10 Best Sights in Cairo, Egypt

Named after the architect of the Djoser step pyramid, this relatively small but superb museum brings Saqqara to life, with well-lit artifacts and exhibits that provide background on ancient Egyptian architecture, politics, and religion. Highlights of the collection include a statue of a seated Djoser, the Old Kingdom pharaoh who reigned from approximately 2686 to 2648 BC; a bronze statuette of Imhotep; a Ptolemaic mummy discovered by Zahi Hawass, who is considered Egypt's version of Indiana Jones; the enigmatic "famine" stela; and a set of vibrant blue and turquoise faience tiles that once decorated the interior of Djoser’s Pyramid. Note, though, that this museum has experienced temporary closures; keep your fingers crossed that it's open during your visit as it's well worth your time.

The quest for immortality is tangible at what is considered Egypt's first pyramid, so old that it was a great attraction even in antiquity: as the graffiti attests, people came here as tourists and seekers of blessings as early as the Middle Kingdom (2130–1649 BC), if not earlier. It was designed by Imhotep—a great architect who would, in time, become deified and worshiped as the patron god of architects and doctors—for the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh, Djoser, who reigned from approximately 2650 to 2575 BC. Although not much is known about this ruler, Egyptologists surmise that he sent expeditions to Sinai to mine copper and turquoise.

The Step Pyramid was ingeniously erected as a single-level mastaba tomb prior to ending up a a six-step pyramid. It was the predecessor of the "true" pyramid forms, which, like those in Giza have smooth sides. Its interior is a logistical wonder, with almost 6 km (3.5 miles) of passageways and tunnels, as well as chambers. The simple mortuary temple attached to the pyramid is to the north rather than to the east. Djoser also reserved a spot for an Egyptian alabaster sarcophagi belonging to his daughters. After earthquakes destabilized the pyramid, making its interior unsafe, Egyptian authorities embarked on a 14-year, restoration that was completed in 2020 and that cost nearly US$6.6-million.

No visitor to Kagemni’s tomb can ever forget the endearing depiction of a calf drinking its mother’s milk or the bewildering one of an underwater battle between a crocodile and a hippopotamus. Both scenes demonstrate the ancient Egyptians’ astute observations of the animal world. They are also just two of many scenes expertly carved in the limestone tomb belonging to a chief judge and vizier under the 6th-Dynasty ruler, Teti (2345–2333 BC). Others touch upon daily activities such as fishing, dancing, husbandry, and making food offerings to the tomb owner.

This tomb adjoins the Mastaba of Mereruka to the east. Some presume that a single artist or atelier was responsible for decorating the mastabas in this area because certain scenes—the force-feeding of animals, poultry yards, the tomb owner being carried on a chair—recur. But they could also be conventional scenes used to decorate tombs at the time.>

The Teti cemetery's largest tomb, with more than 30 rooms, belonged to Mereruka, a wealthy vizier during the reign of the 6th-Dynasty (2345–2181 BC) pharaohs, Teti and Pepy I, and who was married to one of Teti’s many daughters. The tomb's significance lies in its renderings of not only its owner but also of Old Kingdom life, with scenes of jewelry-making, scribal recording, herding, and harpooning, among other activities.

In one scene, Mereruka himself can be seen fishing and fowling alongside his family. In another, almost poetic one, the dutiful official is shown as the personification of the three ancient Egyptian seasons: akhet (for the flooding), peret (for the emergence of fertile land), and shemu (for the harvest). In addition, a life-size statue depicts Mereruka stepping forward from the tomb's false door to receive his offerings.

At the end of the walkable section of the Unas Pyramid's causeway is the magnificently decorated and somewhat provocative tomb of the “Two Brothers,” namely, Niankh-khnum and Khnumhotep, who were overseers of the Great House manicurists in the 5th Dynasty (2494–2345 BC). As at other tombs, much of the iconography here depicts fishing, carpentry, agriculture, and other everyday activities. But the men’s professions are also showcased in precious snippets showing pedicurists and manicurists hard at work.

