Of these Saqqara is of the greatest importance, maybe more than the Giza plateau. Saqqara has its name from the ancient mortuary deity Sokar and was known in antiquity as kbhw-ntrw (libation of the deities). With the complex of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Dynasty 3, Saqqara alone covers some 6 km x 1.5 km and lies ca 30 km south of Cairo, on the western side of the Nile and is only one part of the large necropolis of MenNefer. It gives us some of the most important sources for tradition and kingship from the Early Dynastic Period. The area is generally divided into North Saqqara with the Step Pyramid, Archaic tombs and Old and New Kingdom cemeteries, and South Saqqara with several other pyramids, among them Pepi I. It was here at Saqqara that the first pyramid shaped tomb was developed from an original mastaba, and this made an important architectural step not only for the history of Egypt but also for the world in general. It is said to have been built by King Djoser, but in fact, this name was only given to him a thousand years after it was built. The only name inscription found on its walls is Netjerikhet. According to tradition it is also said that it was built by the architect Imhotep, who was deified in the New Kingdom.

Something which is common both for the step pyramid itself and the secondary structures in the complex, is that there are traces of paint on the Sed chapels and the North and South Houses which shows that they were painted red to imitate wood. The enclosure wall is built to look like one of mudbrick and the ceiling imitates wooden log beams. The builders were heavily influenced by structures from earlier periods and so built in stone what was usually built in wood, mudbrick reed etc. and this made out a novelty, a new step in architectural design. The area of Djoser´s pyramid has been supposed to be a copy of his royal residence. Another interesting hypothesis is that the whole complex is a replica in stone of Egypt in the Hereafter. The south tomb would be a symbol for Abydos and the King´s rule of Upper Egypt and the North tomb (the pyramid) would suggest the Royal seat in Lower Egypt. The whole Great Court and the Heb Sed chapels would symbolize the land of Egypt with its temples while the north court would mean the area of Lower Egypt. It is all surrounded with the high wall to protect 'Egypt' from the chaos outisde its borders. This hypothesis is interesting but not widely acknowledged.

Check out the latest at this resource:
Saqqara Online