First day in Egypt. After late-ish arrival yesterday evening, booking into our hotel (the Sheraton in Cairo) and all that, waking up at 6AM to start our visits at 7h30 feels a bit painful. We didn't know at the time that that aspect of this trip would get worse, much worse...
The journey and the visits are organised chronologically, starting with the older sites and then following the flow of time through the history of ancient Egypt. Thus, our fist stop is, as it could not be otherwise, Saqqara.
We start at Djoser pyramid complex. This is the oldest all-stone building in the world, as well as the worlds's first pyramid. Previously, Egyptian monarchs wouler be buried in a building that we cal mastaba, simbolising the benben, the primordial mound from where the world emerged.
Imhotep, the famous king Djoser architect, designed fist a stone built mastaba, that was consequently expanded through several phases into the step pyramid we can see today, almost 5 thousand years later.
The pyramid lays in a complex representing the Upper and Lower Egypt and the Sed Heb festival court.
Our guide, Ussama, will take us un this journey through the ages with humour, kindness and the deepest knowledge.
Close to the Step Pyramid complex we find several mastabas, and another of the wonders of this journey: Unas' pyramid, with the earliest instance of the Book of the Pyramids.
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