Step Pyramid of Djoser

조세르의 계단 피라미드

The Pyramid of Djoser, also called the Step Pyramid, stands at Saqqara in Egypt, northwest of the ruins of the ancient city of Memphis. It was the first Egyptian pyramid ever built, and its six stepped tiers make it the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt. It was built in the 27th century BC, during the Third Dynasty, as the tomb of the pharaoh Djoser.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: Egypt
Location: Saqqara, Egypt
Built: -2670
Height: 62 m
Type: Ancient site

Quick answers

Where is Step Pyramid of Djoser?

Step Pyramid of Djoser is in Saqqara, Egypt.

When was Step Pyramid of Djoser built?

Step Pyramid of Djoser was built in 2670 BC.

How tall is Step Pyramid of Djoser?

Step Pyramid of Djoser is about 62 m tall.

Imhotep's six-stepped pyramid, the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt.

The pyramid originally stood about 62.5 metres tall, with a base of 109 by 121 metres, and was covered in polished white limestone. It is the centre of a vast funeral complex inside a huge courtyard, ringed by ceremonial buildings and decorations. After a 14-year restoration, the pyramid reopened to visitors in March 2020.

Imhotep and a new way to build

Most Egyptologists credit Djoser's vizier, or chief minister, Imhotep with designing the complex. They base this on his statue found in the complex, his title "overseer of sculptors and painters", and a remark by the later historian Manetho that Imhotep invented building in stone. Before this, tombs had been built of mud-brick. Stone took far more work, which shows that the royal government now controlled a lot of material and many workers. Imhotep was later worshipped as a god and was known to the Greeks as Asclepios.

From mastaba to pyramid

The pyramid was not built in one go. It began as a flat-topped tomb called a mastaba, 63 metres on each side and 8.4 metres high, then was enlarged several times until it became a six-step pyramid. An earlier tomb at Saqqara, from about 2900 BC, had already used shallow steps, and this gave the idea. After Djoser, kings of the Old Kingdom were buried in the north, not at Abydos, and the step pyramid set the stage for the great pyramids of Giza.

A stone copy of a palace

The complex includes a great trench, an enclosure wall, a colonnaded entrance, a Sed festival court and a mortuary temple. The builders copied older materials in stone. The limestone enclosure wall has 1,680 niches, each nine metres tall, hand-carved to look like the planks, ropes and reed mats that earlier walls were made from.