Today Stanley went to visit the oldest building in Egypt called the Step Pyramid. It is 4,660 years old! Pyramids were built for very important Egyptian kings, called pharaohs. When a pharaoh died he was put inside the pyramid with all of his special things. Egyptians believed that the pharaoh would come back to life in another place, so they wanted to make sure that the pharaoh would have everything he needed in his new life.
Near the Step Pyramid are some other places where older pharaohs were buried. The Egyptians wanted to build pyramids for these old pharaohs, but it took them a long time to figure out how to build a good pyramid. This is one of their first tries:
At last the Egyptians figured out a way to build a good pyramid. Since they knew it was good, they also built other things around it.
First, they built a fancy entrance gate:
Stanley could just squeeze through the wall at the gate:
Then, there is a long hallway with columns on both sides. These columns are supposed to represent a bundle of plants tied together:
After walking through the hallway you see a large courtyard (now it is covered with sand). All the way at the other end is the famous pyramid:
This pyramid is called the Step Pyramid because the parts of the wall look like steps on a staircase. It was built for a pharaoh named Djoser.
Stanley got to get close to the Step Pyramid because it is still very strong. You can see scaffolding on the outside. There are people trying to make this pyramid even better. They started at the bottom, where you can see they are doing a good job fixing it.
No one gets to go inside this pyramid. The pharaoh Djoser was buried so deep inside that there is not enough air for visitors to breathe.
Stanley is excited to see more pyramids!
Near the Step Pyramid are some other places where older pharaohs were buried. The Egyptians wanted to build pyramids for these old pharaohs, but it took them a long time to figure out how to build a good pyramid. This is one of their first tries:
This pyramid was for a pharaoh named Unas. It was a beautiful pyramid, but it mostly fell down in an earthquake.
The Egyptians tried to build a good pyramid again:
This pyramid was built for a pharaoh named Userkaf. It lasted better than the first one, but it still wasn't quite right.
At last the Egyptians figured out a way to build a good pyramid. Since they knew it was good, they also built other things around it.
First, they built a fancy entrance gate:
Stanley could just squeeze through the wall at the gate:
Then, there is a long hallway with columns on both sides. These columns are supposed to represent a bundle of plants tied together:
After walking through the hallway you see a large courtyard (now it is covered with sand). All the way at the other end is the famous pyramid:
This pyramid is called the Step Pyramid because the parts of the wall look like steps on a staircase. It was built for a pharaoh named Djoser.
Stanley got to get close to the Step Pyramid because it is still very strong. You can see scaffolding on the outside. There are people trying to make this pyramid even better. They started at the bottom, where you can see they are doing a good job fixing it.
Stanley is excited to see more pyramids!
