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

2. General Characteristics
Nile Valley – most influential civilization

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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 bc), the last member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to rule Egypt (51-30 bc)

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

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

23. Development of Pyramids

24. 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

25. 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

26. The Pyramids of Giza
b.c

27. 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

28. Pyramids of Giza

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

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

34. 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

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

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

37. 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

38. The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak

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

40. 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

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

42. 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

43. 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

44. The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
Hypostyle hall columns

45. The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak
Hypostyle Hall

46. The Great Temple of Amun, Karnak