Originally designed as a tomb for Pharaoh Djoser by Minister Imhotep in the form of six terraces over a tunnel descending to the burial site. The pyramid has gone through six changes to the scheme
It is the oldest known stone building and the first royal tomb in history was built between the years 2737-2717 BC. It is located in Saqqara, south of Giza, a mile from the Saqqara cliff.
This step pyramid was the first known monumental building made of stone anywhere in the world. As the name suggests, it is a series of six levels of stones that decrease in size until they reach a height of 62 meters (200 feet). It has a rectangular base, measuring 390-350 feet. Until that time, the mastaba was the main form of tomb architecture. The step pyramid originally began as a mastaba, and perhaps the original vision was not to be a pyramid as much as a series of terraces, decreasing in size, and stacking one on top of the other
For external appearance:
Aerial view of the Saqqara pyramid, the amphitheater. Most of the outer shell of the pyramid is gone. At some points sections of the main building have also disappeared. Obviously, there were different stages of construction. It shows the best shape of the pyramid from the eastern side. After construction was completed from the third stage, the process of making it a true pyramid began. More than 200,000 tons of stone were used to build the two additional mastabas, which were placed on top of the existing four, making a six-step pyramid. Then a face of white limestone was added. On the north side of the pyramid, a few blocks of the shell remain.
Internal composition:
The king’s burial chamber is made of granite. During excavations from 1924-1926, the statue of Djoser was found in the burial chamber. The statue was deformed, but compact, and it is now on display in the Cairo Museum.
Restoration problems:
Restoration work on the Step Pyramid of Djoser, August 7, 2011. In August 2011, an official in the Supreme Council of Antiquities stated that the Saqqara pyramid was exposed to the problems of the collapse of some stone pieces inside the pyramid, and the pyramid had undergone restoration operations that began in 2008 but stopped due to problems related to the funding donated by Japan and the United States. In August 2011, work began to complete the restoration project
