Egyptian Architecture

Historical Background

Social Characteristics & Beliefs

Architectural Ideas
Ancient Egyptians viewed
earthly dwellings as temporary
They paid little attention to
house construction
The tomb was seen as a
permanent dwelling for the
afterlife
Tremendous effort was
exerted in tomb construction
The mummified dead body
was buried in a stone box
called sarcophagus in the
tomb

Lets Recap

Historical Background

Social Characteristics & Beliefs

Architectural Ideas

Believed a dead
person needs all
her/his worldly goods
Tomb usually packed
w/ all the treasures of
dead person
If anything cannot be
provided, it is painted
on the walls of the
tomb

Historical Background

Social Characteristics & Beliefs

Architectural Ideas
Tombs also have
charms to protect
dead person & her/his
property
Dead buried in cities
of the dead, called
Necropolis located in
desert

Architecture of the Civilization

Introduction

Tombs were most outstanding architectural

element of the period
Tombs also serve as the focus for the worship
of the dead
The Tomb evolved during the old kingdom from
the Mastaba, through the steppe pyramid to the
renown ancient Egyptian pyramid

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba

The earliest method of burial in ancient Egypt was in

shallow pits in the desert
The desert dried the bodies and preserved them
In the end they built a bench-like structure over
graves to create first burial structure called Mastaba

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba
Internally, a mastaba
consist of three parts- a
burial chamber, a
serdab and a chapel
The burial chamber
was located 30 ft below
ground
Connected to burial
chamber above ground
through a shaft
place for the burial of the
dead person

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba
In the chamber is found
the sarcophagus where
the dead body was
placed
The burial chamber is
packed with all the
necessary things
needed in the afterlife
After burial, the shaft to
the burial chamber was
sealed

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba
The Serdab and
Chapel are located
above ground
The serdab is a room
where the statue of
the dead person is
kept
Statue acts as a
substitute for body in
case it is destroyed

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba
Egyptians believed that the Ka must
return to the body or a copy of it each
night
If both body and statue are destroyed,
the ka would die
The chapel is where the ka is
supposed to live forever
Colorful room meant to deceive the gods
into letting the ka enter the next world
false door leading to the land of the dead

Early Kingdom Tombs

Mastaba
Some mastabas had fence walls, and
chambers for burial of servants
Mastaba served as an embryo for the
evolution of the pyramid

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid
Dissatisfaction w/
result led to
stacking of mastaba
Result was stepped
pyramid w/ five
sloping setbacks
The steppe pyramid
is the intermediate
step between
mastaba and
geometric pyramid

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid
Steppe pyramid was 200 high
w/ 6 giant steps
Burial chamber is entered
from north side & is 92ft
down
On either side of chamber are
store rooms for kings
treasures
All treasures buried w/ Zoser
have been stolen
A stone statue of Zoser also
recently found staring out
through peep holes in his
Serdab

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid
Serdab located on
north side, along
w/ funerary temple
Steppe pyramid
stands at middle of
large complex
Funeral complex
consisted of
palaces, temples &
steppe pyramid
All surrounded by
fence wall 33 high

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid

Fence wall of funeral complex has breaking pattern of

~200 projections/recessions
Fourteen were larger than the others & 13 out of the
fourteen had false doors
False doors for use of Pharaohs Ka

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid
Entrance door leads
to long hall w/ two
rows of columns
One of the 1st uses of
columns in history
Columns designed to
look like bundles of
reeds & had flutes

Early Kingdom Tombs

Steppe Pyramid
In North Palace also
stone columns w/
capitals
Designed to look like
papyrus plant
Zosers funeral
complex designed as
model of his palace,
city & kingdom
Shape of pyramid
suggests stairway to
the sky to join the sun
God Amon Ra

Early Kingdom Tomb

Attempts at Pyramid Building

After the stepped pyramids, there

were several attempt at building a
pure geometric pyramid
Among the prominent attempts:
pyramid at Medun
two pyramids built by Snefru at
Dashur

Early Kingdom Tomb

Attempts at Pyramid Building

King Huni made the
first attempt at building
pure pyramid at Medun
Constructed sevenstepped pyramid with
square plan and height
of 90m and
Angle of incline: 51
Pyramid did not have
mortuary temple

Early Kingdom Tomb

Attempts at Pyramid Building

Pharoah Snefru made
two attempts at pyramid
construction
1st pyramid, the Bent
pyramid at Dashur had
a square plan with a
height of 102m
The pyramid had a
change of angle
midway, leading to its
being called the bent
pyramid

