Sakkara

Sakkara (säkä`rä), necropolis (burial place) of ancient Memphis, Egypt, 3 mi (5 km) from the Nile and on the border of the Libyan desert. Zoser had his famous step-pyramid, a precursor of the familiar straight-sided pyramid, built there in the III dynasty, and on the grounds are many pyramids that date from the V and VI dynasties. The Serapeum, burial place of the Apis bulls, dates from the later period. The oldest dated papyrus (VI dynasty) was discovered there in 1893.

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Saqqarah

 or Sakkara

Site of ancient ruins, northern Egypt. Part of the necropolis of the ancient city of Memphis, it is located southwest of Cairo and west of the modern village of Saqqarah. The earliest remains are from the Archaic Period, in a cemetery at the northern end of the site, where large mud-brick tombs, or mastabas, have been found dating to the beginning of Egyptian history. South of the Archaic cemetery lies the Step Pyramid, the oldest pyramid in Egypt, built by Djoser, second king of the 3rd dynasty, who ruled c. 2650–c. 2575 BC. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site (designated 1979) centred on Memphis.