Imhotep Museum
Encyclopedia
The Imhotep Museum is located at the foot of the Saqqara
necropolis complex, near Memphis
, in Egypt
The Museum was opened on April 26, 2006, and displays finds from the site, in commemoration of the ancient Egypt
ian architect Imhotep
. Prof. Zahi Hawass
said: "I felt that we should call it the Imhotep Museum in tribute to the first architect to use stone rather than perishable materials for construction on a large scale. This man was second only to the King and in the late period was worshipped as a god."
.
The Museum has five large halls in which one may admire masterpieces from Saqqara
such as a Greco-Roman mummy discovered by Zahi Hawass during excavation at Teti's pyramid complex, and the magnificent pair of statues of High Priest of Mut Amenemhotep and his wife, from the 19th Dynasty, found near the causeway of the Unas
complex.
In the entrance hall the visitor is welcomed by a fragment of the Djoser
statue on which it is possible to read the name of the king and for the first time in history the name of the architect Imhotep
. This find was initially in the great Egyptian Museum
in Cairo
.
The second hall displays recent finds which will be rotated in the display.
The third hall is dedicated to Imhotep's architecture, and exhibits examples of elements from the Step Pyramid
Complex.
The fourth hall is called "Saqqara
style" and shows vessels and statues in wood and stone.
The fifth hall is called Saqqara tomb and displays objects used in burials from the 6th Dynasty through the New Kingdom
.
Saqqara
Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...
necropolis complex, near Memphis
Memphis, Egypt
Memphis was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo.According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an...
, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
History of the Museum
It was built as part of strategic site managementThe Museum was opened on April 26, 2006, and displays finds from the site, in commemoration of the ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian architect Imhotep
Imhotep
Imhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
. Prof. Zahi Hawass
Zahi Hawass
Zahi Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist, an Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs. He has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert, and the Upper Nile Valley....
said: "I felt that we should call it the Imhotep Museum in tribute to the first architect to use stone rather than perishable materials for construction on a large scale. This man was second only to the King and in the late period was worshipped as a god."
Museum contents
The Museum also has a hall dedicated to a man, an important Egyptologist who excavated the Djoser complex all his life: the French Egyptologist Jean-Philippe LauerJean-Philippe Lauer
Jean-Philippe Lauer , was a French architect and Egyptologist.He was born in Paris, France and originally studied architecture, but in 1926 he went to Egypt. Here he met and married Marguerite Jouguet....
.
The Museum has five large halls in which one may admire masterpieces from Saqqara
Saqqara
Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...
such as a Greco-Roman mummy discovered by Zahi Hawass during excavation at Teti's pyramid complex, and the magnificent pair of statues of High Priest of Mut Amenemhotep and his wife, from the 19th Dynasty, found near the causeway of the Unas
Unas
Unas was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and the last ruler of the Fifth dynasty from the Old Kingdom. His reign has been dated as falling between 2375 BC and 2345 BC...
complex.
In the entrance hall the visitor is welcomed by a fragment of the Djoser
Djoser
Netjerikhet or Djoser is the best-known pharaoh of the Third dynasty of Egypt. He commissioned his official, Imhotep, to build the first of the pyramids, a step pyramid for him at Saqqara...
statue on which it is possible to read the name of the king and for the first time in history the name of the architect Imhotep
Imhotep
Imhotep , fl. 27th century BC was an Egyptian polymath, who served under the Third Dynasty king Djoser as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis...
. This find was initially in the great Egyptian Museum
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....
in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
The second hall displays recent finds which will be rotated in the display.
The third hall is dedicated to Imhotep's architecture, and exhibits examples of elements from the Step Pyramid
Step pyramid
Step pyramids are structures which characterized several cultures throughout history, in several locations throughout the world. These pyramids typically are large and made of several layers of stone...
Complex.
The fourth hall is called "Saqqara
Saqqara
Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...
style" and shows vessels and statues in wood and stone.
The fifth hall is called Saqqara tomb and displays objects used in burials from the 6th Dynasty through the New Kingdom
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
.