2nd Year Architecture

2018/2019 second Semester

History of Architecture I
Lecture (4 and 5) :
Ancient Egyptian Architecture

by : SEEMA K. ALFARIS

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Lecture ’s information

History of Architecture I
Course name
Seema k. Alfaris
Lecturer
This course traces the history of Architecture from the
Course ’s information early developments in the Paleolithic Age (Early Stone Age)
to the Rome (16th century)..
1. Understanding the Egyptian Architecture , and the
The objective factors which shape this Architecture.
2. Understanding The Main Types of buildings that
Egyptian famous with .

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The Historical Timeline of Architecture

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FACTORS INFLUENCING
ARCHITECTURE

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
1. Geographical factor:

• “Egypt is wholly the gift of the Nile.”

• Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern
Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches (Nile Delta)
of the Nile River in the place that is now the country Egypt.
• The satellite imagery shows the narrow fertile strip of
alluvial soil on the banks of the Nile.
• Nile flowing through the desert, which made agriculture
possible that resulted in the development of towns &
settlements on the eastern bank of the river.
• Egyptians built their pyramids & tomb structures on the
western bank, which was known as the valley of the dead.
• The Nile river also served as a transport trade route
connecting Egypt to Africa, the Middle East, and the
Mediterranean world & is considered to be sacred by the
Egyptians as it serves as the life blood of Egypt.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Geological factor:
• Egypt had limestone in the north, sandstone in
the central region & red granite in the south.
• The gigantic scale of Egyptian architecture was
mainly possible due to the Egyptian methods
of quarrying, transporting & raising enormous
blocks of stone to position.
• Sun-dried bricks made from Nile mud &
chopped straw were used for palaces &
houses, while stone was used for tombs ,
pyramids & temples.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
3. Climatic factor:
• Egypt has a warm, sunny climate with very little rainfall that has led
to the preservation of its ancient buildings.
• Since sufficient light reached the interiors through doors & roof
slits, Egyptian architecture is characterized by the absence of
windows.
• The massive walls, without openings, protected the interior from
the fierce desert sun .
• The absence of rain also resulted (the use of flat roof with thick
stone slabs).
• The Nile River flooded the fields every year at the same time, after
harvesting season, and when it receded, it left behind fine silt –
Cultivation by farmers.
• Egyptians depended on annual floods to soak the land and deposit • Papyrus plants that grew on the
layer of rich soil. coast were used to make sails,
• Egyptians had to cooperate and control the Nile, Irrigation canals ropes, and paper
were dug from the river to the fields as well , Dikes were built on • They were also hunters and
the sides of the Nile to protect villages and farmland from over- fishermen.
flooding . 7
Ancient Egyptian Architecture
4. Religious factor:

• Egyptian religion had many gods representing the sun, moon,

stars & animals.
• The keynote of the Egyptian religion is the submission to the
power of (Ammon) the sun God, & the worship of (Osiris) God of
Death “the man-god who died & rose again to eternal life” , also
( Hator ) Goddess of love , (Anubis) God of mummification.

• The power and greatness of these gods appeared in temples The sun
witch erected to them. God

• The most important phenomenon in their religious beliefs are

the return of the soul after death (life after death),

• Thus, they erected such everlasting monuments as pyramids , it

is an expression of immortality for the dead, believing that there
houses and palaces are for temporary life, Pyramids and tombs Ammon
for eternal life and immortality. Hator
Osiris 8 Anubis
Ancient Egyptian Architecture
5. Social structure :
• Pharaoh was considered as a part God
himself (considered to be the descendent
of the sun god)
• The Pharaoh had absolute power over all
political and religious decisions in the
country, including complete control over
the army.
• They favored the execution of monumental
works more than anything else.
• The period of unification in Egypt can be
split into three different kingdoms; the Old,
Middle, and New.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
5. Social structure :

