Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara
(2737-2717 b.c.)

The Step Pyramid of Djoser (3rd Dynasty), was built about 2737-2717 b.c. It is located in Saqqara, south of Giza. It was designed by Imhotep, the first known architect. This Step Pyramid was the first monumental royal tomb and is one of the oldest known stone structures. It was originally designed as a mastaba tomb, which is a low rectangular structure built over a shaft descending to the burial location. The pyramid went through six changes of plan before attaining its present form.

The Step Pyramid is the first known monumental structure made of stone anywhere in the world. As its name suggests, it is a series of six levels of stone decreasing in size as they ascend to about 200 feet/60 meters in height. Its plan is rectangular, measuring 390 by 350 feet. Until this time, mastabas had been the principal form of tomb architecture. The Step Pyramid originally began as a mastaba, and it may have been visualized as a series of mastaba shapes, decreasing in size, stacked one on top of another.