Egypt & West Asian

8/11/2019 Egypt & West Asian

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It is not the sense of

height, or breadth

or length or depth

that is stirred,but the sense of immensity..

After seeing the pyramid,

all other architecture

seems but pastry.

EGYPTIAN

ARCHITECTURE


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history of architecture diagnosis 8

For at least ten thousand years, the Nile valley has been the site of one of the most influential civilizations in the world. Even today, its architectural

monuments, which include Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, are among the largest and most famous buildings in the world.

He ancient Egyptians constructed the pyramids to serve as royal tombs Built without the use of cranes, pulleys, or lifting tackle, the massive

structures stand as testaments to the engineering skills of their makers.

Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were unbaked mud brick and stone. From the Old

Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple

precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes.

Most ancient Egyptian towns have been lost because they were situated in the cultivated and flooded area of the Nile Valley, although the dry, hot

climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures.

On the other hand, many temples and tombs have survived because they were built on ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of

stone.

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Architectural Character

O

arch

fourth dynasty post and lintel

columns piers hieroglyphic

symbolic scarab solar disk vulture palm

papyrus lotus

ur impression of ancient Egyptian architecture is based mainly on its religious monuments, massive structures characterized by thick, sloping

walls with few openings, possibly echoing a method of construction used to obtain stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and flatly

modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings may have derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use of the was developed

during the , all monumental buildings are constructions, with flat roofs constructed of huge stone blocks supported

by the external walls and the closely spaced columns.

The exterior walls, as well as the and , were covered with and pictorial carvings in brilliant colors. Many motifs of

Egyptian ornament are , such as the , or sacred beetle, the , and the . Other common motifs include leaves, the

plant, and the buds and flowers of the . Hieroglyphics were decoration as well as records of historic events.Egyptian architecture is

characterized by preference for simple cubic masses, sense of weight, solidity, permanence Massive tremendous scale, heavy walls and supports.

Repetition of similar geometric forms: rectangular and polygonal piers, columns with capitals and shafts in simplified plant shapes Allover

decoration in low or sunken relief or painting Axial organization. Architecture symbolic of eternal order, reflects natural order of environment of

Nile Valley The Egyptian orders show influence of the Egyptian cosmos They represent papyrus trees The colonnades together depict date palm

plantations

The Sanctum too in the Egyptian temples is of the shape of a boat showing what a significant role the Nile played in the life of the Egyptians

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The Mastabas:

Mastaba tombs surround the pyramids of the Old Kingdom. Courtiers and families of the monarch were buried in these low rectangular brick or

stone structures Like the pyramids, they were built on the west side of the Nile (symbol of death, where the sun falls into the underworld).

The actual burial chamber was at the base of a deep vertical shaft below a flat-roofed stone structure. A false door was carved on the interior tomb

wall near the entrance to the shaft. Often a n image of the deceased was carved in the false door in order to entice the soul to enter the body. For the

comfort and well-being of the deceased, the burial chamber was filled with material goods and feed offerings, and the walls were decorated withscenes of daily activities. T he mastabas were designed to ensure the well-being of the deceased for all eternity.

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from top:

ruins of a mastaba

a group of mastaba

a section of mastaba

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The Stepped Pyramids:

On the Pyramid of Sakarrah, most of the outer casing is gone. In some places the core masonry has disappeared as well It is obvious there were

different stages of construction. The eastern side gives the best picture, but it can be seen from the northern and southern side as well. The original

structure was an underground burial chamber. This chamber was rare in that it was square, most mastabas were rectangular. The royal tomb is

28m underground with a vertical shaft leading to it. The entrance was sealed with a 3 ton piece of granite. The face of the mastaba was a fine Tura

limestone. Apparently it was intended for this to be the finishing touches to the building. It was then enlarged all around with ten feet of additional

limestone and then again with an extension on the eastern side. The extension was twenty-five feet of limestone to make the mastaba rectangular.Again, it was enlarged and a two-tiered structure was made. A series of corridors a nd a tomb chamber was dug Some of the chambers are lined with

blue tiles.

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clockwise:

section of a stepped pyramid

a stepped pyramid

steeped pyramid of king zoser, sakkara


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The Great Pyramids:

The most famous pyramids are found at Giza. They were built by three pharaohs - Cheops (or Khufu), Chephren (Khafre'J and Mycermus

(Menkaure) - during the second half of the third millennium B.C. This site is one of the seven classic wonders of the ancient world, the only one that

has survived the passage of time.

The Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the three at Giza, is estimated to comprise as many as 2 .5 million limestone blocks with an average

weight estimated at 2.5 tonnes (2.5 tons). The entire structure was encased in a fine white polished limestone brought from the hills at Tura, on theopposite side of the Nile.

When completed, the Great Pyramid stood 146.6 meters (481 feet) tall, and its base was 230.3 meters(756 feet) square. The capstones

(pyramidions) of all the pyramids were made of solid polished granite. The King s burial chamber is located in the middle of the pyramid, high

above ground, and a series of relieving chambers were built above it to prevent it from collapsing. Two narrow shafts(9"x6") that lead to the

chamber for KA To pass.

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clockwise:

pyramid field, Giza

section of pyramid of Cheops, Giza

pyramid of Giza


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The Great Sphinx:

The Sphinx is the oldest and longest stone sculpture from the Old Kingdom. During the eighteenth dynasty, it was called "Horus of the Horizon" and

"Horus of the Necropolis", the sun god that stands above the horizon In later times, many Sphinx images were carved in small&r sizes or in cameos

with the faces of the reigning monarchs. The face of the Great Sphinx is believed to be that of Chephren, the fourth-dynasty pharaoh who built the

second-largest pyramid in the Giza triad. In the image of the Sphinx, the pharaoh was seen as a powerful god. Carved out of a natural limestone

outcrop, the Sphinx is 19.8 meters (65 feet} high and 73.2 meters (240 feet) long. It is located a short distance from the Great Pyramid.


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The Great Hyposlyle Hall of Karnak

Temple was begun during the reign of King Sety I (c 1290-1279 B.C ) and was completed by his son, Ramesses II (c.1279-1213 B.C ). The

north- south axis of the hall provides views which reveal not only the immensity bul also the practicality of the architecture. The central

row of 12 columns on the east-west axis are 69 feet/21 meters in height, about 33 feet/10 meters in circumference, and have open

papyrus capitals. The 122 columns in the side aisles are 43 feet/13 meters in height, 27.5 feet/8.4 meters in circumference, and have

closed papyrus-bud capitals. The difference in height between the central and the side aisle columns was used to provide natural light

through clerestory windows which have vertical stone slats.

clockwise:

the columns

the hall

the entry

at hall of karnak

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