The document provides information about ancient Egyptian architecture. It discusses the geography and fertile land along the Nile River that allowed civilization to develop. It describes the government system with the pharaoh at the top. Major architectural structures included tombs like mastabas and pyramids, as well as temples and palaces. The largest and most famous structures were the pyramids located at Giza, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The pyramid complexes included mortuary temples, causeways, and subsidiary pyramids. The document provides details about the interior chambers and construction of the largest pyramids.

1. EGYPTIAN
ARCHITECTURE
SUBMITTED BY-
ANISHA KEWALIA
ARIMA CHATURVEDI
ATUL VYAS
PRATIBHA DASHORA
SIDDHARTH SAINI
SIMRAN AGARWAL
SHUBHANGI AGARWAL
SUBMITTED TO-
AR. KIRTI VARANDANI

2. SHUBHANGI AGRAWAL

3. •INTRODUCTION – GEOGRAPHY
•GOVERNMENT
•EGYPTIAN ART
•DAILY LIFE
•RELIGION
•MUMMIFICATION
•LIFE AFTER DEATH
•ARCHITECTURE
CONTENTS

4. Ancient Egypt -- a land of mysteries.
Mystery surrounds its origins, its religion and its monumental
architecture: colossal temples, pyramids and the enormous Sphinx.
 The seeds of civilization were first sown along the banks of the Nile.
This mighty river, which flows north from the heart of Africa to the
Mediterranean Sea, nourished the growth of the pharaonic kingdom. The
long, narrow flood plain was a magnet for life, attracting people, animals
and plants to its banks.
In pre-dynastic times, nomadic hunters settled in the valley and began
to grow crops to supplement their food supply. Seen as a gift from the
gods, the annual flooding of the river deposited nutrient rich silt over the
land, creating ideal conditions for growing wheat, flax and other crops.
The first communal project of this fledgling society was the building of
irrigation canals for agricultural purposes.
Bounded on the south, east and west by a impenetrable desert, and on
GEOGRAPHY

5. GEOMAP

6. GOVERNMENT
The pharaoh was the head of state and the divine representative
of the gods on earth.
Religion and government brought order to society through the
construction of temples, the creation of laws, taxation,
the organization of labour, trade with neighbors and the defence of
the country's interests.
The pharaoh was assisted by a hierarchy of advisors, priests,
officials and administrators, who were responsible for the affairs of
the state and the welfare of the people.
The pharaoh was at the top of the social hierarchy.
• Next to him, the most powerful officers were the viziers, the
executive heads of the bureaucracy.
•Under them were the high priests.
•They were followed by royal overseers (administrators) who
ensured that the 42 district governors carried out the pharaoh's
orders.
•At the bottom of the hierarchy were the scribes, artisans, farmers

7. SOCIO – ECONOMIC CHARACTER

8. EGYPTIAN ART
Ankh
In the shape of a mirror or
a knot, it is a symbol of life.
Vulture
It was the symbol of Upper Egypt.
Pharaohs.
Uraeus
The uraeus represents a rearing
cobra with a flared hood.
Shen Ring
The circular shen ring represen
the concept of eternity
Papyrus
It symbolizes the primeval
marshes of the creation story.
Menit Necklace
It serves as a medium to
transfer the goddess's powe
to the pharaoh.

9. DAILY LIFE
The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to
make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet.
Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling
expeditions, a means of recreation
 Ships and boats were the main means of transporting people and
goods around the country.
The banks of the Nile provided the mud and clay used to make
ceramic ware.
Women engaged in weaving, perfume making baking
and needlework.
There were skilled Carpenters, Stonemasons and Sculptors, Bead
Makers, Brickmakers and potters,
The ancient Egyptians were very particular about cleanliness and
personal appearance.

10. RELIGION
The people of Egypt practiced polytheism – the belief in more than one god.

11. MUMMIFICATION
They believed in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
This belief was rooted in what they observed each day. The sun fell
into the western horizon each evening and was reborn the next
morning in the east.
The practice of mummification began in Egypt in 2400 B.C. and
continued into the Graeco-Roman Period.
During the Old Kingdom, it was believed that only pharaohs could
attain immortality. Around 2000 B.C., attitudes changed, however:
everyone could live in the afterworld as long as the body was
mummified and the proper elements were placed in the tomb.
Materials used in mummification:
•linen
•sawdust
•lichen
•beeswax
•resin
•natron
•onion
•Nile mud
•linen pads

