Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia:

 Mesopotamia (c. 3100 BC -539 BC.) is a toponym for the area of the
Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to Iraq, Syria,
Turkey and Iran. Mesopotamia included Sumerians ,Akkadians ,
Babylonian and Assyrian empires.

 Among the Mesopotamian architectural accomplishments are the

1.development of urban planning 2.the courtyard house, and 3.
ziggurats.

 Mud Brick , Red brick , glazed vitreous brick.,sun baked, crude brick,
etc.The walls were brilliantly coloured, and sometimes plated with zinc
or gold, as well as with tiles. Painted terracotta cones for torches were
also embedded in the plaster.
 MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Stone and timber suitable for
building were rare.
• Clay was the chief building
material.
• Walls were made of bricks (sun
dried.)
• Buildings were raised upon
platforms.
• Rooms were narrow with thick
walls.
• Buildings had courtyard.
• Massive fortifications, temples
complexes, palaces were main
structure.
• Temples were mainly made by the
Babylonians, palaces by
Assyrians.
• Temples were built upon
Ziggurats.
• Whitewashing by lime.
• Columns were not present for lack
of stones.
• Babylonians used domes , arches
, vaults.
• Late Assyrians & Neo-
Babylonians had columns.
 SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURAE
• They used to emphasis the base of the
buildings which is called podium.
Usually on podium there was another
part of the building called ziggurat.
• Podium also worked as a flood
protected device.
• Building plans of the civilization usually
maintained a common axis. The parts
of the building was fixed on the axis
according to the sequence.
• Rooms were narrow , walls were thick.
• No building was higher than temple.
MATERIALS:
• Initially they used mud , later mud
brick.
• Bitumen used as mortar.
• For reinforcement they used reed.
Used light in two ways:
Extrovert
Introvert
BUILDING TYPES:
• Temples were prominent.
• Administrative buildings were
functional not aesthetic.
 ZIGGURAT

 Ziggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley

and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of
successively receding levels.

 Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the
Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near Baghdad, Iraq; Chogha Zanbil in Khūzestān, Iran; and
Sialk near Kashan, Iran.It means holy mountain.

• A pyramidal staged tower , of which the angles were oriented to the cardinal
points.

• An important element in Mesopotamian temple complexes where temple

was built on its top.

• The no of stages rose from 1 – 7.

 EVOLUTION OF ZIGGURAT
• STAGE 0:

• In this stage single mud mound was set on the ground.

• STAGE 1:

• The previous mud mound took squarish shape in the plan.

• A tier made of mud set up on the top.

• Slopes were on all sides.

STAGE 2:

2 or more tiers were placed under the temple.

Plan was rectangular.

The mound was made stronger.

Plaster types of decoration was decorated on the wall of the podium.

Ramp was used.

Ex: Ziggurat at UR(2125 BC).

STAGE 3

4 – 5 tiers were set on it.

Each tier was sharper and taller because in this stage they knew stabilized
method.

Ziggurat became taller and sharper.

Plan of the ziggurat was squarish.

Ex: Tehoga Zanbil,Elam (1300 BC)

Temple complex, UR

A. Ziggurat @
Ur. With the
courtyard of
moon god
(Nanna).

E. Sanctuary of
Ningal.
F. Palace
I. Mausoleum
F. Palace
I. mausoleum of the kings of the 3 rd
dynasty
The ziggurat at Ur
 65m X 100m X 21m.
 3 terraces with sacred shrine on top.
 Strong axis created by the centrally run staircase of the 3.But the axis was not
carried throughout the temple complex.
 The lowest terrace was painted white, the next Black and the top Red ; all
representing god.
 Made of Square flat brick mortared with bitumin.
The Sumerian ziggurat was a piece in a temple complex that served as an
administrative center for the city, and which was a shrine of the moon god
Nanna, the patron deity of Ur. It was reconstructed during neo babylon.
 ASSYRIAN CIVILIZATION

• Mud bricks were used widely.

