Editing Pyramid of Djoser (section)

{{Short description|Archeological site in Egypt}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox pyramid
| name      = Pyramid of Djoser
| image     = [[File:Saqqara pyramid ver 2.jpg|300px]]
| alt       = 
| caption   = Djoser's step pyramid at Saqqara
| map_type  = Lower Egypt
| relief    = yes
| owner     = [[Supreme Council of Antiquities]]
| architect = [[Imhotep]]
| type      = [[Step pyramid]]
| material  = [[Limestone]]
| date      = {{circa}} 2670–2650 BC<ref name="Shaw 480"/> ([[Third dynasty of Egypt|3rd dynasty]])
| height    = {{cvt|62.5|m|ft+royal cubit|0}}{{sfn|Verner|2001d|p=461}}
| base      = {{cvt|121|m|ft+royal cubit|0}} by<br>{{cvt|109|m|ft+royal cubit|0}}{{sfn|Verner|2001d|p=461}}{{sfn|Lehner|2008|p=17}}
| volume    = {{cvt|330,400|m3|ft3|0}}{{sfn|Lehner|2008|p=17}}
| coords    = {{WikidataCoord|Q192418|region:EG_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} 
| embedded  = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child     = yes
 |Part_of   = Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
 |ID        = 86-002
 |Year      = 1979
 |Criteria  = Cultural: i, iii, vi
 }}
}}
The '''pyramid of Djoser''',{{efn|Also called '''Djeser''', '''Zoser''', '''Tosorthros''' and '''Sesorthos'''}} sometimes called the '''Step Pyramid of Djoser''' or '''Step Pyramid of Horus Netjerikhet''', is an archaeological site in the [[Saqqara]] necropolis, [[Egypt]], northwest of the ruins of [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]].<ref name=":0">Bard, Kathryn A., and Jean-Philipee Lauer, eds. 1999. "Saqqara, pyramids of the 3rd Dynasty" ''Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt''. London: Routledge. 859</ref> It is the first Egyptian pyramid to be built. The 6-tier, 4-sided structure is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hawkes |first=Jacquetta |author-link=Jacquetta Hawkes |title=Atlas of Ancient Archaeology |year=1974 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Education|McGraw-Hill Book Company]] |isbn=0-07-027293-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/atlasofancientar00hawk/page/149 149] |url=https://archive.org/details/atlasofancientar00hawk/page/149 }}</ref> It was built in the 27th century BC during the [[Third Dynasty of Egypt|Third Dynasty]] for the burial of [[Pharaoh]] [[Djoser]]. The [[Egyptian pyramid|pyramid]] is the central feature of a vast [[mortuary]] complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration.

The pyramid went through several revisions and redevelopments of the original plan. The pyramid originally stood {{cvt|62.5|m|ft|0}} tall, with a base of {{cvt|109|x|121|m|ft|0}} and was clad in polished white limestone.{{sfn|Verner|2001d|pp=108–109 & 461}}  As of 1997 the [[step pyramid]] (or proto-pyramid) was considered to be the earliest large-scale [[ashlar|cut stone]] construction made by man,<ref name="Lehner 1997 p84">{{cite book |last1=Lehner |first1=Mark |title=The Complete Pyramids |year=1997 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location=New York |isbn=978-0-500-05084-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/completepyramids00lehn/page/84 84] |url=https://archive.org/details/completepyramids00lehn/page/84 }}</ref> although the nearby enclosure wall "[[Gisr el-Mudir]]" is suggested by some Egyptologists to predate the complex, and the South American pyramids at [[Caral]] are contemporary.

In March 2020, the pyramid was reopened for visitors after a 14-year restoration.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200306-egypt-reopens-djoser-pyramid-country-s-oldest-after-14-year-restoration |title=Egypt reopens Djoser pyramid, country's oldest, after 14-year restoration |website=France24 |date=6 March 2020 |access-date=7 March 2020 |archive-date=23 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923010242/https://www.france24.com/en/20200306-egypt-reopens-djoser-pyramid-country-s-oldest-after-14-year-restoration |url-status=live }}</ref>