EGYPTIAN.CIVILISATION ARCHITECTURE.pdf B.arch

Egyptian architecture

1. EGYPTIAN
CIVILIZATION

2. INDEX
Egyptian:
Geographical features of Nile Valley
Development of cultural and religious beliefs-evolution of funerary architecture
from Mastabasto Pyramids.
Prominent case examples at Saqqara, Medun, Cheops and Giza
Architecture of Mortuary & Cult Temples with case examples of Luxor, Ammon
and Karnak
Rock cut examples Abu Simbel etc.

3. The name "Egypt" is believed to have come from the original name of Egypt's ancient capital
Memphis, "Houtka-Ptah," meaning "Castle of the ka of Ptah." This name was often used even
for the country as a whole.
The name came to be shortened and slightly transformed into Egypt.

4. AllthemainsettlementsdevelopedinalinearpatternalongtheRiverNile,whichwastheprimary
resource.

5. •Justaslifearosefromthewatersoftheprimevalsea,sothe
watersoftheNilegavebirthtothepharaonickingdom.
•AgifttothepeopleofEgyptItsfloodplainwasanextensive
oasis,amagnetforlife--human,plantandanimal.Humans
weredrawntherebecausetheycouldgrowcropsandsettle
intopermanentvillages.
•TheannualfloodingoftheNiledepositednutrientrichsilton
theland,creatingalltheingredientsneededtosupportlife
andthegrowthofagreatcivilization.”
•Thesettlementofatownhadtotaketwomainconsiderations
intomindTheproximitytoawatersourceandtheheightit
wasbuiltabovethefloodingoftheNile.
•TheNileRiverisabout4,145mileslong.
•Egypt'stwomostimportantplacesaretheNiledeltaandthe
Nilevalley,allancientEgyptiansdependedontheNileriver
forfood,waterandtransportation.

6. GEOGRAPHY
A.TheNile
1.Egypt’ssettlementsarosealong
narrowstripoflandmadefertilebythe
river
2.Yearlyflooding,butpredictable
Regularcycle:flood,plant,harvest,
flood,plant,harvest...
3.Intricatenetworkofirrigationditches
4.Worshipedasagod–giveroflifeand
benevolent

7. B.UpperandLowerEgypt
1.MostofEgypt’shistoryfocusedaroundLower
Egypt,aroundtheNiledeltawhichflowsintothe
MediterraneanSea.
2.UpperEgyptdevelopedlaterupstream
3.Nileprovidedreliabletransportation
-togonorth,driftwiththecurrenttowardthesea
-togosouth,sailcatchingtheMediterranean
breeze
C.Environment
1.UnlikeMesopotamia,theNilewaspredictable
2.DesertsonbothsidesofNile
-providednaturalprotectionagainstinvaders
-alsoreducedinteractionwithotherpeople

10. Egyptian Society
Thepharoahwasatthetopofthe
socialhierarchy.
•Underthemwerethehighpriests,
followedbyroyaloverseers
(administrators)whoensuredthatthe
42districtgovernorscarriedoutthe
pharaoh'sorders.
•Nexttohim,themostpowerful
officersweretheviziers,the
executiveheadsofthebureaucracy.
•Atthebottomofthehierarchywere
thescribes,artisans,farmers,and
laborers
Influenced the city planning & Architecture

12. •TheNileRiverfloodedthefieldseveryyearatthesametime,afterharvestingseason,andwhenit
receded,itleftbehindfinesilt–Cultivationbyfarmers
•Domesticatedanimalswereusedtopullploughs
•Cropslikebarleywereplantedbecausetheywouldwithstandtheharshsun.
•Irrigationcanalsweredugfromtherivertothefieldsaswell
•Grainandothernon-perishablegoodswerestoredfordrought
•DikeswerebuiltonthesidesoftheNiletoprotectvillagesandfarmlandfromover-flooding
•Papyrusplantsthatgrewonthecoastwereusedtomakesails,ropes,andpaper
•Theywerealsohuntersandfishermen.
•Specializedincraftssuchastool-making,architecture,andtrades.
•TheEgyptiansdevelopedstonetools,andmadebricksoutofmudandclay
•ThecreationofthePyramids,Sphinx,andotherfantastictemplesnotonlyrepresentedtheamazing
advancesintechnologyandsciencemadebytheEgyptians,butartaswell

13. Culture
•
•Peoplebelievedthatlifewasmadeupofcontinuouscycles,likethefloodingoftheriver
•Theirreligionwasbasedonnaturearoundthem,andthePharaohwastheirlinktothegods
•Religionstressedpreparingfortheafterlife;thosewhocouldafforditwerewrappedinlinens
(calledmummification)andburiedinelaboratelydecoratedsarcophaguses-tombsfilledwith
theirpossessionsandwealth.
•ThePharaohswereburiedbeneaththemostelaboratearchaeologicaltombs.

