HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE

ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE (PART 1)

I. Background(Forces Shaping the Architectural Organization)
A. HISTORICAL
- The history of ancient Egypt started with the land divided into upper and lower Egypt.
- The two regions were frequently at war with each other.
- Around 3000 BC, King Menes united the two into a single nation.
- Unification brought about peace that led to the development of ancient Egyptian
civilization.the history of ancient Egypt is divided into periods on ruling dynasties.
- Seven periods can be identified:
 4500 – 2000 BC Early Dynastic
 2350 – 2200 BC Old Kingdom
 2000 – 1600 BC First Intermediate Period
 1600 – 1717 BC Middle Kingdom
 1350 – 612 BC Second Intermediate Period
 612 – 539 BC New Kingdom
 539 – 330 BC Greek-Roman Period
B. CLIMATE and GEOGRAPHY
- People came and settled along its borders, eventually developing strong agricultural
communities.
- The mildness and predictability of the Nile‘s seasons allowed these early Egyptians to
prosper. Over time, they built canals, irrigation ditches, and terraced fields to control the
water and increase their harvests.
- Farmers amassed surpluses, freeing much of the population from agricultural pursuits
and allowing other professions to develop. The surplus food was also a commodity that
could be traded, using the Nile itself to transport these goods.

 INFLUENCE OF THE DESERT

- Located in Africa on the northern edge of the Sahara and essentially located in a
desert and the desert is nothing but empty space. – for anything to be visible and
considered monumental, it must match the scale of the desert.
- This understanding may have influence the architects of ancient Egypt to focus on
building massively.
- They buried their dead in the desert.
 INFLUENCE OF THE NILE
- The Nile bisects the south to the north.
- It is a seasonal river that overflows its banks yearly to create a fertile valley where
ancient Egyptians grew their crops.
- The straightness of the line provided with both a symbolic sense of direction and a
principle for application in the creation of monumental buildings.
 IMPORTANCE OF THE NILE RIVER
a. The river and its delta was the guiding force of ancient Egyptian civilization.It was a
very predictable river, overflowing its banks every year from July to October.
b. The floods leave a rich black silt that is fertile and is farmed by the people.
c. During the floods, people were freed from farming to engage in other activities
including building work.
d. The Nile was also the highway of Egypt connecting the upper and lower Egypt.
e. The river offers protection from invasion by outsiders
f. It also offered a symbolic sense of direction to the people, forming the primary
principle in architectural organization.
C. GEOLOGY
- Egypt was rich in minerals, with large deposits of building materials such as limestone,
sandstone, granite, quartzite, basalt, travertine, siltstone, and soapstone.
- It had semi-precious stones, gold, copper, iron, galena, and clays, allowing it to make a
wide array of goods for domestic use and trading.
D. RELIGION

Arch. Ralph Intal 1|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

- Ancient Egyptians were religious people, they believed in many Gods.

- Different symbols were used to represent the Gods and temples were built and
dedicated to them.
- The pharaohs were also held as living Gods.
- Ancient Egyptian believed in LIFE AFTER DEATH.
- They believed that when they die, their souls called KA would live in them forever.
- For the KA to live, it needed either the body of the dead person or a copy of it in the
form of a statue.
- The KA will return each night to the body or statue.
- If both the body and the statue are destroyed then the KA would die.
E. SOCIAL CHARACETERISTICS AND BELIEFS
 EGYPTIAN SOCIETTY
- Is segregated with pharaohs, noblemen and commoners.
- The desire to build massive tombs and temples by pharaohs and noblemen is a way
to express their social standing in the society.
- Buildings are an expression of power, authority and social standing of the nobles and
pharaohs who built them.
 GOVERNMENT
- At the center of the ancient Egyptian civilization was a strong central government
headed by pharaohs.
- The pharaohs provided stability and a unified sense of purpose
 MUMMIFICATION
- To ensure the availability of a body to the KA of a dead person, the Egyptians
developed a process of preservation called mummification.
- The process involves cutting open the body and removing all the internal organs and
brain.
- The body then is packed in natron to dry it out. It is then soaked in oil to preserve it.
Next it is wrapped in a special cloth called mummy cloth.
- The mummy is then coated with wax and face painted onto its wrapped head.
- The mummification of a pharaoh took a period of 72 days.
- Once the mummification is finished, burial ceremonies are performed and the body
is ready for burial.
 HEIROGLYPHICS – Egyptians‘ system of writing