• Ancient Egyptian civilization rose on the shoulders of

workers, slaves and prisoners of war.
• The Pharaoh, headed a despotic government, which
employed vast armies of laborers(mainly by using the
slave labor of the Hebrews) . in the erection of
monumental buildings, at the time of the Nile River
flood, where it is difficult to practice agriculture
impossible.
• They used the prisoners and the slaves to dug on the
walls of the tombs and to portray the Egyptians in
war, enjoyments and action textile, handicrafts,
musical instruments, ornamental and metal works.
• As the Egyptians knew the collection of various
sciences such as astronomy, mathematics and
philosophy.
Based on Wealth , Job and
Education
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
6. literature:
• Egyptian architecture it involves of sculpture, painting and
decorative art .
• Egyptian architecture were made to serve a purely religious
purpose. That is:
1. Temples were decorated with paintings and filled with statues
of gods and kings, in the belief that served the gods and was a
sign of devotion to the king.
2. Palaces were built for the worship of the kings and to serve
as his dwelling place as well as for public administration.
3. Tombs were built to ensure the enjoyment of dead kings in
their life after death.
4. Jewelry and amulets (charms) were added not only for
decoration but as protection against harm.
• Therefore, Egyptian Architecture cannot be devoid of the
culture and tradition of the people.
• Because Egyptian arts and Architecture were not for all
Egyptians , its only for kings and members of the ruling elites,
and also for the gods. 11
 Ancient Egyptian Architecture
6. literature:
• Egyptian hieroglyphs were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt.
• Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with a
total 1,000 distinct characters.
• Cursive hieroglyphs were used for religious literature on papyrus and wood.
• Hieroglyphs were inscribed for decorative purposes as well as to record
historic events or spells, Political and religious.
• Social life of the Pharaoh is graphically depicted in the wall sculptures
of tombs.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
7. Egyptian Art:
• Wall Treatment: Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers,
were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial frescoes and carvings painted in
brilliant colors.
• Prayers to the gods , proverbs, love poems , stories of victory in battle , and folk
tales.
• Egyptians were great artists, drawing the inspiration for their art from nature.
• Many motifs of Egyptian ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab, or
sacred beetle , the solar disk , vulture , the palm leaves, the papyrus plant buds
and flowers of the lotus.

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Historical Background

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture

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 Ancient Egyptian Architecture
• Menes(Narmer) unified Upper and Lower Egypt
and established his capital at Memphis around 3000
B.C.
• The Pharaohs who ruled Egypt have been divided
into 30 dynasties & 3 divisions by historians as
follows:
1. Ancient kingdom (2649 – 2150 BC) :
• Mastabas were built during the 3rd dynasty & most
pyramids were built during the 4th dynasty.
2. Middle kingdom (2030 – 1640 BC) :
• 12th dynasty founded the great temple of Ammon
at karnak.
3. New kingdom ( 1550 – 700 BC) :
• Thebes became the capital & queen Hatshepsut
constructed the terraced temple at Der-el –bahari.
• Amenophis III built the temple at luxor & Rameses
II completed the hypostyle hall of Ammon temple,
built the rock temple at Abu simbel at Thebes.
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture

2649 – 2150 BC

3000 B.C 2030 – 1640 BC

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Cities :
National capitals / administrative centers , most
important towns .
• Memphis was the capital of the Old Kingdom(North), while
Thebes was the capital of the Middle and New Kingdoms(South).

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 Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Columns styles:
• The columns first were originally made of reeds or paper-
bundle or plant materials and were fill the blanks from
outside by mud material.
• Evolved to appear stone columns that take plant forms.
• Column parts from down to up :
1. Base
2. Shaft (Body)
3. Capital
4. Abacus
5. Architrave

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Columns styles:
• Egyptian columns are summarized in eight types :

1. Square columns: appeared in the 4th Dynasty , a huge

mass made of granite stones, with out capital or base,
without any kind of decoration, used in the old kingdom.
2. Round columns: started in the old kingdom, had a
cylindrical body ,with a round base and a square capital,
but was flattened on the ground so that the weight is
distributed and prevents leakage humidity to the column.
3. columns with channels: had a cylindrical body
ornamented with a 16 or 18 channels with a square capital
, appeared in the tombs of Bani Hassan, and Der albahri .
4. Hatorical columns: These columns resembled the
Egyptian musical instrument , its name (Sistron) is an
eccentric column with a head forming of Hator(Goddess of
love).
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Columns styles:
5. Palm columns: Its shape was quotes from the palm tree, it’s a cylindrical
column its diameter shrinking gradually to the top like a palm fin , Bonded
with five laces of higher colors Red,, Gray, Blue.
6. lotus columns: Its shape was quotes from the lotus flower, a cylindrical
column from 4 ribs with a the top of a lotus open flower .
7. Papyrus columns: Its shape was quotes from the lotus flower, a cylindrical
column take the shape of the Papyrus plant with a the top of a papyrus open
or closed flower ,or even its upside down.
8. composite columns: these columns had many composite capitals , for
example a capital Of two layers of papyrus or one palm capital toped with a
Hathor head (Goddess of love).

