Like every history and museum nerd out there, we were greatly distressed to hear about the recent chaos at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum. Today, Dr. Zahi Hawass updated his blog via international fax, explaining the details of the break-in and the losses incured. Thankfully, although terrible, it seems that the collection has more or less survived intact, and that the thieves were caught.

With Egypt on the brain, we dedicated today’s #morbidmonday on Twitter to remarkable Egyptian monuments, cities, and incredible objects:

Saqqara Stepped Pyramid - Egypt - Atlas Obscura - Morbid Monday on Twitter

Saqqara, Ancient City of the Dead

Saqqara, once the necropolis for the ancient capitol of Memphis, was first documented in detail by archeaologists during the first wave of Victorian Egytomania.Since then it has been the subject of numerous excavations and site of spectacular tomb discoveries.

It is home to the less-spectaular-than-Giza, but incredibly old, step pyramid of Djoser - built by the now infamous Imhotep, along withseveral other significant pyramids and funerary structures.

Excavations are ongoing at Saqqara, and new tombs are uncovered all the time. In 2009, Smithsonian Magazine reported on the discovery of a new pyramid - or rather, a very old pyramid.

Just last January, the largest tomb at Saqqara was discovered, “filled with skeletons, coffins and eagle mummies.”

Want more? Settle in with a cup of tea - there’s LOTS:

City of the Dead - Archaeology.org

Inside a Mummy “Storeroom” - Discovery News 

Saqqara - Location & Map

There’s lots more great information about Saqqara and the excavations going on there on the Dutch “Friends of Saqqara” site

More finds from today’s tweets:

Living amongst the tombs in Cairo’s (modern) City of the Dead

The Virtual Egyptian Museum is a fascinating online archive of objects from old European private collections

Corinthian capitals, Egyptian columns & Roman arches: underwater in the lost city of Alexandria

Hoping this is still true: King Tut’s tomb to remain open for visitors 

The British Museum holds the largest papyrus Book of the Dead known 

In the Atlas: 

In San Jose, CA visit the mummies at the extraordinary Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

An Egyptian treasure trove of fossils documenting the whale’s transition from land mammal to sea creature

In France you can visit with the camel supposedly ridden by Napoleon during his Egyptian campaign

In Vermont, stop by the the grave of a 4,000-year-old Egyptian prince

In San Francisco, Sutro’s tenacious mummies survived dental problems, eternal entombment & devastating fires

 

Join us each Monday on Twitter and follow our #morbidmonday hashtag, for new odd and macabre themes each week: Atlas Obscura on Twitter

Previously:

Morbid Monday: Mad Monks & Bullet-Proof Corsets

Morbid Monday: The Unhappy Prince and the Dead Baroness

Morbid Monday: Deadly Beauty

Morbid Monday: Space Dogs, Traveling Cats, and a Sad Story About Elephants

Morbid Monday: The Wandering Dead