Egypt

Ahmed, Saqqara, Egypt

SaqqaraPhotograph by Mark A. Middleton

The photograph

Mark A. Middleton
Saqqara

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I met Ahmed in Saqqara, Egypt, while exploring the oldest pyramid in the world—the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Long before the smooth-sided pyramids of Giza were imagined, this was where monumental stone architecture began. Built nearly 4,700 years ago by the architect Imhotep, the Step Pyramid marked humanity’s first attempt at reaching the sky with stone.

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29.8713°, 31.2165°

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