Learn about Djoser's Step Pyramid and Imhotep's influence on the evolution of the pyramidal architecture.
The architect of the Step Pyramid, Imhotep, was a man of great importance to pharaoh Djoser, and ancient Egyptians in general.
The base of a statue of Djoser, discovered in 1926, celebrates Imhotep as a carpenter, sculptor, stone maker and chief of the seers.
Little is known of Imhotep's day-to-day life. While he is credited for writing medical texts, it is for his role as an architect that he is most famously known.
From the design of the pyramid to the elements within the complex itself, Imhotep set out to create something that would immortalize his king.
An architectural achievement, the Step Pyramid was made from stone blocks instead of mud-brick. It was the first time Egyptians built a monument of that height.
Imhotep explicitly intended for the stone to reflect natural materials.
The funerary complex of Djoser remained famous throughout the centuries and millennia, and its great architect Imhotep was deified by ancient Egyptians during the Late Period.
In addition to the central subterranean palace built for Djoser, eleven wells were dug. Each went to a depth of 33 meters, and connected with a horizontal gallery extending for about 20 meters.
The first five galleries were intended for members of the royal family.
Two passages lead underground and branch off in three directions to various magazine galleries.
This vast underground space accommodated sections for storage and ceremonial offerings.
One of the tunnels starting on the east side of the pyramid, contained 40 000 stone vessels, many of them belonging to the king's ancestors.
The burial chamber of Djoser is located at the bottom of a 28-meter deep central shaft.
According to Egyptologist Jean-Philippe Lauer, the chamber was originally made from polished blocks of limestone, while its ceiling was decorated in five-pointed stars.
At some point however, the limestone blocks were replaced entirely by pink granite blocks, leaving behind only fragments of timestone blocks decorated with stars.
At the foot of the chamber are many tunnels going in all directions. This maze of tunnels, galleries and chambers stretches over 5 kilometers.
There are a number of dead ends and false doors. They may have been intended for the afterlife, rather than to fool thieves.
Unlike the great Pyramid of Giza or Menkaure, the pyramid of Djoser does not have any extra openings dug out by thieves.
There was no need for them. Because of the easy access into the tunnels and along the corridors, thieves had little trouble clearing out the temples once inside.
Itis unknown when the mummy of Djoser was stolen. All that remained was a left foot, found by French Egyptologist Jean-Philippe Lauer in 1934. This architect, who devoted his whole life to meticulously exploring the complex, believed it betonged to Djoser.
The pharaoh's apartments, also known as the blue chambers, are decorated with blue-green tiles meant to imitate the reed mating that covered the walls and windows of his palace.
The stone is carefully curved and painted to look like the rolled mats of open doorways and curtains.
There are two long rooms, running side by side along a north-south axis.
The south room has false doors separated by stone panels, while the north room is a corridor which allows access to side chambers.
Nearby chambers originally housed the pharaoh's treasures.
The doorframes are made of fine limestone, and carved with the king's name.
As in the south tomb, reliefs are carved into the doorways. These reliefs show the king performing rituals, and visiting divine sanctuaries for all eternity.
Their interiors are fictive additions made by the team to add to the wonders of the tomb.
It is clear from the elaborate detail and scale of the complex that this funerary monument was a technological marvel of its time.