Religion and the social system of ancient Egypt were inseparable. Because the pharaoh was considered to be
divine, he was the protector of the people and the guardian of the country, and the people believed that
prosperity and order depended on him. The Egyptians also believed that, as with the gods who had their
assigned places and relationships, proper order required a strict hierarchy of social classes.

Lowest on the social hierarchy were farmers. Because, initially, only the pharaoh owned land, farmers were serfs
and tied to the land. As soon as farmers were able to grow enough crops to feed many people, however,
occupations other than farming were possible and some became free to move off the land. This new group was
generally known as ―free people‖ and in time consisted of tradesmen, priests, soldiers, and government officials.

Some free people became bakers, brewers, butchers, clothiers, and cobblers, supplying basic goods to the
populace. Others became miners and quarrymen, herders, or marsh hunters and fishers. As Egypt evolved,
skilled craftsmen such as builders, carpenters and cabinet-makers, potters, sculptors, painters, jewelers, and
metalworkers set up specialty workshops.

Craftsmen who worked directly for the king had prestige and their workshops set Egyptian trends. The work of
these royal shops was broadly imitated, resulting in highly standardized artistic forms. The Egyptians did not
comprehend the notion of free artistic expression and experimentation. Art to them was functional, an
expression of the society‘s religious beliefs and social order. As a result, Egyptian art remained essentially the
same for the span of ancient Egyptian history, varying only slightly with the rise and fall of Egypt‘s fortunes.

Military might was an important aspect of Egypt‘s success. Many men became soldiers, serving the king in the
nearly constant military campaigns undertaken throughout Egypt‘s history.

The priesthood formed yet another stratum of society. Although the king was the only one who could directly
communicate with the gods, he appointed priests to act on his behalf. The king built temples for the priests,
which were often dedicated to particular gods. Smaller chapels were constructed to honor the memory of wealthy
citizens, and these were often staffed by priests as well.

Arch. Ralph Intal 2|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

As the society grew more organized, people moved into occupations relating to government. Those who could
write became scribes—bureaucrats who handled correspondence and accounts for large estates, temples, and at
the highest level, the royal palace. The scribes enjoyed higher status than the craftsmen and could move upward
in the social hierarchy, eventually becoming local governors, departmental ministers, or diplomats conducting
royal affairs for the pharaoh. At the top of the non-royal hierarchy were the pharaoh‘s viziers, the highest
officials in the land.

At the apex of the social hierarchy was the royal family. A blood relationship with the reigning pharaoh conferred
royal status. In many cases marriage to a person of royal blood allowed a commoner to enter the royal realm.

II. Building Materials

 PLANT MATERIALS – consist of readily available material like reeds, papyrus and palm ribs
and shaft.
 TIMBER – vailable in limited quantity; used for roofing.
 CLAY – used for construction either as for frame construction or as sun dried brick
 STONE – was not much used during the early period of ancient Egyptian but became popular
after the 3rd Dynasty of the Early Kingdom and was used for tombs and temples.
 MUD - plaster
 ALABASTER
 GRANITE – used for burial chamber procession walls and sarcophagus

III. Building Techniques

- Construction system in ancient Egypt reflected the availability of materials
A. TWO PREDOMINANT CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS
 Adobe Construction
- Took the form of clay on vegetable material or sun dried brick construction.
- This construction was reserved for the houses and other buildings of daily life.
- These buildings are supposed to last only for a generation.
 Post and Beam Style
- Is expressed mainly in pyramids, tombs and temples.
- Columns are designed to look plant like material and their shaft resemble bundles of
plat stems tied together.
- Their capitals are derived from the lotus bud or the papyrus flower of the palm
leaves.
- Great importance was attached to relief carving and it was an integral part of the
architecture
B. BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES
 Lighting
- Egyptians used courtyards extensively for lighting.
- CLERESTORY LIGHTING. By making columns higher and creating two roof levels, the
ancient Egyptians were able to admit light into the halls.