14. Each successive Pharaoh was
free to spend his
reigning life on earth
preparing his tomb for the
life after death in a different
location from that of his
predecessor.

16. •Acloseconnectionbetweenreligionandarchitecture.
•Thepriesthoodwaspowerful,possessedofalmost
unlimitedauthority,andequippedwithallthelearning
possible
•Thereligiousritesweretraditional,unchangeableand
mysterious
•Averyhighdegreeoflearninginastronomy,mathematics,
andphilosophy
•Theremainsoftheirliteraturehavebeenpreservedinthe
papyrusscrolls
•Monotheisticintheorybutpolytheisticinpractice
•Amultiplicityofgodswascreatedbypersonifyingnatural
phenomena,suchasthesun,moon,andstars,aswellasthe
creation
•Strongbeliefsinanafterlife;hencepreservationofthe
dead,andthebuildingofeverlastingmonumentslikethe
Pyramids
Culture
•

17. Economy
•Norealmoney
•Tradingsystembasedongrainandcoinsmadeofsilverandcopper.
•TraderoutesweredevelopedbetweenneighborslikeAegeanislands,NubiaandCanaan.
•GoodtimberwasobtainedfromLebanon.
•MineralssuchasObsidianandlapislazuliwereimportedfromAnatoliaandAfghanistan.

18. ARCHITECTURE AND CITY PLANNING
EGYPTIANTOWNPLANNING
•Security
•Economics
•Elevations,keptabovetheslowlyrisingplains.
•Whenoldhousescrumbled,newoneswerebuiltontopofthedebris.
•Didn’tcontinuetooccupythesamesite
•Noeconomicnecessity,totakeadvantageoftheenormouseconomiccapitalinvestmentofwalls
•EachsuccessivePharaohhadthefreedomtospendhisreigninglifeonearthpreparinghistombfor
after-life.
•Lesstimetosettledownineachplace
•Mostpermanentbuildingmaterialswereusedintempleortombconstruction

19. Tombs
• Mastabas
• Pyramids

20. TombsduringMiddleEmpire–MastabasandRock–CutTombs
•IntheMiddleEmpiretombswereeitherofthePyramidalform,asatAbydos,orwererock-cut,asinthevertical
cliffsboundingtheNilevalley.
Mastaba-3100 BC
Dwellinghouse–Meretemporarylodging;Tomb–Permanentabode
Mummy–Embalmedcorpsewrappedinlinenbandagesforburial
The‘Ka’wasaspiritualdouble,bornwitheverymanandlivedonafterhediedaslongasithadaplacetolive.
HencetombshadastatueofKa.
•AncientformofTombs–Flatroofedrectangularstructurewithslopingsides
•Mastaba–Arabicwordfor‘benchofmud’
•Probablyderivedfromheapsofstonespiledupoverearliermummyholes
•Designanddecorationonthetombs
•StandardtypeoftombsforthePharaohsandalsothesocialelite
•Brickwork

21. EVOLUTION OF PYRAMIDS
Atfirstpriests&highrankingofficials
cametobeburiedintombsthatwere
knownasmastabas.
Mostofthemhadmanystoragechambers
forstoringalltypesofgoodsneededinthe
nextlife.
However,duetofrequentthefts,anunder
groundtombknownasthestairway
mastabacametobepreferred.
Thepictureaboveshowstheearlymastabas
atGizawithfalsedoors&othersafety
devices.

