Egyptian Architecture A.General characteristics B.Building Types C.Historical periods D.Examples

General Characteristics Nile Valley – most influential civilization

General Characteristics The key to Egypt’s history is the Nile. The longest river in the world (6,648 km) formed by Blue Nile from Ethiopia and White Nile from Lake Victoria.

General Characteristics It left a precious gift –the black soil carried down from Ethiopia The Egyptian call their country kemet= black land What laid beyond to the east and west was the desert –the red land which put clearly defined limit.

General Characteristics The Nile - rich life blood which runs in the veins of Egypt flowing South to North –from the Upper Egypt to the lower. on its banks they founded their cities for the living and the dead trade was actively carried on

General Characteristics The other major determinant was the sun Together the basic elements of nature establish a single spatial structure, with the Nile flowing from South to North and the sun rising in the east and setting in the west perpendicular to the river.

General Characteristics The two axes of river and sun form the basis of the orthogonal grid of Egyptian fields and cities Its climate is dry and varied little (stable) –contributed for the preservation of buildings. They want to embody a constant eternal order

Religion In Egyptian religion –most of the many gods represented forces of nature Example: Ra –the sun God Shu–air Tefnut–moisture Nut –Sky Geb–earth Orisis–of fertility and resurrection Seth –aridity and destruction Isis –Motherhood Nepthys-Sisterhood

Boundary Egypt was protected by mountains and cataracts (small waterfalls) to the South By the desert to the east and west By the Mediterranean to the North No standing army until late in their history

Building Materials Mud brick and stone limestone, sandstone granite Stone – tombs and temples Bricks – sun dried and fire burnt bricks for palaces and fortresses Mud houses Poor in metals Character – walls and roofs Massive structures with thick sloping walls and few openings Use of arch was developed at the IV dynasty All monuments are post and lintel construction With flat roofs supported by walls and columns

Architectural character Architectural character - columns Distinctive character for Egyptian columns Vegetable origin Shafts – bundles of stems gathered in at the base Capitals – lotus bud, papyrus flower

Monumental architectural character Columnar and trabeated style Pyramids, tombs and temples Temples - Complex of buildings Temples approached by impressive avenues of sphinxes Sphinx - Head of a man and body of a lion Massive pylons, great courts, hypostyle halls, inner sanctuaries, etc

Historical periods The kings of ancient Egypt are known as Pharaohs (great house –Hebrew) The pharaohs were divided into 30 dynasties by Manetho, an Egyptian priest, BC 300) 1. Ancient kingdom (Dyn. I-XI) –3500 –2466 BC Capital –Memphis Pharaohs Trade control Labour control Mastabas The great pyramids Absolute power

Historical periods 2. Middle kingdom (XII –XVII) BC 2466-1600 Social order out of anarchy Set boundaries for provinces 3. New empire (XVIII –XXX) BC 1600 –322 Unprecedented prosperity Capital –Thebes Great temples and tombs The Persians (521 –486) -Darius

Historical periods 4. The Ptolemaic period Egypt became a Greek province –Alexander the Great Capital was Alexandria Ptolemy –Macedonian Family after the death of Alexander. His sister is Cleopatra Cleopatra (right) (c. 69-30 bc), the last member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to rule Egypt (51-30 bc)

Historical periods 5. The Roman period (BC 30 –AD 395) On the death of Cleopatra Egypt became a Roman Province Caesar was the emperor Christianity –AD 324 by Constantine

Historical periods 5. The Roman period (BC 30 –AD 395) On the death of Cleopatra Egypt became a Roman Province Caesar was the emperor Christianity –AD 324 by Constantine

Examples 1. Saqqara The stepped pyramid of Zoser Mastabas 2. Giza Royal pyramids the pyramid of Cheops the pyramid of Chephren The pyramid of Mycerinus The Sphinx

Examples 3. Karnak The great temple of Amon 4. Luxor The temple of Amon 5. Deir-el-Bahri The temple of Queen Hatshepsut 6. Abu Simbel The great temple 7. Tel el Amarna The dwellings

Saqqara - The stepped pyramid of Zoser 3rd dynasty (2750 BC) –Zoser Imhotep–the first recorded architect Substituted limestone for mud brick Zoser’s temple and pyramid complex –was enclosed in a wall 10.4m

