This may not look like much, as pyramids go, but this is a major structure in the history of Egypt, if not the world. This is the Step Pyramid of Zoser at Saqqara. It is inside the walls from the last post. It was the world’s first pyramid, but it was a lot more than that (or so they told us). It was built about 2630 B.C. in the Egyptians 3rd Dynasty.

It was built by a guy named Imhotep, who was Zoser’s architect. Imhotep was also a physician, astronomer, high priest, sage, and founder of a cult of healing. He was deified by the Egyptians some 1400 years after his death.

Prior to his building this pyramid, ‘mustabas’ were built for tombs. A mustaba was a squarish, mud-brick, adobe type structures that, as such, most have not survived until today. The Step Pyramid constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture. It was the first time anything like it was built. It is speculated that they originally did just build a large mustaba, but then decided to put another one on top of it (for some reason), and then just kept going from there (6 in total). Also, they used limestone on a large scale for the first time. The Step Pyramid was 204 feet tall and the largest building of its time. It was originally covered with white limestone, but that was all removed long ago, probably by subsequent pharaohs to build their own structures.

The first picture is from another structure within Zoser’s complex. I couldn’t resist a picture with a row of cobras in it. Cobras were big in ancient Egypt. They were carved on many tomb walls and other places, such as you see here.

From here, I will just keep moving closer to the step pyramid to give a better look at it.