Pharaoh Djoser’s (Netjerikhet’s) sarcophagus was placed a the bottom of a central shaft by Imhotep who then built a series of limestone mastabas which were stacked on top of one another to form the Step Pyramid.

Could the central shaft have been the first grain silo that Imhotep built for the Pharaoh?

It differed from other pits used to store grain in that it was lined or cased with large decorated limestone blocks.

The limestone casing and roof of the burial chamber eventually collapsed and crushed Djoser’s sarcophagus.

(It was around 500BC when it collapsed but it was not until 2007 that the rubble could be cleared by a team lead by Dr Zahi Hawass.)

How the Step Pyramid was built – Dr. Zahi Hawass

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Stages in the building of the Step Pyramid of Djoser (Netjerikhet) designed by Imhotep – Dr. Zahi Hawass

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The tomb of Pharaoh Djoser (Netjerikhet) under the Step Pyramid.

Inscription on the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb

The base of a statue of Djoser with the names and titles of Imhotep in heiroglyphics

Looking up in the burial chamber of Djoser

The roof of Djoser’s tomb – like a grain silo under the Step Pyramid

Djoser’s tomb – a shaft the same dimensions as a grain silo

The shaft was cased with limestone blocks which have fallen down and crushed the sarcophagus. The blocks are now neatly stacked in part of the tomb.

Dr. Zahi Hawass sitting in Djoser’s tomb after the rubble had been cleared. It is a vertical shaft under the Step Pyramid – much like other shafts in the complex used to store grain.

A tunnel under the base of the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb under the Step Pyramid

Rubble in Djoser’s tomb – the limestone lining the walls and roof collapsed onto the Sarcophagus

Clearing the rubble in Djoser’s tomb

The top of the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb after the rubble had been cleared

Inscriptions on the granite slabs forming the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb

Inscriptions on the granite slabs foming the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb

Inscriptions on the granite slabs of the Sarcophagus in Djoser’s tomb

In Djoser’s tomb after the rubble was cleared from the platform

The shaft in which Djoser was buried under the Step Pyramid

In Djoser’s tomb under the Step Pyramid

The Step Pyramid

Imhotep

Imhotep

Statue of ?Djoser with Imhotep’s name and titles inscribed on it.

Name and titles of Imhotep on the base of the statute

Imhotep in heiroglyphics

Exploring the Step Pyramid, Saqqara, Ancient Egypt – Dr. Zahi Hawass