IV. Architectural Character

 EMPHASIS ON BUILDING MASSES
- The examination of ancient Egyptian architectureshows more concerned with massing
and limited attention to space or function
- The Mastaba, Pyramids, Mortuary and Cult temples all display a focus on massing and
form.
- There was limited consideration on functional space
- Consideration of function in design was limited to provision of spaces for ritual activities
such aschapels dedicated to Gods in Pyramid funeral complexes and Mortuary and Cult
temples
 LINEAR AND GEOMETRICAL ORGANIZATION
- LINEARITY means organization along a line, while AXIAL organization means that there
is a defined axis running through the whole composition.
- Almost all the predominant monuments have a linear and axial organization.

Arch. Ralph Intal 3|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

- These include the pyramid funerary complexes and the mortuary and cult temples.
- Egyptian architecture also displays an understanding and the application of geometry in
design.
- This is noticeable in the pyramids at Giza.
- All three main pyramids are geometrical pyramids.
- A geometric pyramid has a square base and an inclination of 52 degrees of its sides.
- All the pyramids are also aligned in a straight line along their axes.
- This could only have been achieved with the understanding of geometry.
 HARMONY AND CONTRAST
- The color and material of the pyramids for example create a harmony between the
building itself and the desert.
- The form and the shape of the pyramids however contrast sharply with the smooth
undulating desert.

V. Periods of Development
A. OLD KINGDOM2649 – 2150 BC
- During the Old kingdom, the pharaoh and his courts lived in MEMPHIS and when they
died they were buried at the NECROPOLIS at Saqqara.
- The earthly dwelling of the ancient Egyptians was seen as temporary and the tomb as a
permanent dwelling.
- Houses were built of temporary materials to last for a lifetime.
- TOMBS were the most outstanding architectural element of the period and also served
as a focus for the worship of the dead.
- It was during this time that some of the most famous structures were constructed,
setting a standard for Egyptian art and for centuries to come. It was during this time
period that the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx were built.
- Structures called mastabas were built above underground burial tombs. These
structures were a single story with a flat top. Mastabas also contained a chapel and a
statue of the dead it housed. These buildings would eventually be replaced by intricate
pyramids to house the remains of the dead.
- Imhotep created the first version of a pyramid known as a step pyramid. Designed as
several mastabas stacked on top of each other. Step pyramids eventually developed into
geometric pyramids.
- Giza held three pyramids: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre and the
Pyramid of Menkaure. The Great Pyramid was the largest of the three. The Sphinx is
situated on the east side of the complex.

B. MIDDLE KINGDOM2030 - 1640 BC

- During this time, pyramid-building remained popular. Pharaohs, the ruling kings over
Egypt, built pyramids to hold their elaborate tombs. Like all Egyptians, pharaohs wanted
to ensure they would be able to sustain their life in the afterlife.

C. NEW KINGDOM150 – 1070 BC

- As Egypt gained more control over its landholdings, prosperity inspired the construction
of monuments. Much of this construction occurred in the current capital city of Thebes.
- The most popular structure was the temple, as it represented the power of the priest
class.
- Many of the temples contained courtyards, hallways and other pathways used for rituals.
Temples contained many rooms. Access to certain rooms was based on social class.
Temples were designed for varying purposes. Mortuary temples were built to honor the
pharaoh, while cult temples were constructed to honor the gods.