22. Mastaba –Further evolution
•Thesewererectangularstructures,with
sidesslopingatanangleof75degrees,and
havingflatroofs
•Theyweredividedintothreeparts:
I.Theouterchamber,inwhichwereplaced
theofferingsto‘Ka’,havingitswalls
decoratedwithrepresentationsoffestivaland
otherscenes
II.Innersecretchamber,knownasthe
‘serdab’,containingstatueofKaandother
items-grains,clothes,jewelry,etc.
III.Ashaftofgreatdepth,leadingtothe
chambercontainingthesarcophaguswithits
mummy

23. Mastabaof Thy, Saqqara
•Wellpreservedandrestored.
•Thywasaroyalarchitectandmanagerof
pyramidsin5thdynasty.
•Itconsistsofasmallvestibule,beyondwhichisa
largecourtwhereofferingstothedeceasedtook
place,andfromwhichamummyshaftledthrough
apassagetoatombchamber
•Themasonryofthistombiscarefullyjointedand
coveredwithflatreliefs.
•Thedecorativereliefsrepresentharvestoperations,shipbuildingscenes,scenesrepresentingthe
artsandcraftsoftheperiod,theslaughteringofsacrificialanimals,andThyhimselfsailingthrough
themarshesinaboatwithpapyrusplantssurrounding

24. Mortuary Complex of Djoser ( at Saqqara ) Around 2630 B.C.E
•PharaohDjoser–capitalcityofMemphis
•BurialsitechangedfromAbydostoSakkara
•Imhotep–Architect,Astronomer,HighPriest
•LowMastabaswerenolongerconsideredtobeworthyofPharaohs
•Hence-OriginalMastabawascoveredwithastonesuperstructure
•Expandedagainintoa60mhighstructure(6steps)
•Complexconsistedofcourtyardsandtemples
•LightTuralimestone
•Roofedcolonnadeleadingtocourt
•Flutedstonecolumns

25. Pyramid at Meydum Approximately 2500 B.C.E
•Snefru–4thDynasty,2613–2589BCE
•StartedastepfacedfacedpyramidatMeydum–
InfluencedbytheStepPyramidofDjoser
•ThefirstEgyptianpyramidwithanaboveground
burial
chamber
•Thestructureofthispyramidrepresentstheefforts
toraisethechambertobeclosertotheSunGodRa
•Theburialchambercouldbeaccessedthrougha
slopingshaft
•Interiorstructureofarch-likewallswithintheburial
chambers
•Nowcollapsedunderitsownweight
•Workwasabandonedafter15years

27. THE GREAT PYRAMIDS AT GIZA
TheGizapyramidcomplex,ontheoutskirtsofCairoisconsideredtobetheonlyremaining
monumentofthe7wondersoftheancientworld.ItconsistsofthegreatpyramidofCheops
(Khufu),thepyramidofChephren(Khafre),thesmallerpyramidofMykerinus(Menkaure),the
greatSphinx&othervalleypyramids&offeringchapels.
These3pyramidsareatestimonytotheengineeringskillsoftheancientEgyptians.

28. TheGreatpyramidofCheops
(Khufu)isthelargest&about760’
squareinplan,risingtoaheightof
480’,&coversanareaof13acres.
The4sidesfacingthecardinal
pointsofthecompassarenearly
equilateraltriangles,makingan
angleof52deg.withtheground.Of
the3pyramidstheoriginalpolished
limestonecasingisseenatthebase
oftheCheopspyramid,thetopof
theChephrenpyramid,butnoton
theMykerinus.

30. Themostastonishingfactintheconstructionofthepyramidsis-howdidtheEgyptiansmanage
toraisetheseenormousblocksofstone,weighing2.5tons&measuring8’x8’x8’each,toa
heightof480’?.Oneofthetheoriesisthatrampswerebuiltofmudbrick&rubbleonwhich
thestoneblocksweredraggedonsledgestotherequiredheight.Anothertheorysuggeststhat
firstasteppyramidwascarvedoutofanexistingmountaintoformthecore,aroundwhichthe
rampswerebuiltinaconcentricfashiontoraisethestoneblockstoeachstage&fillupthe
stepstoformthepyramidicalshape.Finallythepyramidwasfinishedoffbyaddingacasingof
turalimestone,asshownbelow.

