When you think of Pyramids, one thing comes to mind: The Pyramids of Giza.  The word “iconic” seems so overused, but if there’s ever a time to break the glass and pull it out, it’s now.

But there’s 118 documented Pyramids in Egypt, and you’ll find quite a few of them here at Saqqara and Dashur — as well as countless other sites worth visiting.  I’ve kind of dreaded writing this article, because the sheer scope of the sites is overwhelming.

Want to know what to see at Saqqara and Dashur?  Good.  That’s the first step.  Coming here is essential if you want to get a broad sense of the history of Ancient Egypt.  After you’ve gone, you can be just like me: A certified Pyramid Snob. Of course as always, don’t just take my experiences as gospel. Look around, ask some questions on Tripadvisor, figure out what’s best for you.

How to get to Saqqara and Dashur

Here’s where I made a mistake.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking: How could you have made a mistake?  You know everything!  If not, let’s just pretend you did.

Now, Saqqara and Dashur aren’t exactly close to anything.  You’re looking at about an hour’s drive from Giza or Cairo, and you can’t exactly count on finding a cab sitting around the parking lot at the ticket office when you’re ready to leave.  It’s in a somewhat rural area compared to where your hotel’s probably located.

So, I booked a tour.  I know, I know — I’m the one who says tours aren’t always necessary.  But information on visiting these sites isn’t exactly abundant online, and I was hesitant to attempt finding a cab for the entire day so soon after arriving.

But that’s exactly what you should think about doing: Finding a cab with a driver who knows the area.  He’ll take you there, wait for you, take you to the next spot, and so on.

The biggest hurdle here isn’t just going to be negotiating a rate, it’ll be finding a driver who knows the area well enough.  I would recommend asking your hotel to help, or going on the TripAdvisor Forums.

I’m not saying you’re wrong if you really want to book a tour here.  In fact, if there’s any spot in Egypt where having a guide might be preferable, it’s here.

Another small issue I encountered: Saqqara is not well labeled.  It can be very difficult to find your way to what you want to see.  This can be remedied with a guide, but there’s also no shortage of “helpers” wandering about.  It would be relatively simple to ask someone who’s standing around where you need to go.  They’ll be more than happy to walk around with you for a tip.

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that my experience with taking a tour here was awful, because it wasn’t.  But it wasn’t exactly a pleasure, either.

There was a fair amount of “Oh no, you don’t want to go over there” discussions, where I had to insist on going to to the spots I’d planned out.  And of course the standard issues with trying to steer the tour towards perfume shops or papyrus “museums.”

I get into many of these issues in a different article, but let’s just say I had my fill of being given inaccurate information from a guide who was supposed to know what he was talking about.

So, no.  I definitely don’t know everything.  I can give you an idea of what to see at Saqqara, but the only claim I can make is knowing more now than I did before going.

What to see at Saqqara?  The options are endless

I’m just including this because it helps get across the scope of the site — and these are just the spots you need extra tickets to visit.  There’s at least ten times more than that.

So, you’re going to need a plan before visiting.  If you want to know what to see at Saqqara, you need to know what the highlights are, and what’s on your personal list.

Keep in mind that Saqqara is a very active site, with digs going on all the time.  New tombs are being uncovered, and some of those periodically open up to the public.

The bulk of what you want to see here is at Saqqara.  Dashur is nearby, and features two massive Pyramids. You aren’t going to want to walk between Saqqara and Dashur — honestly, I’m not even sure if you can.  There’s an active army base nearby.

The Imhotep Museum

This is not the same Imhotep. The one the museum is named for was the architect for Djoser, the king who built the Step Pyramid — the most famous site at Saqqara.  If you’re an architect whose name is still remembered 4500 years later, you know you’re a big deal.

 You’ll find the museum near the ticket office.  It’s  relatively small, and mainly contains items excavated at Saqqara.  I’m not exactly the biggest fan of museums, as I much prefer to see the sites themselves — but this is worth a stop.

There’s a cool model showing what the complex around the Step Pyramid originally looked like, as well as artifacts like the base of a statue of Djoser featuring the name of Imhotep, and tiles made of faience used beneath the Pyramid.

Fun fact: If you want to take pictures in here, you’ll need to buy a Photo Pass.  Even if your tour guide says you don’t.  Trust me on that.

The Step Pyramid Complex

Like other architectural features in this area, the columns are made to resemble bunches of reeds bound together.  It serves as a bridge, connecting this structure to the older ways of building — when they used actual reeds and other plants.

