Le Sérapéum de Saqqarah

The Serapeum of Saqqara

The Serapeum of Saqqara

The Serapeum of Saqqara is one of the most enigmatic places in Saqqara.
The Serapeum of SaqqaraAt the time of Ramses II, the long driveway was discovered and throughout its 80m on each side, one could stop to pray and give offerings in multiple chapels covered with votive offerings that bordered it.
The temple overlooking the graves is now completely ruined, but thanks to the foundations, it is estimated that with columns, pylons, narthex, and nave, he had measured nearly 300m wide, it is at the entrance of the Serapeum, Graves sacred bulls APIS.
On the left side, we pass one of those huge vats of granite that we tried to get out, but even with modern means, it was impossible!
In these long corridors dug in the rock is indeed 24 granite sarcophagi where were buried sacred bulls, nothing in the world looks like this necropolis.
We think that it is under Amenhotep III around 1380 BC, was inaugurated this huge burial and funeral rites are found still under the rule of the Ptolemies, hence the Greek name for Serapeum.

The cult of the sacred bull goes back before the Pharaonic era since traces were found in prehistoric caves like in Qurta near Kom Ombo in Upper Egypt specifically Aswan.
Apis was already venerated at the time of Narmer, the unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3200 B.C.
At the time of ancient Egypt, Apis was considered as the living manifestation of the god Ptah, the demiurge, the creator.

The young bull was not randomly selected, the selection criteria were very specific, the Apis bull was black and had a white triangle-shaped spot on the forehead, a white spot in the shape of vulture at the back, and the hairs of the tail were doubled.

At his death, his spirit reincarnated in another young bull that the high priests searched for throughout the country.

When the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, following writings of Herodotus and Strabo, discovered this cemetery in 1851, his stupor was great because at the beginning of the processional, he discovered a large chamber containing twelve-size statues of the biggest Greek philosophers and poets. (What we can see today a part of it on the site and the other at Egyptian museum of Cairo).

All the tombs were looted over the centuries, only one remained intact.

It seems that it was Mariette who made a wide breach in it (with explosives are told).
He discovered an intact mummy (now destroyed) and numerous objects and princely jewelry, a gold mask, and amulets bearing the cartouche of Pharaoh Khaemwaset.
These huge sarcophagi made out of Aswan’s granite or out of basalt, each weight between 60 and 80 tons, (even almost 100 tons), Just a lid alone weighs 25-30 tons.
The body of the Apis was deposited there had been mummified for 70 days like pharaohs.
It was covered with a linen strip and was presented in the Sphinx position with the front legs folded.
Two of these mummies are still in the Agriculture museum of Cairo.

Each tomb consisted of a ramp leading to a burial chamber

The vague line of hieroglyphics seems to be dating not even the 18th dynasty.
One can read some writings of both Amasis 26th dynasty, Cambyses 27th, and Khababach, 333 B.C.

In the small underground, other bulls were entered, but in wooden sarcophagi that have not survived at their discovery and of which, only a few traces left today, they date back to the 18th dynasty

One of these sarcophagi still bore traces of the Cartouche of Tutankhamun and Horemheb.

The use of The Serapeum of Saqqara is amazing,
The Serapeum of Saqqara is always an enigma.

  • Text: Gérard Chareyre
Saqqarah visite

Saqqara visit with your private tour guide

Saqqara visit with your private tour guide could be done in A full day visit, or a half-day visit.
Saqqara is the first necropolis in Egypt, as it was the necropolis of the first Egyptian capital, Memphis, Located about 30 km south of Cairo city, 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara,

 

Saqqara visit

And it has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

Of course, Saqqara visit  with your private tour guide, allows you to visit different sites,
the first visit could be Imhotep museum, where you can have a brief idea about the architecture before the time of Imhotep (the architect of the first step pyramid of Saqqara), sarcophagus, objects that were found by the French Egyptologist Jean-Philippe Lauer

And then, we drive up to the Saqqara site, we can visit the Mastaba of Kagemni, old kingdom, 6th dynasty, where we enjoy seeing the daily life scenes, (fishing, feeding gees, giving offerings), then we visit the pyramid of Ti Ti.

Then we can visit the serapeum of Saqqara, the mystery of Saqqara, which is exceptional in the world, it was discovered by the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette in 1851, 24 Sarcophagus for the bull Apis made out of granite that comes from Aswan quarries or out of basalt.

we continue to visit the complex of Saqqara, the oldest complete stone building complex,
The step pyramid ( Pyramid of Djoser) (or Zoser), was built during the 27th century BC by Imhotep, consists of six mastabas, 62 meters tall.

The Djoser complex is surrounded by a wall of  Tura limestone 10.5m high, the northern funerary temple was on the north side of the pyramid of Djoser and faced the north stars.

The Heb-sed court is rectangular and parallel to the South Courtyard, and it was for a festival that celebrated the continued rule of a king, even when the capital moved to Luxor, the Heb-sed festival was celebrated in Saqqara.

And then, we go up to enjoy seeing the desert, with the view of the pyramids of Abousir and the pyramids of Dahshour.

Then,  we go back to our car from the parallel way, where we can visit Idut’s mastaba and admire its colors.