VI. Building Types

Early Kingdom
1. MASTABA

Arch. Ralph Intal 4|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

- The earliest method of burial im ancient Egypt was in shallow pits in the desert.
- The desert dried the bodies an preserved them.
- When animals preyed on bodies, the people dug deeper.
- In the end they built a bench-like structure over graves to create first burial structure
called MASTABA
- The name mastaba is derived from podiums found in front of traditional houses.
- In the old kingdom, rich and noble person built mastaba for their burial in the city of the
dead.
- Above ground the Mastaba is a large bench of sun-baked bricks rising 9 meters high.
- It had a flat top and slanting walls.
- The earliest royal tombs were decorated with painted patterns in brilliant colors.
- Some mastabas had fence walls, and chambers for burial servants.
- Mastaba served as an embryo for the evolution of the pyramid.

 THREE MAJOR PARTS OF A MASTABA

1. BURIAL CHAMBER
- Located 30 feet below ground and was connected above ground through a shaft.
- The burial chamber is the place for the burial of the dead person.
- In the chamber found the sarcophagus where dead body was placed and is
packed with all the necessary things needed in the afterlife.
- After the burial, the shaft to the chamber is sealed.
2. SERDAB
- Located above ground, is a room where the statue of the dead person I kept.
- The statue acts as a substitute for the body in case it is destroyed.
- Egyptians believe that the Ka must return to the body or a copy of it each night.
If both body and statue are destroyed the ka will die.
3. CHAPEL
- Where the Ka is supposed to live forever.
- It is a colorful room meant to deceive the gods into letting the Ka enter the next
world.
- Had a false door leading to the land of the dead.

2. PYRAMID
EVOLUTION OF PYRAMID
A. STEPPED PYRAMID
- It was built as a funeral complex in the Necropolis at Saqqara.
- Dissatisfaction with the result led to the stacking of mastaba on top of one another.
And the result was the stepped pyramid with five sloping setbacks.
- The stepped pyramid is the intermediate step between mastaba and geometric
pyramid.
 KING ZOSER –was the powerful pharaoh of the third dynasty of the old kingdom.
 IMHOTEP – designed the stepped pyramid for King Zoser.
B. BENT PYRAMID
- Attempted by Pharaoh Snefru on his first pyramid in Dashnur. It had a sqauer plan
with a height of 102 meters.
- The pyramid had a change of angle miodway, leading to its being called bent
pyramid
C. LOW PITCHED PYRAMID
- Second pyramid attempt of Pharaoh Snefru and was also his burial place.
- It had a low pitch of 43 degress instead of 52 degrees making it look stunted.
D. GEOMETRICAL PYRAMID
- Was achieved during the reign of Cheops (Khufu) son of Snefru. (to surpass what his
father had achieved)
- Located at Giza called the Great Pyramid because of its size
- The pyramid is 482 feet high on a plan 760 feet square.
- A true pyramid has an incline angle of 52 degrees.

PARTS OF A PYRAMID (Giza)

Arch. Ralph Intal 5|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

3. SPHINX (GIZA)
- Located in Giza is the Great Sphinx with the body of a lion and head of Chefren or of the
God Horus.
- The reason for its construction is not clear but a theory is that it was produced from
leftover material.
- It may also have been carved to stand guard over the temple and tomb.