31. •Theentranceonthenorthsideis47’6”abovetheground(Z),opensintoapassagethat
descendsdownwardsleadingtothesubterraneanchamber,about60’belowGL,whichwas
subsequentlyabandonedasaburialchamber.
•Midwayfromthedescendingpassageanascendingpassagewascutintotherockthatleveled
offafteracertainheight,leadingtotheQueenschamber,whichwasdiscarded.Finallyagrand
galleryofabout7’width,taperingbycorbelledcoursesofstonetoawidthof3’6”ataheightof
28’,wasbuiltthatledtotheKingschamber,entirelyconstructedwithgranite.
•Itmeasures34’6”x17’x19’ht,isroofedby5enormousblocksofstone&cappedby2stones
inanembryonicarch.Thechamberissealedoffbystoneportcullises,weighing50tonseach,
fittedintorecessescutintherock.Anairshaftof8”x8”connectstotheexteriorfortheKa
(spirit)toescape.

32. •Thesectionaboveclearlyshowsthedescendingcorridorleadingtothesubterraneanchamber,the
ascendingcorridorleadingtotheQueenschamber&thegrandgalleryleadingtotheKings
chamberintheGreatpyramidofCheops.
•ThesectionontherightisthroughtheKingschambershowingtheroofingbymassiveslabsof
stoneat6levels.Thegrandgallery&theantechamberthatwouldsealtheentranceby
accommodatingtheportcullisescanalsobeseen.

35. Theexternalcasingoflimestonehas
entirelydisappearedintheCheops
pyramid,exceptingsomepartsaround
thebase.Thesmallerpyramidsofthe
nobilitycanbeseeninthebackground&
Idu’stombcanbeseeninthefore
ground.

37. Sphinx
•AnEgyptianSphinxhadtheheadofaking,a
hawk,aram(ormorerarelyawoman)onthebody
ofalion
•TheGreatSphinx,whichrepresentsa
recumbentlionwiththeheadofaman,was
excavatedin1816inPyramidcomplexofGiza,
nearCairo
•Exactdateunknown
•Height–64ft
•Length–188ft
•Faceis13ft6incheswide
•Mouthis8ft6incheslong

38. Temple districts
•Templedistrictswerebetterplanned.
•Theoutlayofindividualtempleswasbasically
symmetrical.
•Wallssurroundedthem.
•Athotep-senusret:-
a)thebrickwallwasonthreesidesofthetemple
Was12metresthickandlinedwithlimestone.
Avenuesleadingthroughthecitytothetempledistrict
werewide,suitableforprocessions.

39. •Thetemplecomplexeshadextensivestoragespace
•Thethicknessofthebrickwalllinedwithlimestonehotepsenusret(kahun)wasabout12
metres.
•Itsheightmusthavebeencorrespondinglygreat.
•Whenwallswerebuiltcompletelyofstone,theirthicknesscouldbereduced,buttheywere
stillquitemassive.
•Pavedstreetfivemetreswidewasdiscovered.
•Pavementofstreetswasrestrictedtothetemplecomplexes
•Templesweresurroundedbyanemptyspace
•Overtimehouseswerebuiltrightuptotheoutertemplewalls.
•Housesdecayedandwererebuiltmanytimes,resultthatthegroundlevelofthe
residentialarearose
•Thetempleswhich,beingbuiltofstone,werenotperiodicallyrebuilt,seeminglysankinto
theground.

40. •ThedetailplanoftheAmmon
templeshowsthe4pylons
leadingtothesanctuary,which
hasbeenmostlydestroyed.
However,theplanshowsthe6
pairsofcentralcolumnsinthe
hypostylehallwith126(9
rowsx7linesx2sides)
shortercolumnsoneitherside.

44. •Thetopviewshowstheviewofthe
greatcourtwiththetempleofSetiI.
•Thebottomviewshowsanotherpartof
thecourtwiththenorthgateinthe
middle.
•Therowofcolumnsneartheenclosure
wallhavebudcapitals&the2ndpylon
canbepartiallyseenontheright.

45. Thegreathypostylehallisabout320’x160’internally&isroofedbyenormousslabsofstone,
supportedby138columns.Theroofofthecentralavenueisraisedtoaheightof80’withthecolumns
itselfrisingto69’ht&havingadiameterof11’9”withlotusbloomcapitals.Thesideavenuesare
lowerinordertoadmitlightthroughclearstoreywindowswiththecolumnsrisingto42’htand9’
diameter,havinglotusbudcapitals.Theeffectproducedbythisforestofcolumnsismostawe-inspiring.

