Saqqara Saqqara Saqqara (, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of mastabas (Arabic word meaning 'bench'). Located some south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around . At Saqqara, the oldest complete stone building complex known in history was built: Djoser's step pyramid, built during the Third Dynasty. Another 16
Saqqara an excavation team led by Salima Ikram, and an international team of researchers led by Paul Nicholson of Cardiff University, uncovered almost eight million animal mummies at the burial site. It is thought that the mummified animals, half of which were birds, although a great many were dogs as well, were possibly intended to pass on the prayers of their owners to their deities. In July 2018, researchers discovered an extremely rare gilded burial mask. The last time a similar mask was found, was in 1939. In November, 2018, seven ancient Egyptian tombs were located at the ancient necropolis of