When you step out, it’s easy to only stare at the Step Pyramid, but also take note of the other stone structures surrounding the court.  Nearly all of them are completely solid, only having ceremonial purposes.  They too are intended to resemble buildings made of wood and reeds.

Most Pyramids were surrounded by expansive groups of buildings, known as funerary complexes.  Fortunately for us, the structures around the Step Pyramid are still in relatively good condition.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

As far as Pyramids go, you’re looking at the original.  Ancient Egyptian tombs once consisted of what are called “mastabas,” rectangular structures with flat roofs.  Once you know what they look like, you’ll see them everywhere — especially around Giza and Saqqara.

Djoser and Imhotep had the idea of stacking mastabas on top of one another, which resulted in the Step Pyramid.  It began a long tradition of Pyramid building, where one can see the shapes and techniques become more and more refined.

A lengthy restoration took place at the Step Pyramid, and it only recently reopened.  You can go inside of it now.

Part of the complex surrounding the Step Pyramid is the”Sed Court,” used in what was called the “Sed Festival.”  After 30 years of rule, a king would celebrate this festival, then every three years after that. 

In a time when disease was rampant and a relatively simple injury could easily lead to death, reigning for 30 years was a really big deal.  Most kings weren’t around long enough to have even one.

The huge ceremony would involve the king running laps around a course to prove his physical stamina.  You can see one of the boundary markers in the picture up above.  It’s unknown if this was actually used during Djoser’s Sed Festival, or if it was intended to be used in the afterlife.

The Bent Pyramid

The Bent Pyramid is a short drive away, and here you can see the evolution of Pyramid design.

King Sneferu, a successor of Djoser, actually built a Pyramid before this — a structure possibly begun by Sneferu’s predecessor, Huni.  It’s known as the Pyramid of Meidum, and it collapsed. You can still visit its remains today, but little is left except its core.

The Bent Pyramid was an attempt at a smooth-sided structure, but it became unstable.  The builders had to change the angle to stop it from collapsing, which is why it looks “bent” at the top.  Obviously it worked, since…well…it’s still there.

It maintains much of its original limestone casing, and you can go inside of it.  I didn’t…but you can.  I guess it just depends on how many Pyramids you want to explore.  For me, just a quick stop was enough. 

The Red Pyramid

As you can see, while it does have smooth sides, it’s a lot “flatter” than the ones at Giza.  Sneferu and his architect used the same angle here that they used at the top of the Bent Pyramid, making this one more stable.

Part of the issue in the Saqqara/Dashur area is that the Ancient Egyptians were building on sand, which isn’t very solid.  It can’t support as much weight and pressure as they would have liked.

When you take a look at it from the outside, the origins of the term “Red Pyramid” are pretty obvious.  But like most Pyramids, this one was originally covered in white limestone. 

Now, I explained why this structure is called the “Red Pyramid.”  But the locals call it the “Bat Pyramid.”  I didn’t see any of them inside, but there is a noticeable ammonia smell in there.  You can probably guess why.

This is probably a good option for people who don’t feel like they’re physically capable of going inside the Great Pyramid.  The experience is similar, but shorter and not as difficult.  There’s also a bit more to see in here, like the striking corbelled arch pictured up above.  You can definitely see how the Grand Gallery in the Great Pyramid was influenced by this weight-distributing feature.

Even if you don’t go in, the Red Pyramid is a must-see for anyone in the area.  After all, it’s considered to be the first smooth-sided Pyramid, and serves as a testament to the persistence of Sneferu.

The next project was the Great Pyramid itself, over at Giza.  There, the Ancient Egyptians built on a plateau of solid bedrock instead of sand. 

And guess who built that?  Khufu, Sneferu’s son.

The Pyramid of Unas

Well, that’s the Pyramid of Unas.

After the Pyramids of Giza, the Ancient Egyptians moved back here to Saqqara to continue their building projects, but did so on a much smaller scale.  Driving around the area, you’ll find it’s littered with what looks like mounds of rubble: The remnants of Pyramids past.

Once their limestone casings were stripped away for use elsewhere, the internal structures didn’t fare so well.  Many were built of mud bricks, which obviously don’t hold up to the elements.

But let’s cast away our criticisms of the outside for a moment —like the old saying goes, don’t judge a Pyramid by its pile.