47. This picture clearly shows the clear storeywindows made of stone located above the
roofing of the side avenues & the columns of the central avenue with hieroglyphics.

48. Luxor Temple
•LuxorTempleisalargeAncientEgyptiantemplecomplexlocatedontheeastbankofthe
RiverNileinthecitytodayknownasLuxor(ancientThebes)andwasfoundedin1400
B.C.E.
•KnownintheEgyptianlanguageasipetresyt,or"thesouthernsanctuary",thetemplewas
dedicatedtotheThebanTriadofAmun,Mut,andChonsandwasbuiltduringtheNew
Kingdom,thefocusoftheannualOpetFestival,inwhichacultstatueofAmunwasparaded
downtheNilefromnearbyKarnakTemple(ipet-isut)tostaythereforawhile,withhis
consortMut,inacelebrationoffertility–whenceitsname.
• Style : Ancient Egypt
• Building Type : Temple
• Construction System : Bering masonry, stone with massive
lintels.
• Location : On East Bank of the River Nile

50. •Thepylon,theobeliskandthefirstcourtyardwasconstuctedby
RamsesII.
•Theobeliskis25mheighandtheseatedcolossiofRamsesona
baseofabout1mis15mheigh,botharemadebypinkgranite.
•OneofthestandingcolossiisQueenNefertariandmadeby
pinkgranite.
•ForcomeitsmainaxisfacesKarnakwiththeremainsofan
avenueofsphinxespointingtotheprocessionalway.
•Thisremaining200mavenueofhumanheadedsphinxeswas
erectedbyNecatnebotoreplacetheoriginalram-headed
sphinxesofAmenhotepIIIwhenNectanebobuiltanenclosure
wallaroundtheprecinct.
•TwomassiveseatedstatuesofRamesesIIguardthehuge
gateway(pylon).
The Entrance to The Temple of Luxor, with The
Courtyard of Nectanboand The Pylon of Ramses II.

51. Great pylon of Ramses II or The Massive First
Pylon, Temple of Luxor
•Anavenueofhumanheadedsphinxesofoveroneandahalfmiles(3km)onceconnectedthe
templesofKarnakandLuxor
•ThiswasusedonceayearinafestivalduringwhichtheimageofAmuntravelledfromKarnakto
visithissoutherndominion.ItwasatLuxortemplethathewastransformedintoMinthegodof
fertility
•WhileLuxorTemplealsohasmanycolumns(whichunfortunatelyweredestabilisedfollowinga
moderntimeseveningmusicconcertandhadtobefixed!)theyarenotasplentifulorasawe
inspiringastheonesatKarnak.HoweverthetemplestillhaslotstoseeincludingaPeristyleCourt,
HypostyleHallandaColonnadewhosewallsdepicttheannualOpetfestivalandthe

52. Temple of Luxor or Temple of Amon-Re (Temple of
Amenhotep III) The First Pylon Seen From The Dromos.
•ThefirstpylonandthecolossiofRamseslland65mheight.
•Inancienttimesthepylonwasprecededbytwoobelisks,twoseatedcolossiandtwopair
ofstandingcolossi.
•Todayonlytheleftobeliskisstillstanding.
•TheotherwastakentoParisin1883andplacedinPlacedelaConcordeonthe25th
October1836.
•ThetempleisthetypicalstyleofNewKingdomtemples

53. Dromos (Approach) with Sphinxes, West Side and
The Obelisk at The Main Entrance, Temple of Luxor
•ThetempleofLuxorwasjoinedtothetempleofKarnakbyalong
stone-paveddromosflankedbysphinxeswithramsheadthatthe30th
Dynastyreplcedwithsphinxeswithhumanhead.
•Thedistanceoftwotemplesis9km.
•TheLuxorTempleiseasilyidentifiedfromthefrontbecauseithas
onlyoneobelisk,butasstatedaboveRamesesIIoriginallyerected
twoobelisksatitsentrance.
•TheotherobeliskwasgiventoKingLouisVin1874inexchange
foraclockthatnolongerworks,andnowstandsintheConcorde
SquareinParis.Theobeliskthatremainedwasalsoincludedinthe
deal,butitturnedouttobetoomuchtroubletomoveit.
•Theobeliskisthe20.7m/68fthigh120tonsandisamonolithic
stonemonumentwhosefoursides,whichgenerallycarryinscriptions,
gentlytaperintoapyramidionatthetop.
•TheobelisksymbolizedthesungodRaandduringthebrief
religiousreformationofAkhenatenwassaidtobeapetrifiedrayof
theaten,thesundisk.Itwasalsothoughtthatthegodexistedwithin
thestructureoftheobelisk.

