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LECTURE ll
ARCHITECTURE]
[EGYPTIAN
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Due to global warming, lush green land of N Africa turned into sandy desert-THE
SAHARA DESERT.
The population drifted towards west (Morocco, Spain etc.) and east (on the banks of
Nile).
High density of population, villages, towns and trade established themselves.
The river proved to be the life line of the population, providing them food, water,
mode of navigation and trade.
Hierarchy came into play- the elite started defining themselves as DIVINE.
Egypt never went through concepts
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like worship of mother goddess or cave
structures.
EGYPTIAN CIVILISATION
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ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
Readily available tractable material like reeds, papyrus & palm- branch ribs
plastered over with clay ( Walls / fences using bundles of stems placed
vertically side by side lashed to bundle placed horizontally near the top).
The buildings with circular plan could have domical covering of similar
construction or if a rectangular could have a tunnel shaped covering or flat
roof.
A type of pavilion of kiosk which cause to have a special religious significance
in connection with Heb-sed or jubilee festivals of pharaohs.
Palm logs rounded on the underside were sometimes used for roofing.
Sundried mud bricks (made from Nile mud mixed with chopped straw or sand14X7X4- inspiration from Mesopotamia) have always been in use & Stone
was used for finest buildings.
Inner face of all buildings for ordinary convenience & it is the outer face shows
inward inclination throughout Egyptian Architecture whether in brick or stone.
Sometimes reeds /fibers are placed between brick courses at interval courses
for reinforcement.
This is essentially a columnar and trabeate style expressed mainly in pyramids,
tombs and temples
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EVOLUTION OF PYRAMIDS
MASTABA
STEP PYRAMID
MEIDUM PYRAMID
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
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BENT PYRMID
These structures were invented to prevent animals from digging up the bodies
buried in the desert sand in order to eat.
Egyptian religion taught that the physical life was only temporary, while the
spiritual life was eternal, and thus temples and tombs became the focus.
The tomb became the gateway to the afterlife while the temple housed the gods.
The mastabas consisted of a regulated mound containing several small
rooms covering a broad pit. The body of the deceased was placed in a deep,
underground sealed chamber.
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FALSE DOOR
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STRUCTURE
The above-ground structure was rectangular in shape, had sloping sides, a flat roof,
was about four times as long as it was wide, and rose to at least 30 feet in height.
The mastaba was built with a north-south orientation.
The Chapel was decorated with pictures of the dead so that their families could
come to pay their respects.
A false door was placed opposite to the entrance with the statue of the dead.
A second hidden chamber called a serdabhoused a statue of the deceased that
was hidden within the masonry for its protection.
PYRAMIDS
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PYRAMID SYMBOLISM
Triangle
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pyramid
Construction with a square base and four triangular faces; it served as
a tomb for the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, represented here by the
pyramid of Cheops.
shaft
Narrow passage used by the workers to exit the pyramid after blocking the ascending
passage at the conclusion of the funeral rites.
air shaft
Ventilation shaft leading outdoors.
entrance to the pyramid
Point of entry into the pyramid.
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relieving chamber
Series of five chambers
designed to ease the pressure
exerted by the stone blocks on
the kings chamber.
kings chamber
Funeral chamber that housed
the pharaohs sarcophagus.
grand gallery
Large passage leading to the
kings chamber.
queens chamber
Unfinished chamber thought to
be the kings second chamber;
it was probably abandoned
because the access passage
was too narrow for the
sarcophagus.
underground chamber
Unfinished chamber located at
ground level, believed to be
the kings chamber; it was
built in case the pharaoh died
prematurely.
descending passage
Passage leading to the
underground chamber.
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MORTUARY COMPLEX OF
ZOSER
The Zoser comlex is 277m by 544m enclose space oriented along the cardinal
points.
The complex is surrounded by 10.5m high limestone wall. It is interrupted by 14
doors, however only one entrance is functional for the living.
Entrance to the complex is via an impressive colonnaded corridor of 20 pairs of six
metre columns into a room which further leads to the South Court.
Moving further ahead, is the South Tomb. It is entered through a tunnel-like corridor
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with a staircase that descends about 30m
before opening into the burial chamber.
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The first Egyptian pyramid was made for King Djoser (Zoser) by architect Imhotep.
The concept-six level tomb consisting of stacked mastabas that decreased in size
as they reached the top acting as a ladder that the dead king took to reach the
gods.
The pyramid originally stood 62 metres (203ft) tall, with a base of 109125m
(358410ft) and was clad in polished white limestone.In Zoser's pyramid, the
burial chamber was located
at the bottom of a 92 ft.
shaft.
The
chamber
entrance could be reached
by travelling down a sloping
passage originating at the
north face.
E A series of Galleries
W
(approx 6km in length) were
located at the bottom of the
shaft, and led into the
King's burial chamber which
was lined with timber and
blue tiles.
The serdab and offering
chapels were in a temple on
the north face of the
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pyramid that contained two
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PYRAMID OF MEIDUM-
The pyramid was constructed in steps like the old style step pyramids, first with
seven steps which was amended to eight and then filled with courses of stone to
create a smooth surface.
Many Egyptologists call the Meidum structure the first true pyramid and it certainly
appears to be the transition point between the early step pyramids and the great
monuments at Giza.
The Meidum pyramid was built in three phases of construction. Phase I consisted of
the building of a seven stepped structure, which was then enlarged and covered in
phase II and filled in with its final casing in stage III.
Today only three steps are visible, towering out of its mound of rubble.
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Original
name:
The
Persistent Pyramid
Original height: 93.5 m
Base length: 147 m
Angle of inclination: 51
50' 35
Time of construction: 3rd
and 4th dynasty
Building blocks: extremely
regular in height but vary in
length
Outer casing: in horizontal
layers
The entrance into the
pyramid is on the north side
up a 30m stairway. A
passageway
descends
down 57m to a level that is
below
the
pyramid's
foundation.
The
passageway levels out and
comes to a vertical shaft
that leads up to the burial
chamber. This chamber has
a corbelled roof and the
walls are lined in limestone.
The construction timbers
are still visible in this room.
The chamber is on the
same level as the pyramid's
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foundation.
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PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
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Khafres pyramid complex consists of a Valley temple (sometimes referred to as the Sphinx
temple), a causeway, a mortuary temple and the kings pyramid.
Khafres complex contained five boat-pits and a subsidiary pyramid.
Khafre's Pyramid appears larger than the adjacent Khufu Pyramid by virtue of its more
elevated location (10m higher), and the steeper angle of inclination of its construction it is, in
fact, smaller in both height and volume.
The pyramid has a base length of 215.5m (706ft) and rises to a height of 136.4 metres
(originally 143.5m.
The Pyramid is made of limestone blocks.
The slope of the pyramid rises at an 53 10' angle, steeper than its neighbor, the Pyramid of
Khufuwhich has an angle of 5150'40".
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THANK YOU
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