zoser step pyramid complex

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Djoser¶s Step Pyramid complexThe complex of Djoser at Saqqara wasdesigned by architect Imhotep.

Step Pyramid Imhotep designed was the firstpyramid constructed in Egypt, and that thecomplex he designed around it would becomethe prototype for pyramid complexes of thefuture

What Imhotep built was nothing less than asymbolic representation of all Egypt ,

He meticulously reproduced not only the

architectural styles that were traditional for histime, but mimicked the very building materialsthat were used, all in stone.

There are two distinguishing features of manyof the buildings in the complex.

-One is that these buildings are built assome type of dummy double, or

simulacrum, of actual buildings whichstood in the royal palace of the king, inMemphis.

-A second feature of note is that many of these features were not seen before or since. These early pyramid complexeshave components which are unique to this

period.



. He meticulously reproduced not only thearchitectural styles that were traditional for histime, but mimicked the very building materials

that were used, all in stone.1 .Prior to Imhotep, mastabas and other structures were constructed with sun-bakedmudbrick, wood, and other organicmaterials. But in Djoser¶s Step Pyramidcomplex, stone was cut to the same sizeand dimensions as mudbrick.

2.Stone pillars were designed to look as if they were fashioned of bundled stems andtree trunks.

3.Stone beams were made to resemblewooden logs.

4.Stone walls were carved to have theappearance of reed mat coverings.

4.Stone surfaces were painted to resemblemudbrick and plant materials.

5. Many of the structures within Djoser¶scomplex were built for purely symbolic

purposes.



Elements of the pyramid complex

1 .The Enclosure Wall2.The Entrance and Colonnade3.The Southern Court4.The Heb Sed Court5.The Southern Tomb and Chapel6.The House of the North7.The House of the South8.The Mortuary Temple9.The Serdab

10 .The Step Pyramid10 .1 The Subterranean Network



A xonometric view of the pyramid complex



The Enclosure Wall

-Djoser¶s Step Pyramid complex wasentirely surrounded by an enclosurewall.-The wall originally was nearly 35 feethigh and just over a mile long.-The complex was further cloistered bya trench that ran along the wall¶s outer perimeter, and from which much of thebuilding materials of the complex werelikely quarried.-The enclosure wall was constructedof a rough-hewn core faced withlimestone cut to resemble mudbrickand reed matting.

-The paneled appearance of the wall isthought to be evocative of the palacewalls.-Every 1 2-1 4 feet uniform bastionsprotrude, and at irregular intervalsthere are fourteen barbicans, thirteen

with false doors-One with the actual entrance to thecomplex in the southern end of theeastern wall.



The Entrance and Colonnade

-The entrance to the complex is rendered toappear to be a large open wooden door, butis actually of solid and immovableconstruction.

-It opens into what is considered to be the firsthypostyle hall in the world. The limestoneceiling is crafted to look as if made of logs.

-The 40 columns within, constructed of segmented masonry carved to resemblebundled reeds or logs, serve no actualsupportive function.

-Thirty-two of these columns are attachedby masonry to the corridor walls, creating24 niches in which statues may have oncestood, and which are considered to besymbolic of the 24 provinces (nomes) of Djoser¶s Egypt.

-A fter the twelfth pair, the columns aresituated closer together to create the illusionthat the hall is longer than it actually is.

-The last four pairs of columns are free-standing and lead to the Southern Court.



The Southern Court

-The colonnade opens into the southeastcorner of the Southern Court, an area

bounded by the pyramid to the north andthe Southern Tomb in the south.

-There are the remains of two low-walledB-shaped structures, aligned with their straight sides facing inward.Thought to represent Upper and Lower Egypt,

The Heb Sed Court

-Located to the East of the Southern Courtand north of the colonnade,

-the rectangular Heb Sed Court is where

the majority of the Heb Sed ritual wouldhave been played out.

-The Heb Sed Ritual was a symbolicshow of wealth and vigor wherein theking would race back and forth betweenrepresentations of Upper and Lower Egypt



The Southern Tomb and Chapel

As you enter the Southern Court youare facing a chapel wall with aprotective frieze of cobras. Thechapel wall extends from thesouthern enclosure wall and formsthe eastern wall of a mastaba knownas the southern tomb.

- Although it is called a tomb, it is toosmall for a sarcophagus, and likemuch of the rest of the complex,appears to have served a symbolicfunction.-The shaft within the mastaba leads 92feet down to a subterranean complexthat serves as a small scale model of

the tunnels under Djoser¶s pyramid.-The complex contains rooms for storage and offerings, along with other areas that mimic the passages under the pyramid itself,



The House of the North and the

House of the South-North of the Heb Sed Court are two largeshrines, each with its own courtyard, calledthe House of the North and the House of the South. Again we find representation of Upper and Lower Egypt, the structures arepurely symbolic and almost entirely solid.

-The House of the South has the

appearance of a mudbrick structure withfour faux columns. It appears to be arepresentation of the Shrine of Nekhbet inthe southern city of Hierakonpolis, and inits courtyard is a faux column with a lotuscapital, the symbol of Upper (southern)Egypt.

-The House of the North is likewiserendered to appear as if constructed of mudbrick, with four engaged columns. TheHouse of the North has been compared tothe Shrine of Wadjet located in the northerndelta city of Buto. There are three fauxcolumns in its courtyard topped withpapyrus capitals, the symbol of Lower (northern) Egypt.



The Mortuary Temple-One of the few buildings in the complexthat was fully functional rather thansymbolic,-Djoser¶s mortuary temple would havebeen the center of his cult after hisdeath. This is where priests, penitents,and family members would come tomake offerings and perform rituals tohonor the king in his afterlife.-The mortuary temple is another aspect of Djoser¶s complex thatwould become a standard element inpyramid complexes of the future, The-The original entrance to the pyramidis located within the mortuarytemple,

The Serdab

-The serdab is a small sealedstructure that once held the statue of King Djoser that became the earthlyvessel of his Ka after his death.-the serdab is another place whereofferings for King Djoser would havebeen made.

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zoser step pyramid complex