Saqqara, Egypt

Saqqara is a village in Egypt, about 30 km south of Cairo, a vast necropolis built for kings and dignitaries of ancient times. The name of the village comes from the God of the dead - Sokar. From north to south and 7 km in length and 1.5 km in width stretch eleven pyramids of kings, most of the VI dynasty, as well as many tombs of all ages.
The mysticism hovering in Saqqara was preserved until 1850, when an ambitious French teacher, Auguste Mariette, began his excavations, inspired by the idea of ​​revealing the secret of the Saqqara cemetery. He finds a half-buried sphinx, then manages to find an entire alley of sphinxes, until he finally reaches his cherished point - Saqqara. It provoked many subsequent large-scale research excavations. Many sites have been discovered, but archaeologists firmly believe that this is a small part of the reserve of Saqqara monuments.
In the central part of Saqqara rises the Step Pyramid of one of the kings of Egypt - Djoser. It was built in honor of the ruler of Imhotep, who was a high priest and a luminary in the field of world history of architecture. In popularity and level of achievement, this pyramid surpasses its counterparts in Giza.
South of Djoser is the pyramid of Teti - the first king of the Sixth Dynasty. Its vertical columns are unique with their inscribed hieroglyphs, representing hymns, litanies and protective spells. They are considered to be the first steps of a developed tradition in the construction of the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Luxor. In this pyramid were found two tombs - of Anh-ma-Hor and of Mereruka - son-in-law of Teti. The tomb of Anh-ma-Khor is also known as the tomb of the doctor because of its many scenes of ancient surgical operations.
One of the greatest finds of Egyptologists is undoubtedly Marietta's Serapeum. These are a series of dark catacombs used for the tombs of bulls called Apis. In Egypt, animals were considered gods, those with black and white spots on the forehead and tail were considered to be the incarnation of the god Ptah, considered the patron saint of Memphis. Near the Serapeum is the Philosophical Circle - a collection of statues of Greek philosophers and poets, erected by the Ptolemies, and near it is the tomb of a high official of three kings - Mastaba of Ti.
In 2000, another find was added and this is a modest museum of Imhotep, which contributes to a deeper understanding of this entire memorial through its collections.