The newly-restored Imhotep Museum was reopened Sunday at Saqqara necropolis, south of the Egyptian capital Cairo.
Named after Imhotep, an architect and a minister to Djoser, the second king of Egypt’s third dynasty, the museum houses 286 artifacts in six halls, in addition to about 70 artifacts on temporary display.
Imhotep was considered the architect of the Step Pyramid of Djoser built in the 27th century B.C., making it the earliest colossal stone building in Egyptian history.
The museum is “one of the most beautiful archaeological site museums,” Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said at the reopening ceremony.
Its collection ranges from statues, vessels, and stelae, to monument-building and burial tools, most of which were excavated in Saqqara. The necropolis has been enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site together with the pyramid complexes of Giza and Dahshur.
Located in an area of about 1,500 square meters, the museum was opened in 2006 until it was closed for renovation work in March 2022 by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. ■
