The Old Kingdom, from about 2686 to 2181 BC, is the age of the pyramids. During the 3rd to 6th Dynasties, kings ruling from Memphis built the first stone monuments in the world and the great pyramids of Giza, and set the patterns of art, religion and government that lasted for the next 2,000 years.
Giza PyramidsThe pyramid builders
King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty and his architect Imhotep built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. In the 4th Dynasty, Sneferu built the Meidum, Bent and Red Pyramids, and his son Khufu built the Great Pyramid. Khafre and Menkaure completed the Giza group.
The 5th and 6th Dynasties
Later kings built smaller pyramids and great sun temples. King Unas, at the end of the 5th Dynasty, was the first to have the Pyramid Texts, the oldest religious writings in the world, carved inside his pyramid at Saqqara. Officials built richly decorated tombs showing daily life. Pepi II of the 6th Dynasty may have reigned for more than 60 years.
The end
Toward the end of the 6th Dynasty, the power of the king weakened while local governors grew stronger, and a series of low Nile floods brought famine. Egypt split apart in the First Intermediate Period. You can see the Old Kingdom’s greatest monuments on our Cairo day tours.
