Summary
Imhotep was a real official of King Djoser, around 2650 BC, remembered as the architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the first monumental building made entirely of stone. He held some of the highest titles in the land and was so admired that, more than two thousand years after his death, Egyptians worshipped him as a god of medicine and wisdom, and the Greeks identified him with their healing god Asclepius. He is one of the very few commoners in Egyptian history to be made a god.
Who Was Imhotep?
Imhotep lived during the 3rd Dynasty, at the start of the Old Kingdom. His name and titles are carved on the base of a statue of King Djoser found at Saqqara, now in Cairo: “chancellor of the king of Lower Egypt, first after the king, administrator of the great palace, high priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep, the builder, the sculptor”. As high priest at Heliopolis he served the sun god Ra.
The Step Pyramid at Saqqara
Later Egyptian tradition, and the historian Manetho, credited Imhotep with the design of King Djoser’s tomb at Saqqara. It began as a flat stone tomb, a mastaba, and grew into six stacked steps about 60 m high, surrounded by a walled complex of courtyards and chapels in stone that imitated earlier buildings of reeds, wood and mud brick.
Building on this scale in stone was a revolution. Within a century it led to the true pyramids of Dahshur and Giza. Read how in how the pyramids were built, visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and see the full list in pyramids in Egypt.
From Architect to God
Scribes remembered Imhotep as a sage and author of wise teachings, and they poured a drop of water from their ink pots in his honour before starting to write. In the Late Period, about 2,000 years after his lifetime, he was fully deified as a god of medicine and wisdom, called a son of Ptah. The sick visited his shrines at Saqqara, Memphis and Thebes, and the Greeks equated him with Asclepius. A small temple to him was built on the island of Philae.
Where Is Imhotep's Tomb?
His tomb has never been found. Most Egyptologists expect it lies at North Saqqara, close to the complex he built and near the area where thousands of mummified ibises, offerings to the healing gods, were buried. Excavations in the 1960s searched for it without success.
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View This TripImhotep in Films
Many people first hear the name from Hollywood: the villain of The Mummy (1932) and its 1999 remake is a priest called Imhotep. The character is pure fiction and has nothing to do with the real architect, whom the Egyptians honoured as a healer.
Where to See Imhotep's Legacy
- Saqqara: the Step Pyramid complex and the Imhotep Museum at the entrance of the site, which displays the inscribed statue base with his name.
- Philae: the small temple of Imhotep beside the main temple of Isis.
- Museums in Cairo: bronze statuettes of the seated Imhotep, reading from a papyrus on his knees, left as offerings in the Late Period.
Saqqara is about an hour from central Cairo and is usually visited with Giza and Memphis.
Imhotep: FAQ
Who was Imhotep?
A high official of King Djoser around 2650 BC, credited with designing the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and later worshipped as a god of medicine.
Did Imhotep build the pyramids?
He is credited with the first one, Djoser’s Step Pyramid. The Giza pyramids were built about a century later by other architects.
Was Imhotep a real person?
Yes. His name and titles are carved on a statue base of King Djoser found at Saqqara.
Why was Imhotep made a god?
His reputation as a sage, healer and builder grew over centuries until, in the Late Period, he was worshipped as a god of medicine and wisdom.
Has Imhotep’s tomb been found?
No. It is thought to be at North Saqqara but has never been located.
