ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE

3100-332 BC

Part 1
• Geographical location
• Socio-cultural-economic influences
• Architectural character
• Geological material
• Method of construction
• Domestic structures

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 1
OBJECTIVES
• Describe the architectural developments during the ancient egyptian
civilization
• Compare the Egyptian present architectural experiences in designing
structures
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 3000 BC to 1st AD
Physical Characteristics
Nile river provided good setting for
early settlement –water used for
transportation and irrigation
Climate-the Nile valley strip was
bordered with alluvial soil and
desert sand. Temperature rarely
exceed 38º C with little or no rain
The heat and humidity was conducive
to variety of plants and animals
Geological Materials –desert rich in
natural building stones and minerals.
Limestone, sandstone
The desert shielded Egypt from
external attacks
Nile River –efficient form of
transportation, affected culture and
economy of and fertilized the land
ancient Egypt

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 3
MAP OF
ANCIENT
EGYPT

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 4
 Religion

Social Structure

•Polytheism
•Worship wind and water
•Horus –god with a human body
and falcon face
•Osiris- god of death and rebirth
•Others gods and goddess

•Believe in life after death

•Mummified the dead bodies

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 5
Historical periods
Old Kingdom New Kingdom
• 2686 BC to 2182 BC • 1550 to 1069 BC
• period of Peace and economic • Construction of temples
prosperity • Egypt was a religious center
• Construction of pyramids, sphinx • Construction of rock –cut tombs .
• Stone architecture Body of pharaoh was buried in the
valley of Thebes
Middle Kingdom
2055 to 1560 BC
• Continued to build pyramids
• Start of building rock –cut tombs in
the Valley of Thebes with
mortuary temples (Mentuhotep
tomb)

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 6
ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
Available materials
•Papyrus, Reeds, palm-branch ribs
plastered with clay for walls
•Buildings circular in plan with
domical roof
•Rectangular in plan with tunnel-
shaped covering or flat roof
Papyrus with hieroglyphs
• Walls diminished course by course
toward the top due to he
shrinkage caused by annual
inundation. Interior face of the
wall was vertical. The outer face
showed the inward inclination or
the “batter” which is the
characteristic of Egyptian
architecture.
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 7
Ancient Egyptian house

• Mud brick for other structures

• Fiber or reed were placed in

between bricks to reinforce

• Timber were used for buildings

• Palm logs used for roofs

• Stones were used in the 3rd

Dynasty for rubble masonry,
stiffening , and foundation for
religious buildings

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Dwellings
• Ordinary dwellings were bricks
• One or two story high with arched
ceiling and parapet roof partly
occupied by a loggia
• Rooms facing the north-facing
court
• Barrack-like dwelling for the
workers at the pyramid complex
• Houses of the rich were two or
three floors high due to n
constricted lots
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE
• Gardens, pools laid out formally
surrounding the crude rectangular
dwelling with doors and windows
on dressed stones
• columns, beams and window
frames were made of timber
• Living rooms raised high to allow
light coming from clearstory
• Thee parts of the house: reception
suite on the north side, service
and private quarters
9
 Gorge molding

• Egyptian gorge cornice- produced by the

pressure of the mud roof against the wall
capital

Structural system
• Arches were adopted in the 3rd dynasty
• Columnar- use of column to support upper shaft/body
part of the building
• Trabeated-each column is tied to a horizontal
beam/stone to reinforce the column

base

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 10
Structural system of Ancient Egyptian
structures
EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 11
 Wall decorations

•Masonry walls surface decoration

done by scratching pictures on early
mud-plastered wall
•Wall are windowless suitable for
wall surface writing and art-incised
relief and hieroglyphs

Incised relief carving is sunk below

the level of the surrounding surface
and is contained within a sharply
incised contour lines that frames it
with a powerful line of light and
shade.
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12
Wall ornaments

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 13
•Egyptian Columns

Large proportion showing vegetative

origin
Shafts to base from bundle of plant
stems
Capitals from lotus bud, papyrus flower
and palm

EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE 14