Sakkara Step Pyramid

Djoser, who ruled ca. 2650BCE at the beginning of the third dynasty, chose Sakkara as the site of the first pyramid, which he built from a series of successively smaller mastaba superstructures set one on top of another.

 

It soars two hundred feet (60m) skyward and spans 467 feet (140m) along its east-west axis and 393 feet (118m) along its north-south axis. With such great dimensions, hitherto unheard of in Egypt, the step pyramid dominates Djoser's large funerary complex, which is impressive in itself.