• Gypsum and lime stones were
used.
• Stone was used in special cases
like Bridge, Sculpture &
ornaments.
• Semi circular arch made of mud
brick used in doorway.
• Flat roof was usually made.
• Walls were angled and thick.
• Interior decoration was given
much emphasis.
• Barrel vault – specially used.
• Improvement of palace building
was done during this time.
 PALACE OF SARGON,AT KHORSABAD
Built by Sargon-II (722-705 BC)
• Plan of the city was squarish.
• In the palace each building was
raised on the platform.
• Palace was situated in one corner
of the city.
• It comprises large and small
courts , corridor rooms covering
23 acres.
• There were 3 main parts in the
palace:
– The temples(3 big & 3 small)
– The service quarters
(administrative)
– The living rooms.
• The walls of the palace and city
walls were 20’ thick.
• It had drainage system.
• The main entrance to the palace
was flanked by great towers and
guarded by man headed winged
bulls.
PALACE OF SARGON,AT
KHORSABAD
Gateway,Kings Sargon’s palace
Palace Court, Khorsabad

PALACE OF SARGON,AT KHORABAD

 NEO - BABYLONIAN

• Assyrians mud bricks were used for construction.

• Developed geometric design.

• Glazed tiles were very much used.

City /Sacred Complex of Babylon
• The city was rebuilt by Nebuchad Nezzar.
• There were two parts in the city.
Inner city
Outer city
Each heavily fortified.
• Euphrates river was at the western side.
• It had a very geometric layout.
• Inner city was approximately square in plan about 1450’ sides.
• Few main streets intersected right angles to each other.
• Street layout was also given emphasis.
• Between the main street there were business houses , temples, chapels.
• Palace , citadels were placed here about and connected on the water side
of the palace of 900’ x 600’ over all.
• In junction of two cities there was a gate called Ishtar gate.

• A ziggurat was placed about 295’ side in plan with seven stages.

• Central site of the river front were occupied by the chief temple of the God
of the city.
MAIN STRUCTERS:

• Southern palace
• Ishtar Gate
• The Esagila temple
• Ziggurat

The ancient city of Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar II
(605-562 BCE) rebuilt
Babylon, which
became the largest
ancient settlement in
Mesopotamia.. The
Sacred Complex of
Babylon, comprising
 The ziggurat Etemenanki/"House of the foundation of heaven on earth".

 (Tower of Babylon), constituted the spiritual and political hearth of Babylon,

capital of the Old Kingdom of Babylonia. The bulk of the tower was built with
unbaked bricks made by mixing chopped straw with clay and pouring the
results into moulds
 On the highest terrace was a temple, dedicated to the Babylonian supreme god
Marduk. There were several cult rooms for Gods.A room was called "house of the
bed" and contained a bed and a throne. A second bed was on the inner court of the
temple on the highest platform of the Etemenanki.
 The Esagila temple

The Esagila temple dedicated

to the God of Marduk . To the
south of the Street of
Processions is a major temple,
the Esagila "The Lofty
House", leading on to the site
of the Stepped Tower of
Babylon, which had eight
levels rising to a height of 91
meters, on a square base also
91 meters square. The Street
runs straight until the bridge
across the Euphrates, which
rested on bastions 9 meters
thick each.
 Southern palace:
 Southern palace: Nebuchadnezzar's Southern Palace (190 x 300 m) is situated
on the west side of this major street, made up of five courtyards each
surrounded by halls and a diversity of chambers, one of which is the throne
room (52 x 25 m). The Hanging Gardens, the remains of which are still visible
nowadays, were part of this palace.
Reconstructed city of Babylon
Ishtar Gate :
 :
Ishtar Gate Babylon was surrounded
by a moat and a double wall: the outer
wall was 16 km long, the inner, 8 km.
Straight, wide streets intercrossed, all
paved with bricks and bitumen. The
most important was the Street of
Processions, which passed through
Ishtar's Gate and ended in the Stepped
Tower. The remains of this street with
its bituminous paving are still there to
be seen today .