54. Southwest Corner and West Colonnade of The
Courtyard of Ramses II, Temple of Luxor
• The courtyard is 46m wide and 52m depth
which three sides has double row of
columns with closed papyrus capitals and
statues of Osiris in the intercolumns
• View from south and the background is
the first pylon.
• Passing through the pylon entrance, the
visitor enters the court of Ramesses II
with numerous statues of the pharaoh and
surrounding papyrus-type columns with
lotus-bud capitals.
• The great Court of Rameses II is 188 feet
(57 m) long and 168 feet (51 m) wide.
Seventy four papyrus columns, with bud
capitals surround it and in the Northwest
corner of the court there is a shrine to
Thutmose III, while in the southern part of
the court there are a number of standing
colossi of Ramses II.

55. The Colonnade of Amenhotep III and The Mosque
(Abu ‘I-Haggag), Temple of Luxor.
• The Colonnade of Amenhotep III has seven
pairs of 52 foot (16m) high open-flower
papyrus columns, which still support their huge
architrave blocks
• Next is the court of Amenhotep III surrounded
by a double row of columns (seen at night in
the image at left).
• It was in this court that numerous statues were
found buried in the late 1980s. Amenhotep III’s
era was a golden age, and the arts flourished.
• The mosque was built, large parts of the temple
were covered with earth.
• It is not uncommon for a religious kinship
between ancient Egyptian cult places and the
local version of popular Islam to be recreated.
• When the pharaonic temple was unearthed in
the late 19th century, locals fiercely resisted
any attempt to tear down the mosque.

56. • The Temple of Luxor was built largely by
Amenhotep III and Ramesses II around
1400BC
• The Sanctuary area in Luxor Temple.
Looking out from the sanctuary, you can
see the Hypostyle Hall and courtyard. This
dates from Amenhotep III.
• In the Birth Room, Amenhotep's mother
Mutemwiacan be seen being impregnated
by Amun and giving birth to the new
pharaoh to be.
• His body and spirit are formed on a potter's
wheel by a ram-headed creator-god
Khnum.
• The main part of the temple -the colonnade
and the sun court were built by Amenhotep
III, and a later addition by Rameses II, who
built the entrance pylon, and the two
obelisks (one of which was taken to France,
and is now at the centreof the Place de la
Concorde) linked the Hatshepsut buildings
with the main temple.

57. ThegreattempleatAbusimbelisoneofthemoststupendousofEgyptianrock-cuttombs.Theimpressive
façade,119’wide&100’high,isformedasapylonwith4colossalstatuesofRamessesII,whobuiltit.The
vestibulebeyondhas8Osirispillars&vividlycoloredwallrelief's.Eightsmallchambersusedforstorage
adjointhisvestibule.Beyonditisasmallhypostylehallwith4pillarsthatleadstothesanctuaryhavingaltar.
THE GREAT TEMPLE AT ABU SIMBEL

59. Palaces
Thewholecompoundwasenclosedandseparatefromtherestofthecapital,Albeitcloseto
suppliersofservices,templesandtheseatoftheadministration

60. Workers'dwellings
Thehousesoftheworkmenhadtwotofour
roomsonthegroundfloor(44and60m²)
•accesstotheflatroof,whichwasusedasliving
andstoringspace.
•Thehousesabuttingtheinnerwallonthe
easternsidewerebigger,havinguptoseven
rooms.
•Someofthedwellingshadconicalgranariesonthe
groundfloor.Thedoorwayswerearched
•Tracesofbrickbarrel-vaultinghavebeenfoundon
supportingwalls.
•Roofsweremadeofwoodenplankssupportedby
beamsandplasteredoverwithmud.

61. Deir-el-medina: Worker’s villages