Saqqara - The stepped pyramid of Zoser The step pyramid of King Zoser, built of local limestone was the first monumental royal tomb and is one of the oldest stone structures in Egypt

Saqqara - Mastabas Rectangular tombs with slightly sloping walls Mastaba = bench in Arab

Development of Pyramids

Development of Pyramids The Bent Pyramid, constructed in Egypt during the reign of King Sneferu (2575 bc-2551 bc), was constructed in two stages. In the first stage, the architects built the walls at an angle of 55 degrees. Then they encountered structural problems and flattened the angle to 43 degrees. The pyramid’s unusual shape gave it its name

Giza – Royal Pyramids 3 Royal pyramids the pyramid of Cheops(Khufu) the pyramid of Chephren(Khafre) The pyramid of Mycerinus(Menkaure) Foremost among the Seven Wonders of the World

The Pyramids of Giza 2680-2560 b.c

Pyramids of Giza The Royal Pyramids 4th Dynasty (2680 –2560 BC) Carefully aligned on the NS and EW axes Cheops–230mx230 m, 146 m high and 52 degrees angle Chephren–215mx215m (210), 136m high and 53 degrees angle Mycerinus–108m x 108m, 66m high and 50 degrees angle

Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) Cheops – 2nd king of the IV dynasty Largest of the three 230mx230 m, 146 m high and 52 degrees angle Area of 13 acres Four sides face the cardinal points The mortuary temple stood axially in front of the pyramid (consecration, veneration and gifts) The Valley temple for purification and mummification

The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) 3 separate internal chambers King’s Chamber (granite sarcophagus is located) Queen’s chamber Subterranean chamber Entrance – 24 ft off-centre and 55 ft above Queen's chamber at a height of 70 ft Sealed off before completion Constructed the Grand Gallery – passage 7’ wide and 7’6” high – covered by a ramped, corbelled vault

The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) King’s Chamber 17ft wide and 19ft high Lined in granite Vestibule has 3 granite slabs to seal the chamber after the burial Elaborate chamber covering 5 tiers of great stone beams ranged one above the other with a void space between the layers Above them is an embryonic vault of pairs of inclined stones

The Great Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) Two shafts (8”x6”) lead from the King’s chamber to the outer face of the pyramid for ventilation or to allow the free passage of the spirit of the dead king Built solidly of local stone Cased in finely dressed Tura limestone

Sphinx A gigantic human headed lion, entirely carved out of rock 21m high and 73m long In the likeness of king Chephren

The Great Sphinx built on the orders of the pharaoh Khafre 3rd millennium bc. In ancient Egypt, the sphinx was the symbol of royal power

The Temples Of two main classes Cult temple (worship of ancient and mysterious gods) and mortuary (funerary) temple (ministration to deified Pharaohs)

The Funerary temple tombs, Beni Hasan 2130-1750 b.c. Belong to a provincial great family Wholly rock hewn Consists of a chamber behind a porticoed façade

The Cult temples Main entrance gateway – towering pylons Processions common The whole temple stood within a great enclosure and about it were houses of the priests, official buildings, stores, granaries and a sacred lake

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak 1530-323 b.c. Grandest of all Egyptian temples Built by many kings Immense enclosure With other temples and a sacred lake

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak Court Pylons Avenue of sphinxes to the Temple of Luxor 6 pairs of pylons Consists of various courts and halls leading to the sanctuary A great entrance court gives entrance to the vast hypostyle hall

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak Avenue of sphinxes to the Temple of Luxor

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak 1200x360 ft. Consists of various courts and halls leading to the sanctuary A great entrance court gives entrance to the vast hypostyle hall Hypostyle hall 338x170 ft. internally Roof – enormous slabs of stone Supported by 134 columns in 16 rows

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak Hypostyle Hall Central avenues are about 78 ft (24m) in height supported by columns with papyrus flower capital ( bell type) Side avenues are lower with columns of papyrus bud capital (bud type) Clerestory lighting for the first time Forest of columns is awe-inspiring

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak Hypostyle hall columns

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak Hypostyle Hall

The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak