It is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Egypt, and includes the pyramids of the Fourth Dynasty kings Khufu, his son Khafre, and his grandson Menkaure, in addition to the famous Great Sphinx. The Valley Temple, from which an ascending causeway begins, its sides engraved with scenes of daily life, leads to an upper temple known as the Mortuary Temple. Priests performed the funeral and burial rites for the deceased king within these temples.

The Saqqara archaeological site, part of the Memphis Necropolis, houses a large number of ancient Egyptian monuments, including the Step Pyramid of King Djoser, the oldest monumental stone structure in history dating back to the Third Dynasty; pyramids belonging to a number of kings from the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, most notably the pyramid of King Unas, the first to have his burial chamber inscribed with the Pyramid Texts; kings and senior officials from the First and Second Dynasties; and a vast collection of tombs belonging to prominent individuals from the Old Kingdom.