Mid And New Kingdom

4. TEMPLES
TYPICAL PARTS OF AN EGYPTIAN TEMPLE

1. PYLON
- The Pylon (bekhen) consisted of a pair of large, rectangular towers with slightly
sloping faces flanking a central, much lower gateway. They have what are known as
torus mouldings along the edges, recreating in stone the bundles used to strengthen
the corners of the reed originals—the fence and gateway that surrounded the earliest
simple huts. The vegetal motif also appears in the cavetto cornice at the top of the
walls, the curve of which replicates the drooping heads of the plants that had been
woven together as mats.
- The two halves of the pylon flanked a central, somewhat lower, gateway from which
the god would emerge through a set of double-doors on festival days. To the
Egyptians, the form signified the rising sun and could be read as the hieroglyph for
‗horizon.‘ It was the ―Luminous Mountain Horizon of Heaven‖ and a depiction of the
winged sun disc was often carved above the doorway, or emblazoned in gold leaf on
the door itself.
- Stairways inside the body of the pylon led to the top of the gateway where the
pharaoh would present himself on grand state occasions, appearing like the rising sun
to his subjects below.
2. COURT
- The Forecourt (wba) which Lays behind the pylon was a large space, used for the
assembly of fairly large numbers of people, and formed a link between the realms of
gods and men. It was normally what is known as a peristyle courtyard which means
that there was a colonnade running along its perimeter. The space was kept as

Arch. Ralph Intal 6|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

uncluttered as possible and whatever structures existed were generally tucked off to
one side.
3. HYPOSTYLE HALL
- The Hypostyle Hall (wadjit) sits across the main axis of the temple and is normally
as broad as the width of the courtyard in front of it. Sometimes it was separated
from the courtyard by another pylon.as was the case with the great hypostyle hall of
Seti I at Karnak, but in other cases, such as at Luxor, the hall was added directly to
the courtyard with only a balustrade to separate them.
- The main entrance was through a door on the main axis, used for the ‗boat-
procession‘ of the god—side doors were used for the regular offerings of food and
drink. Apart from the centre aisle, the interior was entirely filled with columns to the
extent that the distance between them was less than the thickness of each. This
was because, in the Old Kingdom period, the stone lintels that supported the ceiling
were liable to crack under the strain if they were much more than three metres
long. Even when better quality stone became available in later periods, such was
the conservatism of Egyptian builders that they stuck to the original ratio.
- The Hypostyle Hall had two important symbolic meanings. In the Egyptian
cosmology, the heavens were supported by columns and the columns of the hall are
often seen in that light, but in other instances they represent the marshes that
surround the Mound of Creation, symbolized by the inner sanctuary of the temple,
where life began. For that reason, plant forms typical of that environment,
especially the papyrus, were used for the columns.
4. SANCTUARY
- The most sacred and intimate part of the temple was the tiny room at the back of
the building where the image of the god was kept accessible only to the king and the
high priests.
- The design of most of them was based on that of the original reed hut which housed
the totems of their prehistoric ancestors. The sanctuary was on the main axis of the
temple with a set of double doors looking back towards the entrance. If there was
more than one deity involved—in a triad for example—the shrines of the secondary
ones would be off to the side. The other principal type was the barque shrine, a
narrow, open-ended structure with a plinth in the centre to hold the sacred boat
containing the statue of the god. The one at Karnak, dedicated by the Macaedonian
king, Philip Arrhidaeus, is shown here (left). The walls were decorated with reliefs
depicting the most intimate details of cult practice.
- The cult image itself might be of gilded wood or stone but was often were of solid
gold or silver (representing the divine flesh of the gods). The eye-sockets were
generally inset with semi-precious stones and inlays of lapis lazuli were used to
represent the hair. Under the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that none of
these statues have survived.
5. ENCLOSING WALL
6. COLOSSAL STATUES OF THE PHARAOH
7. OBELISKS
- Obelisks (tekhen) were a very ancient and characteristically Egyptian type of
dedication.
- Originally they were probably amorphous stones, set upright to represent
the benben on which the rays of the rising sun first fell at the dawn of creation. The
original was at the temple of the sun-god at Heliopolis and was believed to represent
the petrified semen of Re‘-Atum. The New Kingdom versions were most often
erected in pairs, flanking the entrance to the temple or separating one element of
the complex from the next.
- They were long, tapering four-sided shafts with a pointed pyramidion at the top.

