Chapter 2 Mesopotamia History of Urban Planning

Urban planning of Mesopatamia

1. Mesopotamian Architecture

2. Mesopotamian Architecture –Introduction
•It is generally accepted that Mesopotamia is the cradle of
civilization; cradle and tomb of nations and empires
•Mesos= middle
•Patamos= river
•Mesos + Patamos = between the rivers (Tigris and Euphrates)
•Middle Eastern civilization
•Prehistoryto the 6th century b.c.

3. •Mesopotamia,
located in a region
that included parts
of what is now
eastern Syria,
south-eastern
Turkey, and most
of Iraq, lay between
two rivers, the
Tigrisand the
Euphrates
Mesopotamian Architecture –Introduction

4. Mesopotamian Architecture –Introduction

5. •most fertile land on earth; the ‘fertile crescent’
•network of irrigation channels
•Alluvial district of thick mud clay –mud brick
•Walls were faced with burnt bricks and glazed
bricks of different colors
•Stone was rare but imported –basalt, sandstone
•Metals –fine sculpture
Mesopotamian Architecture –Basic Materials

6. General Architecture
•Massive towered fortifications
•Earliest –temple (commercial and religious)
•Later -palace
•Temples
•Palaces–Assyrian/ Persian
•Buildings raised on huge platformsdue to torrential rain and
frequent flood
•Bitumen, pitch, mortar of calcareous earth (slime) -used as
cementing material
•Buildings of all types arranged round large and small courts
•Rooms were narrow, long, rectangular form and thick
walled carrying brick barrel vaults or domes

7. Mesopotamian Architecture
•Chief temples had sacred ziggurats (artificial mountains made of tiered
rectangular stages (1 to 7)
•Burnt bricks used for facings
•White washed walls
•Ziggurat –colour painted
•Arcuated architectural style (true arch with radiating voussoirs)

8. Historical periods
Early civilization
flourished here:
1. Sumerian-Ur
of the Chaldees
BC 4000 –1275

9. Historical periods
•2. Assyrian (1275 –
538)
•Cities include –
Nimrud, Khorsabad
and Nineveh
•Kings:
•Ashur-nasir-pal
(885-860)
•Sargon (722-705)
•SennaCherib (705-
681)
•Esharhaadon
•Asur-beni-pal

10. Historical periods
•3. Persian
Period (BC 538-
333)
•Susa, Perspolis,
•Cyrus, Darius,
Xerxes
•Alexander the
great –W. Asia
became a Greek
province

11. Early Mesopotamian (Sumerian)
Ziggurats

12. Early Mesopotamian (Sumerian)
Ziggurats
•Temple tower
•Terraced pyramid with successive receding stories
•Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians
•Top of the ziggurat is flat
•Core –sun baked bricks
•Facing –fired bricks
•Facing –glazed in different colours

13. Early Mesopotamian (Sumerian)
Ziggurats-Ziggurat of Urnammu, Ur
•Located in the centre of
villages
•1-7 tiers
•Ziggurat (205x141ft) base
•Shrine or temple at the
summit above 70’
•Access to the shrine
–Series of ramps on one
side of the ziggurat
–Spiral ramp
•No internal chambers
Not for public worship
or ceremonies
•Only for priests
•Dwelling place for
gods
•Core –sun baked
bricks
•8’ thick skin of burnt
brick and bitumen

14. Assyrian Architecture

15. Assyrian
•Polychrome
ornamental
glazed brickwork
•Use of high
plinths carved
with low relief
sculpture
•Temples with and
without ziggurats
•Palaces –
numerous
•City of Nimrud
•City of Khorsabad
•City of Nineveh

16. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad
•Khorsabad (BC 722 –705)
•Excavated in AD 864 –
provides the best idea of
Assyrian Palaces
•Built by Sargon II
•Square planned with a
defensive perimeter
•1 sq. mile
•Palace for the king’s brother,
temple, official buildings,
Palace of Sargon

17. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad –Palace of
Sargon
•Complex of large and
small courts
•Corridors and rooms
•23 acres
•Raised upon a terrace
–15m high
•a platform of sun dried
brick faced with stone
•700 rooms (300 x 400
m)
•Approached by broad
ramps

18. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad –Palace of
Sargon
•Main entrance to
the palace grand
court flanked by
great towers and
guarded by man
headed winged
bulls (12’6”high)
•This bull supports
a semicircular arch
•Decorated with
brilliantly coloured
glazed bricks

19. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad –Palace of
Sargon
•Palaces had 3 main
parts –each abutting
the grand court
•Left –6 temples (3
small and 3 big)
•Right –service
quarters and
administrative houses
•Opposite –private
and the residential
apartments
Service
quarters
and
administrative
houses
Private and
residential
apartments
ziggurat
temples

20. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad –Palace of
Sargon
•Around the state
court –dado slabs (7’
high) –reliefs of the
king and his courtiers
•Flat timber ceiling for
the apartments
•Winding ramped
ziggurat associated
with palace temples
(148’ side)

21. Assyrian –City of Khorsabad –Palace of
Sargon

22. Persian Architecture

23. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•518 b.c.
•By Darius I,
Xerxes I,
Artaxerxes I
•On a platform
faced with local
stone

24. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•1500x900 ft
•Rising 50’ above the plain
•22’ wide steps on the NW
side
•Shallow enough for the
horses to ascend
•had mud brick walls faced
with polychrome bricks
•Front and rear portals
guarded by stone bulls

25. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
Throne room
Apadana
Tripylon
Harem
TreasuryPalace of Xerxes
Palace of Darius

26. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis

27. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis

28. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Apadana
•A grand audience
hall
•On its own terrace
10’ high
•250’ square
•With 36 columns

29. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Apadana

30. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Tripylon
•terraced
•Lay centrally among
the buildings
•Acts as a reception
chamber and guard
room for the more
private quarters of
the palace group

31. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Treasury
•SE angle of the site
•Double walled
administrative and
store house building
•With columned halls
of different sizes
•Only a single doorway

32. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Palace of Xerxes
and Harem
•Near the SW angle of
the site
•Connects with an L-
shaped building
(harem)
•Harem –Women’s
quarters

33. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis
•Throne Room -Hall
of 100 columns
•Throne Hall
•225’ square
•Flat cedar roof
•Portico faced a forecourt

34. Persian Architecture –Palace of Persepolis –
Hall of Hundred Columns