Having awakened early, I found myself excited about the day’s adventure that lay ahead. The usual morning activities were accomplished smoothly, to include a filling breakfast at my hostel. As I stepped out into the early morning sunlight, I found that my pre-planned taxi was waiting for me as I had anticipated. My enthusiasm continued to swell. My driver returned my cheerful morning greeting with a warm smile and in no time, we were off through the streets of downtown Cairo. The traffic was surprisingly light and the buildings gave way quickly to desert land and irrigated fields. I contemplated my plans for the day and within the hour, we arrived at our destination: Sakkara! The beauty of the area cannot be understated, as I was elated to find the Sakkara complex was free of overdevelopment, litter, and commercialism. I was also happy to find that on this particular day, Sakkara was almost completely devoid of visitors. As I counted my blessings, my driver parked the taxi in a newly paved parking lot, set amongst an oasis of majestic, mature palm trees. We briefly discussed our agreement for his services and with both of us being satisfied, I bid him well. Exiting the taxi, I made my way to the Sakkara entrance in the new and modern , Imhotep Museum. The museum was small, but truly interesting. The museum is small, but I found it filled with artifacts excavated from Saqqara. Of particular interest were the statue of King Zoser and the bronze statue of Imhotep. Without question, the myriad collections of rare and precious artifacts from Sakkara were interesting and informative. I spent well over an hour in the museum and could have lingered longer, but I was anxious to see the rest of Saqqara. The prominent feature of Sakkara is the Step Pyramid of King Zoser. I found it to be very impressive in the early morning sunlight. As I approached the pyramid, an older Egyptian man dressed in traditional Egyptian style, approached from whereabouts unknown and offered to act as my guide. Initially, I was reluctant to accept his offer, but his asking fee was a pittance, so I relented. His English was good, and he began telling me of Sakkara and ancient Egypt. I was told that the stepped pyramid is the world’s first and oldest stone-built Pyramid. I was also told that most of the outside stone for the pyramid was removed years ago, taken to build a mosque. The pyramid is dated back to 2700 BC. It was all so amazing. My guide allowed me to take my time, and I exposed quite a few photographs as I explored the pyramid from the outside. My guide graciously took me to and around t he tomb of Mereruka (The main tomb has some of the best ancient wall paintings I saw while in Egypt.), the tomb Pyramid of King Titi, the Tomb of Kagimni, the Mastaba tomb of Ti, and the tomb of Ptah-Hotep. My guide was entertaining and informative throughout our time together. He listened and answered each of my questions. We must have walked several miles and I am sure I exposed over a thousand photographs. Before I knew the day was behind me. I had only planned to spend the morning at Sakkara. I could have very easily spent two-three days. I settled with my guide and thanked him for his service. As he was leaving, he asked that I take his photograph with the Giza Pyramids in the distance. I happily obliged and almost immediately afterwards he disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared in the morning. I made my way to the parking lot, where I found my driver waiting. It was a longer trip back to my hostel, but the time was lost as I was still thinking of my day’s adventure. Unequivocally, a fantastic day!

Good Journeys!

Sakkara was the main necropolis for Memphis, the capital of a united Upper and Lower Egypt. A 15-minute drive south from the Giza Plateaue, past villages and tranquil green farmland, the complex contains 16 primitive pyramids predating the Great Pyramid, and more than 200 tombs and temples associated with the pharaohs and their servants. It's estimated that as many as 10,000 tombs still lie unexcavated; the tombs of King Tut's wet nurse, a royal butcher, and a royal surgeon buried with his scalpels are among the latest discoveries. Architecture buffs come here to see the world's oldest stone monument and original stairway to heaven: the Step Pyramid, built in 2650 B.C. for King Djoser by the deified architect Imhotep, to whom a new on-site museum, inaugurated in 2006, is dedicated. The tomb of the vizier Mereruka is worth visiting for its carved scenes of daily life in ancient Egypt, such as fishing, duck hunting, and tending for pet hyenas. The real gem, however, is the small tomb shared by Niankh-Khnum and Khnum-Hotep, manicurists to King Unas. It's unclear whether they were brothers or lovers; their house of the afterlife contains exquisite carved and painted scenes of cattle, wild animals, breast-feeding mothers, women baking bread—and the two bare-chested men embracing. The Sakkara complex is far less crowded than the Giza Plateau, and it's easy to find an isolated spot where you feel you are alone in the desert with just wind and sand for company.