8. AVENUES OF SPHINXES
- The processional way was often lined with monuments and statues of various types-
most often sphinxes-which marked its route and offered their protection to the god.
At some temples the sphinxes had animal heads, usuallyassociated with the god or
goddess worshipped there

A. MORTUARY and UNDERGROUND TEMPLES

Arch. Ralph Intal 7|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

- Served as the place for the burial and worship of pharaohs.

- Temples dedicated to Gods were also located in them.
- Owe their origin to the pyramid general complex particularly the valley and pyramid
temples.
- Underground tombs became popular because of the belief that they could not be robbed.
- Many power and wealthy pharaohs and noblemen carved their tombs directly into rock
cliffs and underground during the Middle and New Kingdoms.
- Place of worship of a deceased king and the depository for food and objects offered to
the dead monarch.
- In the Old and Middle Kingdoms (c. 2575–c. 2130 BCE; and 1938–c. 1630 BCE) the
mortuary temple usually adjoined the pyramid and had an open, pillared court,
storerooms, five elongated shrines, and a chapel containing a false door and an offering
table.
- In the chapel, priests performed the daily funerary rites and presented the offerings to
the dead king‘s ka (protective spirit).

B. CULT TEMPLE
- The most important and common architectural element in the New Kingdom.
- Temples dedicated to a particular god or gods and where cultic activities took place.
It seems as though the overall plan was loosely defined and the selection of, and
number of elements, courtyard, hall and sanctuary, was a matter of personal choice. The
mortuary temple used these same elements, open courtyard, hypostyle halls, sanctuary,
in the same order making the cult temple the inspiration for the mortuary temple. The
temple did not only consist of the temple proper but all the ancillary buildings, gardens,
storage, workshops and housing. So both secular and divine requirements could be met.
Processional ways, although outside the temple boundaries are an important part of the
overall design, where God met the people even if he was hidden in the barque shrine.
The temple precinct overall design was also not rigid, although various elements are
generally incorporated. For example although it has been diligently searched for, no
sacred lake or well has been found at the Ramasseum. So each king would select or
emphasis elements he favoured.

5. UNDERGOUND AND ROCK CUT TOMB

a. ROCK CUT TOMB
- Tomb that is carved out of rocks
b. UNDERGROUND/SHAFT TOMB
- Series of complex underground corridors and rooms cut out of mountains.
- The large number of rooms and their complicated arrangement is deliberately done
to create a maze or puzzle to make it difficult for robbers to determine where a dead
person is buried.
- Once the burial is finished, the entrance is sealed permanently and hidden from
everybody.

6. OBELISK
- Prominent in the architecture of the ancient Egyptians, who placed them in pairs at the
entrance of temples.
- Carved as a monolithic piece of stone and erected in front of temples.
- Usually dedicated to a particular God, pharaoh or nobleman.
- The obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and was also thought that the god existed within
the structure.
- The sides were carved with reliefs and inscriptions commemorating significant events in
the reign of the pharaoh. Hewn out of a single block of stone, they could reach as high
as 30 metres or more and might weigh as much as several dozen tons. Their quarrying,
transport and erection was an enormous undertaking and pharaohs did not hesitate to
advertise the fact.

Arch. Ralph Intal 8|P age

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I MODULE
ND
NO. 4
A.Y. 2015-2016 2 Semester

REFERENCES:
THE ARCHITECTURE OF ANCIENT EGYPT
A Historical Outline
Edward Bell

A TIMELESS CULTURE:EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE

& DECORATIVE ARTS
Charlotte Bell

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS & INFLUENCES

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/ancient-egyptian-architecture-history-characteristics-
influences.html

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/columns.htm - COLUMNS AND OTHER ELEMENTS

http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/galleries/179-egyptian-ornament - PATTERNS AND ORNAMENTS
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/greatpyramid3.htm#ixzz2chHWPFar – PARTS OF A
PYRAMID
http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/Ghizaarchitecture.htm - PARTS OF A PYRAMID
http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/egyptian_temples/egyptian_temples-text.htm - parts of
a temple

Arch. Ralph Intal 9|P age