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Columns styles:

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Egyptians Architecture
Buildings types

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
There are 5 types of Egyptian Architecture features
1. Masonry tombs “Mastabas” and evolution of Pyramids
from them
2. Pyramids .
3. Temples.
4. Palaces.
5. Houses .
1. Mastaba :
• Ancient form of Tombs erected in the old kingdom
• A Flat roofed rectangular structure with sloping sides.
• “Mastaba “ Arabic word for ‘bench of mud’.
• Probably derived from heaps of stones piled up over
earlier mummy holes.
• Standard type of tombs for the Pharaohs and also the
social elite
• A Mummy – Embalmed corpse wrapped in linen
bandages for burial
• The ‘Ka’ was a spiritual double, born with every man
and lived on after he died as long as it had a place to
live. Hence tombs had a statue of Ka.
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 Ancient Egyptian Architecture
1. Mastaba :
• These were rectangular structures, with sides sloping at an
angle of (75) degrees, and having flat roofs
• They were divided into three parts:
1. The outer chamber, in which were placed the offerings
to ‘Ka’, its walls decorated with representations of festival
and other scenes
2. Inner secret chamber, known as the ‘serdab’, containing
statue of Ka and other items- grains, clothes, jewelers, etc.
3. A shaft of great depth, leading to the chamber
containing the sarcophagus with its mummy

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
1. Mortuary complex at Sakkara (zoser
stepped pyramid):
• Pharaoh zoser was one of the kings of Memphis
city .
• Low Mastabas were no longer considered to be
worthy of Pharaohs.
• The step pyramid of pharaoh Zoser was an
intermediate stage in the evolution of the
pyramid.
• Its architect Imhotep( Architect, Astronomer,
High Priest) built it in stages.
• It was an Original Mastaba was covered with a
stone super structure.
• It was started as a square, solid mastaba, but a
series of extensions made it into a six stepped
pyramid(60m) with a rectangular ground-plan.
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
• The Complex consisted of courtyards and temple
• The temple is situated at the north face of
the stepped pyramid, where as in later pyramids it
is on the east side.
• Orientation to 4 cardinal directions.
• Light Tura limestone
• Roofed colonnade leading to court
• Fluted stone columns

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
2. Pyramid at Meydum :

• It is the pyramid of pharaoh Snefru – 4th Dynasty,

• Started a step faced pyramid at Meydum –Influenced by
the Stepped Pyramid of Zoser.
• The first Egyptian pyramid with an above the ground
burial chamber.
• The structure of this pyramid represents the way to raise
the chamber to be closer to the Sun God Ra .
• The burial chamber could be accessed through a sloping
shaft.
• Interior structure of arch walls within the burial
chambers.
• Now collapsed under its own weight

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
3. The Bent Pyramid
• The bent pyramid was first built at Meydum, which collapsed.
• Subsequently another bent pyramid was built at Dahsur.
• Originally planned to be (100 )m high.
• It was similar in construction to other pyramids in that it was
started with an angle of (52) degrees to the ground.
• When they reach (50%) of the construction ,the mass started to
sink under part of it , therefor, the architect changed the angle
to be (43.9) degrees up to the peak. (This step marks another
stage in the evolution to reach the true shape of the great
pyramids) .
• After this failure, Snerfu asked the builders to return to the
Meydum Step Pyramid –A layer was added to transform it into a
true pyramid .
• 2 chambers with separate entrances

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
4. The great pyramids at Giza
• The Giza pyramid complex, on the outskirts of Cairo
is considered to be the only remaining monument
of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
• These 3 pyramids are a testimony to the
engineering skills of the ancient Egyptians.
• pyramids were built during the lifetime of the
Pharaohs, because of their belief in immortality.
• (the mysterious Sun Boat) is believed to have
been used to transport the body of Khufu across
the Nile to his burial place in the pyramid.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
4. The great pyramids at Giza

The Pyramid:
 A pyramid is a massive stone or brick
structure with a square base and four sloping
triangular sides that meet in a point at the
top , surrounded by a walled enclosure and
had an offering chapel, with a stele.
 Pyramids have been built by different
peoples at various times in history.
 were built to protect the tombs of pharaohs.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :
4. The great pyramids at Giza
• The pyramids complex is consist of :
1. the great pyramid of Cheops (Khufu).
2. the pyramid of Chephren (Khafre).
3. the smaller pyramid of Mykerinus (Menkaure).
4. For each pyramid had 2 temples (mortuary temple and
valley temple) for the worship of the dead king and
Where the funerary ceremonies held on for the passing
pharaoh , Queens Pyramids .
5. the great Sphinx & other valley pyramids & offering
chapels.
6. Western cemetery and eastern cemetery (places of
pyramids workers cities (Dead cities).

