Saqqara

Part of the large necropolis (cemetary) associated with Memphis, Saqqara is the burial site of Menes (Narmer), the first king of the First Dynasty and founder of Memphis. Saqqara is composed of 15 royal pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, which is the earliest stone structure in the world. Step Pyramid was built for Djoser, a king of the Third Dynasty by his vizier Imhotep. Nearby is the pyramid of Unas, the last king of the Fifth Dynasty- this is the first pyramid to be inscribed with the funerary texts known today as the Pyramid Texts. Prior to the completion of these pyramids, the main form of tomb architecture was a mastaba (Arabic for "bench"), a low rectangular structure built over a shaft that descended to a burial location.

The Step Pyramid of Zoser is the oldest known pyramid and the oldest free-standing cut-stone structure in the world. The Step Pyramid is 204 feet high and the base measures 411 feet from west to east and 358 feet from north to south. Near the Pyramid is a museum housing a collection of alabaster vases from the fifth dynasty.

End Notes:
Lamar C Berrett, Discovering the World of the Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Tennessee, 1979, p.66