12. The corpse was
then washed, wrapped in
linen (as many as 35 layers)
and soaked in resins and oils.
This gave the skin a blackened
appearance resembling pitch.
The family of the deceased
supplied the burial linen, which
was made from old bed sheets
or used clothing.
In the Middle Kingdom, it
became standard practice to
place a mask over the face of
the deceased. The majority of
these were made of car
tonnage (papyrus or linen
coated with gesso, a type of
plaster), but wood and, in the
case of royal mummies, silver
and gold, were also used. The
most famous mask

13. LIFE AFTER DEATH
 They regarded death as a temporary interruption, rather than the
cessation of life.
To ensure the continuity of life after death, people paid homage to
the gods, both during and after their life on earth.
When they died, they were mummified so the soul would return to
the body, giving it breath and life.
Household equipment and food and drink were placed on offering
tables outside the tomb's burial chamber to provide for the
person's needs in the afterworld.
Written funerary texts consisting of spells or prayers were also
included to assist the dead on their way to the afterworld.
To prepare the deceased for the journey to the afterworld, the
"opening of the mouth" ceremony was performed on the mummy and
the mummy case by priests. This elaborate ritual involved purification,
censing (burning incense), anointing and incantations, as well as
touching the mummy with ritual objects to restore the senses -- the
ability to speak, touch, see, smell and hear.

14. The journey to the afterworld was considered full of danger.
Travelling on a solar bark, the mummy passed through the
underworld, which was inhabited by serpents armed with long knives,
fire-spitting dragons and reptiles with five ravenous heads.
Upon arriving in the realm of the Duat (Land of the Gods), the
deceased had to pass through seven gates, reciting accurately a
magic spell at each stop.
If successful, they arrived at the Hall of Osiris, the place
of judgement. Here the gods of the dead performed the "weighing of
the heart" ceremony to judge whether the person's earthly deeds were
virtuous.
The weighing of the heart was overseen by the jackal-headed god
Anubis, and the judgement was recorded by Thoth, the god of writing.

15. ARCHITECTURE
Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building materials
used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud brick and stone, mainly
limestone, but also sandstone and granite in considerable quantities.
Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud collected from the
damp banks of the Nile river. It was placed in moulds and left to dry in
the hot sun to harden for use in construction. If the bricks were
intended to be used in a royal tomb like a pyramid, the exterior bricks
would also be finely chiselled and polished.
The main structures include:
• TOMBS –
MASTABAS
PYRAMIDS
•TEMPLES
•PALACES

16. PRATIBHA DASHORA
TOPIC: THE GREAT PYRAMID
OF CHEOPS AT GIZEH
Contents :
i. The Pyramid of Khufu
ii. The Pyramid of Khafre
iii. The Pyramid of Menkaure

17. THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
 Giza was the most important royal necropolis of the
fourth dynasty(c.2613-c.2494 BC)
 The Giza pyramids were the burial places of the Fourth
Dynasty kings, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.
 Each pyramid was part of a larger complex consisting
of
i. Mortuary Temple
ii. Causeway
iii. Valley Temple
iv. Subsidiary Pyramids
 The pyramid of Khufu is surrounded by the five boat.
 The pyramid complexes are surrounded by ‘streets ‘ of
mastaba tombs belonging to the officials who served as
administrators or were in charge of funerary cults of the
deceased kings.

19.  Current excavation is beginning to shed light on the
lives and deaths of the workers who toiled to build the
memorials to the ancient kings.
 The great pyramid of Khufu was the largest of the three
pyramids at Giza and it appears smaller than the that of
Khafre, which was built on higher ground and stripped of
its casing of white limestone in antiquity and during the
9th century.
 Khafre’s pyramid retains its outer casing at the top. In
the foreground is the Sphinx, thought to a portrait of this
4th dynasty king.
 Mekaure’s is the smallest of the three mian pyramids at
Giza. The great gash in the north face was made by
Caliph Othman in AD 1196.

