MESOPOTAMIA

1. 1. Introduction
2. Cities
3. Temples
MESOPOTAMIA

2. “between two rivers”: Tigris and Euphrates
“cradle of civilizations”
wheel
music
instrument Hammurabi Code -Low
lettering
“meso” = between / middle of “potamos” = river

3. Civilizations:
• Sumerians
• Assyrians
• Babylonians
Materials & Construction
• No stone available
• Sun-dried brick (light & flexible)
rounded arches
vaults
• Facades with pilasters reinforced
with palm trunks
• Surface with colored tiles
Contribution to the Architecture
• Founding number of cities (heavily protected)
Ur
Assur, Khorsabad, Nimrud, Nineveh
Babylon
• Differtnt types of buildings:
temples
public buildings
palaces, houses

4. CITIES & TEMPLES

5. Summerian City of Ur & modern parallel
“High” or Platform Temples – it will lead to the
“staged towers” or Ziggurats
“High” or Platform Temples
mud-brick temples repeatedly
built
buildings built on the ruins so
that the temple would stand
on the raised platform over-
looking the surrounding houses
“Oval” Temple

6. Ziggurat of Ur
• area of 62m x 43m
• 3 stages / platforms
• top platform 20m above
material: sun-dried brick
life & ceremonies in front of the Temple

7. Ziggurat of Ur - Sumerians Evolution of Ziggurats

8. Assyrian City of Khorsabad & Palace
King Sargon II
Solders – wall treatment
sculptures made of
stone
Human headed
winged lions

9. Babylonian City of Babylon
Ishtar Gate & Processional Street
Wall treatment

10. • First description: he describes gardens as
"an exact resemblance of a mountainous
country “.
• Built around 600 B.C. by Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar for his wife Amytis.
• Hanging Gardens consisted of trees of all
kinds especially fruit trees that were
supported on vertical pillars.
• Gardens also had underground
passageways where a person could get
shade and view the root system of the
trees.

11. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

12. What have we learned….
• Civilizations 
• Materials & Construction 
• Contribution to the world of architecture 
• Cities 
• Temples 
• Hanging Gardens 