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
2. Pyramids:
The developmental stages of pyramids :

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
3. Temples :
• In the middle kingdom many of Temples had been built .
• Temples were places where the gods and their divine energy could reside, separated from
everything else in the world.
• There are two main types of temples:
A. funerary temples: Temples where sacrifices were offered to the gods , built for worship by priests,
worshipers , and Pharaoh relatives ,the funeral rites were held of dead pharaoh and held there
Religious services . Examples : Great pyramids valley temples, Hatshepsut, Der El-Bahari, Thebes.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
B. Cult temples :
• A temple district built on the eastern bank of the Nile
and built for the general public .
• The purpose of this type of temple was to worship
God and for teaching (school).
• It is a complex (Temple and House of Life) , where a
large number of people were involved in building it.
• Usually the architect of the temple was honored to
build it
• The dates of the Pharaoh since he took the throne
until his death were written on temples walls .
• Examples :the Great Temple, Abu-Simbel; the Great
Temple of Ammon, Karnak, Thebes , Temple of Luxor
.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
B. Cult temples :
• A Cult temple had:
• Entrance pylons, fronted by obelisks, Corridor of Sphinxes were
approached through an imposing avenue of sphinxes.
• court hypostyle hall, sanctuary,
• various chapels all enclosed by high girdle wall.
• The Portal opend on to the open court, surrounded on three
sides by a double colonnade and leading to the hypostyle hall.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Sphinx
• An Egyptian Sphinx had the head of a king, a hawk, or more rarely a
woman, on the body of a lion.
• The great Sphinx is located near the Chephren’s valley temple.
• The Great Sphinx, which represents a recumbent lion with the head of a
man, was excavated in 1816 in Pyramids complex of Giza, near Cairo .
• Exact date unknown.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture Vatican obelisk
Obelisk (Imhotep II)
Biters priest
• A sculptural pylon is like a letter or a certificate of blaze in Rome
appreciation
• “ Obelisk “ word derived from the Greek language
means a “dagger”.
• Despite of its huge size its made from a single stone
mass usually made of granite in the form of A four-
pointed column drawn upward with a pointed top
• usually coated with precious metallic fluid such gold,
and silver.
• located in the temples and entrances of the temples
to honor the Pharaoh and the gods and their aspects
• The four faces of this monument written on it the In central park ,
historical events of pharaohs in hieroglyphics. As New York
Ramses II wrote about himself and his victories.
Ramesses
temple
,Hatshepsut
obelisk In Paris 40
Ancient Egyptian Architecture Deir-el-medina: Worker’s villages
Houses:
In workers villages there are two types of buildings :
• workers houses
• Great houses
workers houses:
• The houses of the workmen had two to four rooms on the ground floor
(60 m²)
• access to the flat roof, which was used as living and storing space.
• Some of the dwellings had conical granaries on the ground floor.
• The doorways were arched
• Traces of brick barrel-vaulting have been found on supporting walls.
• Roofs were made of wooden planks supported by beams and plastered
over with mud.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Houses:
• The Great Houses covered about
2700 m² each and served as
offices and living quarters for the
high officials in charge of the
construction work and their
families.
• There were four almost identical
houses and one differently built one
north of the street and another three
with a completely different ground plan
south of it.
• After the pyramid had been built and
the officials had left, people began to
take over their houses, adapting them
to their own needs by walling up
entrances and creating new walls and
passages.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture
• Massive structures characterized by thick,(walls of tamples) sloping walls with few
openings.
• The incised and flatly modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings has
derived from mud wall ornamentation.
• The use of the Arch was developed during the fourth dynasty , all monumental
buildings are post and lintel constructions.
• Flat roofs are constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls and
the closely spaced columns.
• Egyptian Architecture style is based on Constriction system (Slabs and columns ) .
• Due to the scarcity of lumber (wood), the two predominant building materials used
in ancient Egypt were sunbaked mud brick and stone, mainly limestone, also
sandstone and granite in considerable quantities.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture
Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture

• From the Old Kingdom onward , stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples,
while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, walls of temple and
towns(houses).
• Many Egyptian towns have disappeared (Q)

• Many temples and tombs have survived (Q)

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Thank you …
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