21. THE GREAT PYRAMID OF KHUFU
 The great pyramid of the Fourth Dyansty king
Khufu(c.2589-c.2566 BC) is the largest of all the
pyramids.
 It was originally 140m tall but is now 3m less
 At the base, the sides each measured 140m but are now
only 127m because the pyramid has been stripped of its
limestone casing.
 Its is estimated that about 2,300,000 blocks, each
weighing an average of 2.3tons went into the building of
pyramid.
 The original entrance is on the North face and is 15m
above the ground level, surrounded by a double vault.
 The lower entrance, used by the tourists today, was
made by inc9th century AD when entry was forced on

22. INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID
 There are at least three chambers inside the pyramid.Form
the entrance, a corridor leads towards for 18m and the divides
.
 One branch leads on down to an underground chamber,
which was left unfinished.the other climbs up towords the
Grand Gallery , where it again divides.
 A horizontal tunnels leads to a second chamber, misleadingly
known as the Queen’s chamber , while another tunnel winds
precipitously to connect with the descending corridor.
 An antechamber onnce blocked by three granite slabs from it
leads from it into the King’s chamber , the walls of which are
lined with granite.
 The king’s chamber is roofed with 9 granite slabs weighing
about 400 tons

23.  Above are 5 weight –relieving chambers,one above the
other, desinged to carry the enormous weight of the rest
of the pyramid.
 The Grand Gallery leads from the ascending corridor to
the burial chamber of khufu. The walls are 8.5mhigh an
47m long.

24. THE PYRAMID COMPLEX
 Although little remains today, the pyramid once
possessed a valley temple , causeway and mortuary
temple.
 The mortuary temple was much bigger than those of the
Medium and Dahshur pyramids .
 On the south side of the pyramid, there were three small
pyramids belonging to the queens Henutsen, Meritetis
and Hetepheres, Khufu’s mother
 To the East of the complex lie mastabs of his relatives ,
while those of his officials are to the West.

26. THE PYRAMID OF KHAFRE
 It was built on sightly higher ground and rises at a
sharper angle , the pyramid itself appears to be larger
than Khufu’s.
 It is the second in size
 There are two entrance to the pyramid on the north side,
of which the lower one is used by the tourists today. The
pyramid was served by a magnificent mortuary temple
110m long, with two pylons, a transverse vestibule and a
rectangular hall, both embellished with columns.
 A large court surrounded by a portico hwere would have
been statues of the king.
 Only the foundations of the superstructure remain, but
when the underground section was explored one of the
two passages was found toend in a niche that once
contained the remians of wooden shrine.

27. THE SPHINX
 Egypt’s earliest colossal royal statue ,the Sphinx is also an
integral part of Khafre’s complex.

28. THE PYRAMID OF MENKAURE
 The pyramid built by the 4th dyansty king
Menkaure(c.2532-c.2503 BC)at Giza
 It is only half the size of those of his predecessors, Khufu
and Khafre .
 It was partly cased in Tura limestone,16 courses of red
granite blockes were used for the lower section.
 The entrance on the North side of the pyramind leads to
down to a horizontal chamber decorated woth a false
door mofit.
 The lintel above the entrance to the horizontal corridor is
carved on imitation of a rolled red curtain.
 These are the first signs of decoration inside a pyramid
since the time of Djoser (c.2667-c.2648 BC)

29.  A horizontal passage with three portcullises leads to an
antechamber. From here, a second passage leads down
to the burial chamber, lined with granite.

30. MORTUARY AND VALLEY TEMPLES
 The remains of an unfinished complex mortuary temple
can be seen against the Eastern face of the pyramid.
 It consists of a vestibule, a large open court, a pillared
portico leading to the sanctuary and various ancillary
rooms , presumably for cultic equipment.
 Building was started in limestone, although the intention
appears to have been to case it in granite.
 Three small pyramids lie to the South of Menkaure’s,
one of which might have been intended as the king’s
subsidiary pyramid, later adapted to accommodate a
queen.
 The body of a young woman was found in the central
pyramid.

31. TEMPLE OF KHONS, KARNAK
By anisha kewalia

32.  Located at the northern
end of the town of luxor ,
karnak temple has three
main sacred areas that
honour three gods :
Montu, an ancient local
warrior god; Amun, the
chiefgodd of thebes; and
the goddess Mut, wife of
amun.
 Amun , mut and their son,
khonsu, were members of
the sacred family known
as the theban triad.

33.  The construction of karnak temple began in the middle
kingdom and was completed during the new kingdom ,
some 1600 years later. Every successive king of the era
added to the temple , which covers two hectares (five
acres) of land .
 It is a complicated site with four courtyards , ten pylons ,
a sacred lake and many buildings .
COLUMNS LEADING PATHWAY

35.  An avenue of sphinxes with curly – horned rams’ heads
leads to the entrance to the first pylon. The sphinxes
represent a form of the sun god , Amun – re. Between
their paws is a small figure of ramese – 2nd , who won the
battle of qadesh against the hittites in syria (1274 b.c.).

