South Pavilion Graffiti

On a wall of the South Pavilion at Saqqara's Step Pyramid complex, an ancient visitor left what is often called the oldest tourist graffiti on Earth. A New Kingdom scribe, awed by monuments already a thousand years old in his own time, scratched a note of admiration for King Djoser and his architect Imhotep — and in doing so handed modern archaeologists a vital clue for identifying whose pyramid this was.

Standing here you feel the sheer depth of Egyptian time: a tourist from 3,400 years ago marvelling at a site that predates him as far as he predates you. The pavilion itself, part of Djoser's vast walled funerary city, showcases the earliest monumental stone architecture in the world, with slender engaged columns imitating bundled reeds.

Come as part of a wider Saqqara visit, where the Step Pyramid, painted noble tombs and the Imhotep Museum reward a slow half-day away from the Giza crowds.