A remarkable chapel scene of the two interlacing and facing one another has been at the heart of much speculation over the years. Many argue that the men were brothers, perhaps even twins thanks to their similar names. Others note that such intimate ancient Egyptian scenes were usually reserved for husbands and wives, indicating a possible homosexual relationship between the two men, although both had wives and children. Regardless, the two men were close: an inscription above the tomb’s entrance reads “joined in life and death.”

Ti was a supervisor of the construction of Niuserre and Nefefrikare’s pyramids in Abu Sir and was married to Neferhetepes, a priestess of goddesses, with whom he had sons. His recently restored family tomb is exquisitely decorated and painted—the boat-building scenes are particularly noteworthy—with some of its original roof in tact. A statue of Ti, albeit a reproduction, is visible in the serdab (a small room specifically for a statue of the deceased), and a large courtyard with a stairway leads to Ti’s burial chamber, where you can spot the official’s sarcophagus.

For more than 3 millenia, Saqqara was used as a burial ground, bearing witness to many mortuary practices along the way. The beautiful non-royal tombs of the New Kingdom (1550–1077 BC) feature underground burial chambers and open, above-ground courtyards with tomb chapels typically surmounted by small pyramids.

South of the Unas Pyramid's causeway are a handful of tombs that belonged to eminent officials of the 18th to 20th dynasties, all lying within one wider complex. Among these officials was ‘Aperizia, a vizier of Amenhotep III; Ptahemwia, the "Royal Butler, Clean of Hands” under the rule of Akhenaten and Tutankhamun; Maia, the overseer of treasury; and Meryneith, the scribe. A tomb intended for Horemheb, the military general during Tutankhamun’s reign, also lies within the complex.

The meticulous art etched on the walls of these tombs was done by the best ancient artists and craftsmen, many of whom had practiced in the royal capital of Amarna. Many tombs here were also discovered with stelas and statues of the deceased within, but these artifacts have been moved to museums elsewhere.

The son of Unas, Teti was the first pharaoh of the 6th Dynasty (2345–2181 BC), and he's believed to have ruled for a little over a decade. Beyond this not much is known about him. Although his is the northernmost of the royal pyramids, it’s not far from the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

Originally, Teti's pyramid was encased in blocks of fine limestone. What remains is a core of smaller blocks of local limestone and debris fill, rendering it less majestic than other structures. You can, however, enter this pyramid through a sloping passageway located at the north face. Inside, an antechamber has a large basalt sarcophagus that might once have contained the pharaoh's body. It's the burial chamber and its pyramid texts (used to guide the soul of the deceased in the afterlife) that are truly captivating, though. Here, long vertical columns are adorned with elegantly carved spells in hieroglyphs, and the ceiling is punctuated by representations of stars set against a dark blue background.

Unas, sometimes referred to as Wenis, was the last pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty, reigning from approximately 2375 to 2345 BC. At first glance, his pyramid could easily be mistaken for a topographical feature in the Saqqara landscape. But the slanted case section of Unas's once glorious pyramid reveals a royal tomb that occupies an area of 17 square meters (188 square feet) and originally stood 43 meters (141 feet) tall. It was also the first ancient tomb to have its vaulted burial chamber decorated with resplendent green pyramid texts, meant to safely guide the deceased's soul through the perils of the afterlife. So self-assured was this innovative ruler that his pyramid was called “Perfect Are the Places of Unas” in ancient Egyptian.

This underground complex houses the most significant cult animals buried in Saqqara: the sacred Apis bulls, which were considered incarnations of the god Ptah. It is believed that each animal was very carefully selected, with the priests looking for special markings of divinity. In life, the bulls were as well-treated as they were revered. Upon death, they were mummified and placed in great (and extraordinarily heavy) sarcophagi. They were thought to become immortal as Osiris-Apis; over time, the name evolved to Userhapi ("Osorapis" in Greek) and was later associated with the Ptolemaic god, Serapis, resulting in the name of the site. The Serapeum, first used in the New Kingdom (1550–1077 BC), has a niche for each sacred bull; chapels and smaller temples would have been built aboveground.