 In a depression a little short way off the

Street of Processions, still has some of
its old wall decorations of animals, god
of storms, symbol of Marduk, the chief
god. These brick relieves are not glazed,
as the beautiful glazed-brick panels
figuring the motifs.
Ishtar was the Goddess of procession and war.

• Was a gate of Nebuchad Nezzar’s great palace.

• It was on the north end of the procession street.

• Pylon was made with mud bricks, used on the surface of the gate.
• Façade was decorated with colored glazed tiles.

• On gate there were yellow and blue bulls and dragons on a green
background.
The bulls were natural
Dragons were abstract.

• Stone base was used to support the structure under the pylon.

• Interior part was also brightly decorated.

• There were rows of lions on the walls.

 PERSIAN CIVILIZATION

• LOCATION:
• Present Iran towards Tigris and Euphrates.
• FEATURES:
• People of this civilization used to believe in their two chief Gods.
• God of light – Ahura Mazda
• God of darkness – Ahriman

• Administrative system- individuality emphasize.

 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

• Was columnar.

• They liked spacious rooms for their nomadic life.

• Persian derived four things from other country:

• Gorge moulding – Egypt.
• Raised platform – Mesopotamian
• Sculptured monsters – Mesopotamian
• Relief slabs and thick walls - Mesopotamian
BUILDING MATERIAL:
• Mud
• Stone bricks
• Lime stones
• Elaborate use of wood.
• Beams made of wood.
 STRUCTURE:

• Column and beam structure.

• Used cavity walls for stability.
ROOF:
• Reinforced by reed
• Covered by mud
• Under it there was beam
• Roof was mainly flat

PLAN:
• Structures were mostly squarish.
• Used columns intensively.
COLUMN:

• Columns were made of stones.

• They were slender and graceful.
 PALACE OF PERSEPOLIS
• TIME:
• 518 – 460 BC
Built by
• Darius -1 (started the work in 518 BC)
• Xerxes 1 (executed most of the work from 486 – 465 BC)
• Asta – Xerxes -1(finished the work about 460)
 FEATURES:

• Closely arranged buildings with courtyards.

• Each buildings had a separate platform.

• Faced in well laid local stone bound with iron clamps.

• Platform size was 1500’ x 900’.

• Columns had two bulls on the capital.

 DESCRIPTION OF PALACE

STAIRWAY:

• The approach on the northwest was by a magnificent flight of steps.

• Width : 22’

• Shallow enough

GATE HOUSE:

• Built By Xerxes.

• Mud bricked walls.

• Faced with polychrome bricks , guarded by stone bulls.

APADANA:

• Construction begun by Darius ,

completed by two successors .

• Measurement:
• Area: 250’ x 250’.
• 36 columns.
• Wall thickness:20’

• Stood on its own terrace ,10’ high.

• Approach from gatehouse.

• Sub structure:
• 3 porticoes with double
colonnades.
• Stairway on the north east.

PALACE OF DARIUS:

• Small
• Lay immediately south of the
Apadana.
• Near the west terrace wall.
 PALACE OF XERXES:

• It was in the south west angle.

• Connected with Harem.

TRIPYLON:
• Terraced, centrally placed.
• Acted as reception chamber &
guard room.

HAREM:
• Woman’s L-shaped quarter.

TREASURY
• Built by Darius.
• It is at the south east angle of the
site.
• Had only a single doorway.
HALL OF HUNDRED COLUMNS:

• Built by Xerxes. DOORS AND WINDOWS:

• Finished by Asta – Xerxes -1 • 2 doorways and 7 windows on the

entrance wall.

• Size: 225’ square. • Rooms had no windows.

RELIEFS:
• Column:100 columns
• 3 tiers on the wall containing
• Supporting a flat roof. processional pictures of common part
of their life.

WALLS:

• Thickness:11’

• Double except the north side.