While the tombs inside the others were completely bare, this one is absolutely covered in hieroglyphs.  Certainly from an artistic point of view, this doesn’t hold a candle to what you find in New Kingdom tombs like those in the Valley of the Kings  — or even some of the non-royal tombs right here in Saqqara.

What’s special about these hieroglyphs, called the “Pyramid Texts,” is that they’re believed to be the oldest religious writing in the world.

One of the most interesting parts here is called the “Cannibal Hymn,” where Unas kills and eats the gods, taking their power for his own:

It is the King who eats their magic
And gulps down their spirits;
Their big ones are for his morning meal,
Their middle-sized ones are for his evening meal,
Their little ones are for his night meal,
Their old men and their old women are for his incense-burning.

It’s different from the types of stories you’ll find in later tombs, that’s for sure.

The Pyramid Texts are found in a number of tombs of kings from the Fifth and Sixth Dynasty, as well as in those of three queens.  Unas’ is the oldest, but another popular spot is inside the nearby Pyramid of Teti.

The Tomb of Mereruka

A general rule of thumb in Egypt is that if they want to charge you extra to visit something, there’s a reason — there’s something special about that place.  That rule certainly holds here.

Mereruka wasn’t a king.  He was the vizier of Teti, the one with the Pyramid I just mentioned a moment ago.  A “vizier” was basically a prime minister — the second most powerful person in the country.  Viziers were quite wealthy, and had a lot of cash to spend on one of the most important parts of life in Ancient Egypt: having a really excellent tomb to help you get to the afterlife.

Mereruka’s tomb consists of 33 different rooms, and the entire complex (can we call it a complex?)  wasn’t just for him.  You see, Mereruka wasn’t just Teti’s vizier — he was married to his daughter, making him Teti’s son-in-law.

Yes, the Ancient Egyptian world was chock full of nepotism.

In the top picture, you can see a statue of Mereruka in what’s called a “false door.”  These were common in Ancient Egyptian tombs, serving as a portal through which the spirit of the deceased could reenter the world of the living.

In this case, his “ka,” an aspect of his soul, would inhabit his statue.  This room served as a spot where people would come and leave him offerings, and many of the reliefs depict people bringing him food, drinks, or other gifts; basically, what he’d need to sustain himself in the afterlife.

There’s a lot to learn here, and I’d like to direct you to this excellent website if you want to learn more.  It’s a great resource for detailed explanations of tombs.

The Philosophers’ Circle

As I keep mentioning, many of the sites here date back to the Old Kingdom, even before the Pyramids of Giza.  The Philosophers’ Circle was built over two thousand years later, by Ptolemy.

Ptolemy served under Alexander the Great, who conquered Egypt in 332 BCE.  He took over the region after Alexander’s death, beginning what’s known as the “Ptolemaic Era,” which ended when Rome defeated Cleopatra.

These battered statues depict ancient thinkers like Plato and Aristotle, but good luck trying to figure out who’s who.

The Serapeum

The truth is, this site was built to house the remains of Apis Bulls, a sacred animal in Ancient Egypt.  It’s fairly “new” in the scheme of Saqqara, with the first burial overseen my the famous Ramesses II in the New Kingdom.

It’s been recently renovated and restored, which is why you’ll find modern lighting as well as wooden floors and metal arches helping to shore up the ceilings.

Now, as for whether or not this is worth the stop — that’s a matter of taste.  I found it compelling and completely unique.  But at the same time, there’s a lot to see at Saqqara.

The spots I’ve mentioned are just the highlights of what to see at Saqqara.  The entire area is littered with the remnants of ancient Pyramids, and there’s tombs around every corner.

There’s even a recent documentary on Netflix called “Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb,” which shows a variety of perspectives on a recent excavation here. 

New discoveries at Saqqara are announced constantly, due in part to the physical scale of the site, as well as the thousands of years the Ancient Egyptians used it as a burial site.

A side note: Many tours of this area include a stop at Memphis, but there’s virtually nothing there aside from one large statue.  Although the city was tremendously important to Ancient Egypt, it’s almost completely gone.

So use your time at Saqqara and Dashur wisely.  But whatever you do, don’t skip it.  Far too many visit Giza and think they’ve seen all they need to.  You don’t want to be like them, do you?  You want to be a real-life Pyramid Snob.

Note: Everything I say here is my own personal opinion, and may not work best for everyone. I’m far from an expert, so please just do whatever is best for you, and be sure to visit the TripAdvisor Forums to ask questions and do some more research!