Early Kingdom Tomb

Attempts at Pyramid Building

Snefrus 2nd
pyramid--north
pyramid--is place he
was buried
Low pitch of 43
instead of 52
making it look
stunted
A true pyramid has
an incline angle of
52

Early Kingdom Tomb

The Pyramids at Giza

Construction of a true
geometrical pyramid
achieved during reign
of Cheops, son of
Snefru
Located at Giza
Called Great Pyramid
because of size
The pyramid is 482
high on a plan 760
square

Early Kingdom Tomb

The Pyramids at Giza

Two additional
pyramids built at Giza
2nd largest in the center
built by Chefren, the
son of Cheops
3rd and smallest built
by Mykerinus, son of
Chefren
The three together are
referred to as the
Pyramids at Giza

Early Kingdom Tomb

The Pyramids at Giza

Three are aligned

diagonally along the
projection of the
diagonal of the great
pyramid
The small pyramids
close by were built
for queens

Early Kingdom Tomb

The Great Pyramid Cheops

Great pyramid
unique internal
arrangement
First: a chamber built
below base of
pyramid
Another chamber
built above it known
as queens chamber
Larger burial
chamber known as
the kings chamber
built center of
pyramid

Early Kingdom Tomb

The Great Pyramid Cheops

Chamber where the king
was buried in his
Sarcophagus
Kings chamber 35 x17
and 19 high
Both king & queen
chamber connected to
the entrance on the north
side
Two air shafts connect
kings chamber to
outside for ventilation
Once a king is buried,
burial chamber sealed

Early Kingdom Tomb

Pyramid Construction

How were the pyramids constructed?

No accurate knowledge about the method
of construction of the pyramids
Estimates vary:~ 100,000 men worked 3-4
months each year for 30 years to build the
pyramids.
Limestone quarried from nearby
--transported by lever action
Paid in food, clothing and drinks

Early Kingdom Tomb

Why did Egyptians Build Pyramids

The pyramids were in

general a response to
the vast desert
landscapes
For structures to be
visible in the desert they
have to be of huge size
The pyramids were also
a product of the will to
achieve immortality by
the pharaohs
Pyramids are the
everlasting home of the
pharaohs ka

Mid & New Kingdom Burial-Cham

Mortuary Temples Introduction

The Middle Kingdom began

when pharaoh Mentuhotep
united Egypt again after the
first intermediate period
During the middle kingdom,
the practice of pyramid
construction disappeared
Focus in architectural
development was however still
on tombs and burial
chambers
Two categories of structures
came into use- mortuary
temples and underground
tombs

Mid & New Kingdom Burial-Cham

Mortuary Temples Introduction

Mortuary temples served as place for burial and

worship of pharaohs
Temples dedicated to Gods were also located in
them
Mortuary temples owe origin to pyramid funeral
complex, particular the valley and pyramid
temples
Underground tombs became popular because of
the belief that they could not be robbed
Many powerful and wealthy pharaohs and nobles
carved tombs directly into rock cliffs and
underground during the Middle and New kingdoms
Most of the tomb and burial chamber construction
was carried out at Del Al Bahari

Mid & New Kingdom Burial-Cham

Underground Tomb- Rock Cut Tomb

Two types of Underground

tombs were built by pharaohs
and nobles during the Middle
and New Kingdom periodsRock cut tombs and Shaft
tombs
Rock cut tombs are tombs
that are carved out of rocks
Many of theses are found
along the cliff of the Nile
A very good example is the
Rock cut tomb at Beni
Hassan

Mid & New Kingdom Burial-Cham

Underground Tomb- Rock Cut Tomb

The columns on the

exterior were
shaped like a prism
with 8 or 16 sides
The columns in the
interior were
designed as a
bundle of reed tied
together by rope

Mid & New Kingdom Burial-Cham

Underground Tomb- Shaft Tombs

This is designed to
make it difficult for
robbers to determine
where a dead person
is buried
A dead pharaoh or
nobleman is buried in
one of the many
underground rooms
Once the burial is
finished, the entrance
is sealed permanently
and hidden from
everybody

Materials, Const. & Systems

Materials

Three common materials of construction in Egypt

Plant materials, clay and stone

Plants consist of readily available material like

reeds, papyrus and palm ribs and shaft
Timber was available in limited quantity; used for
roofing
Clay was 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 civilization
It became popular after the 3rd dynasty of the
Early Kingdom and was used for tombs and
temples

Materials, Const. & Systems

Construction System

Construction system in ancient Egypt

reflected the availability of materials
Two construction systems were
predominant: Adobe construction and post
and beam construction
Adobe construction took the form of clay on
vegetable material or sun dried brick
construction
This construction was reserved for houses
and other buildings of daily life
These buildings are supposed to last for
only a generation

