth of about 30 meters. But the place for the capsule was empty at the time of the opening of the treasury.
In addition, numerous strange objects for sacrificial rites were found on the territory of the complex and on the ruins of other buildings near the tomb. And everything here was mystical: both the location of the temple for worshiping the pharaoh as God, and the intricate corridors that the conservative Imhotep simply could not plan.
The history of Saqqara as a region also tells how that at the location of the tomb there once stood a temple of worship to the god Ptah, the main god of Memphis.
Given the reverent attitude of the Egyptians to their religion, and even more so to their shrines, it is strange where and why the temple disappeared, and whether Djoser himself was involved in this.
Another important fact is the beginning of a seven-year drought in Egypt, which was accompanied by the start of the construction of the tomb. Many also consider this a very strange and illogical coincidence.
An incredible number of legends and mysterious stories go around this tomb. And all of them arise because it is difficult for a person today to explain how ancient people managed to create such a perfect architectural structure without special equipment and professional knowledge?
Some myths say that being a priest of the sun god Ra, Imhotep entered into a conspiracy with dark forces and sold the soul of his ruler for the sake of unique knowledge in construction.
Other legends testify that Djoser, realizing that he would die anyway, gave all his treasures to the gods in order to help build such a unique place of rest. It is interesting that some scientists do not reject this version at all, because no museum in the world, no private collection has found wealth from this pharaoh, which simply had to be in the tomb.
And inside 11 halls, only one mummified hand was found, and whose it is, is still not clear. So think after this, what is true and what is fiction. And the pyramid will still rise above the scorched Egyptian Sahara for many more centuries, still exciting the minds and curiosity of our descendants.
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