Materials, Const. & Systems

Construction System

Egyptian monumental construction is mainly of a

post and beam style
This is expressed mainly in pyramids, tombs and
temples
Columns are designed to look like plant material
Their shaft resemble bundles of plant stems tied
together
Their capitals are derived from the lotus bud or
the papyrus flower or the palm leave
Great importance was attached to relief carving
and it was an integral part of the architecture

Materials, Const. & Systems

Construction System

The true arch was not extensively used in

ancient Egypt
The principle was however known
Construction in Egypt took place during the
period of floods
It took 30 years to build a pyramid with a
team of 100,000 men working three to four
months during the floods

Principles of Arch. Organization

Emphasis on Building Masses
Ancient Egyptian architecture shows more
concern with massing and limited attention to
space or function
The Mastaba, Pyramids, Mortuary and Cult
temples all display a focus on massing and form
Limited consideration on functional space
Consideration of function in design limited to
provision of spaces for ritual activities
--such as chapels dedicated to Gods in
Pyramid funeral complexes and Mortuary
and Cult temples

Principles of Arch. Organization

Application of Linear & Geometrical Org

The Most important compositional principle

in ancient Egypt is linearity and axial
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 & axial organization
These include the pyramid funerary
complexes, the mortuary & cult temples

Principles of Arch. Organization

Application of Harmony & Contrast

Architecture in ancient Egypt also displays

understanding of the principle of Harmony
and contrast
Example of this reflected in pyramids at Giza
The color and material of the pyramid create
a harmony between the pyramids and the
desert
The form and shape of the pyramids
however contrast sharply with the smooth
undulating desert

Principles of Arch. Organization

Application of Harmony & Constrast

This understanding is also displayed in the

temples of Mentuhotep and Hatshepsut
A double row of columns used to front the lower
and upper terraces create a harmony with the
rugged background of the mountain cliffs
The terraces of the temples are however in
sharp contrast with the mountainous nature of
the environment
The temples appear like an island of peace in a
rugged and violent environment

The Sphinx
Located in Giza is the great Sphinx with
the body of a lion and head of Chefren
Reason for its construction is not clear
A theory holds that it was produced from
leftover material
It may also have been carved to stand
guard over the temple and tomb of
Chefren

The Sphinx
Dimensions of the Sphinx
Paws: 50 long (15m)
Head: 30 long (10m) 14
wide (4m)
Entire Body: 150 (45m)

The Sphinx
Originally commissioned by
Kaphre<Chefren> (a son
of Cheops)
Constructed from a single
piece of stone <bedrock>
weighing hundreds of tons
bedrock found within the
Valley of Giza.

The Sphinx

Archeologists and historians found many pictures of the Sphinx drawn

with wings, the body of a lion and ox, and the face of man
Theories:
Muhammad Saim al-Dahr
British
Turks
Napoleon Bonaparte
Mamluks

1867

1925
restoration

Review of Architectural
Culture
Principles
- Nile - source for all life
-East bank: land of the living
-West bank: land of the dead
- Mystery of sun, moon, stars, futility & grave
- Complex hierarchy of gods
- Service to religion: made their art & architecture

Religion
- Survival after death depended on preservation of body
-At day of resurrection, "Ka" entered dead
- Good Burial" became obsession - mummification an art
Burial
- Impregnable tomb - the basis for Egyptian architecture
- Man mummified and buried w/wives & possessions
- Tombs to be durable and "look" durable - monolith

MAJOR WORKS
Major Works
Old Kingdom
1. Mastabas
2. Stepped Pyramid of Zozer @ Saqqara by Imhotep
3. Great Pyramids @ Giza Cheops (Khufu)
Chephren (Kafra)
Mykerinus (Menkaura)

3200 - 2258 BC
2650 BC
2575 BC
2530 BC
2500 BC

Middle Kingdom
4. Rock Cut Tombs @ Beni Hasan

2134 - 1570 BC
1975 - 1800 BC

New Kingdom
5. Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
6. Temple of Amen-Mut-Khonsu @ Luxor
7. Temple of Amun @ Karnak
8. Temple of Rameses II @ Abu Simbel
9. Mortuary Complex of Rameses III @ Medinet Habu
10.Temple of Horus @ Edfu

1570 - 1085 BC
1500 BC @ Deir el-Bahari by Senmut
1390 - 1260 BC
1314 - 1200 BC
1257 BC
1198 - 1166 BC
322 BC