37. MASTABA AT BEIT KHALLAF
ARIMA
CHATURVEDI

38. 1) East side 2) South side 2a) South-West side 3) West side 4) North side
5) Entrance 5a) Entrance 6) The door 7) Panorama 8) The landing
9) Shaft 1 10) Shaft 2 11) Shaft 3 11a) Shaft 3 12) S-E corner
13) North view 14) The cave 15) In distance 16) 1901-2006

39. When approaching from the east the mastaba
stands on top of a low plateau overlooking the
area. The poor condition of this long side is
visible in a far distance. Just the south-east
corner (left) is standing in full height and the low
corner by the north gabel (right) gives a
characteristic silhouette.
The south side is in rather good
condition and the original slightly
vaulted roof is clearly visible with its
highest point in the middle. The rubble
piled up by the wall is coming from
diggings on the top.

40. A view from south-west showing
the two best sides of the tomb in
the late afternoon sun.

41. The stoney path going upwards (left) is
made of the debris from the collapsed
east long side.
The entrance to the interior is placed at
top of the north-east corner. Today it's
just possible to walk down the stairs for
about 15 metres in direction west before
the corridor is blocked.
The blocked door. A recess (right) into
the north wall was for offerings (from the
roof) i the cult
of the owner. Ottar Vendel holds a
standard size mud brick (28x12,5x9 cm)
used in the masonry.

42. The shaft going down to the beginning
of the main corridor. Below the filling at
the bottom is the landing outside the
vaulted entrance and the sloping long
corridor. The pillars and recesses of
brickwork in an irregular pattern are
hard to understand from a
constructional point of view.
The west side gives a good
impression of the huge size of this
monument - 86 metres. The debris at
the centre was partly made in 1901-02
when archaeologists excavated the
tomb. Five stones (green) were
blocking the stairs down to the
substructure. Roman anphora vessels
revealed that the tomb had been
entered and "investigated" before

43. Looking south at the biggest
shaft where two stone plugs go
down to the corridor 18 metre
down
from the shaft's bottom which is
around 16 meters into the hard
gravel. The construction shows
the interior brickwork to be more
elaborated than the drawing
from 1901 gives at a first glance.
Looking west shows its huge
size and complicated
masonry. Possibly all niches,
pillars etc.
were for supporting a
construction of wood when
the stone blocks were sunk
into the substructure.

44. The south-east corner shows the
wall to be a good 6 meters thick
and "investigators" have cut up
a hole. In background the fields
550 meters away and in distance
the mountains and the desert.
Standing at the south end on the
"roof" and looking north, shows all
six shafts. Which ones
archaeologists made during the
investigation in 1901-02 is not clear
due to the short description of this
work. The one in the front is right
over the grave chamber and beside
two offering wells.
On top looking south-
west gives an
impression of its huge
size.

45. The K1 monument in a distance seen from
mastaba K2 built 250 metres to north-west likely
during pharaoh Djoser’s elder brother king
Sanahkt. Some bones and a skull were found in
the grave chamber here and if compared with
the ones from K1 (if they still exist) a DNA test
might answer if the owners were related and if
so - how close they were kin. A thrilling thought
for the future.
At the west side near the north corner, a
hole is dug through a 2 m thick wall 4 m
inside the
outer wall (arrow). The filling inside has
been thrown out and made a cave 6 m
deep x 2 m,
stopping at another part of brickwork (1).
Looking out (2) a pillar is made by wall
(right).

46. MASTABA AT BEIT KHALLAF
 Beit Khallaf is a small village 10 km west of Girga in
Middle Egypt and outside stand the brick mastabas K1
and K2 from the third dynasty (2650-2375 BC).
 K1 (the biggest) has produced remnants from king
Djoser and was investigated in 1900-1902 by the
English archaeologist John Garstang.
 Its huge measurements are: 86 x 45 x 9 (11) m. The
foundation is hard stone gravel with a substructure
going down 19 meters below ground surface.

47.  A two meter thick outer wall holds the filling with sand
and stone and huge brickwork are made around pits and
corners. In the grave chamber was found some bones of a
man and hundreds of offering vessels etc. were found in
the under- ground chambers and stairway which was
blocked with masonry.

49. RECONSTRUCTION
 When the tomb once was closed, five wells were used
for offerings in the owner's memory cult, and all of them
ended within the structure above ground level.
 The volume of the construction is circa 38.500 cubic
meters and if the filling with sand/stones was one third
and the rest masonry the bricks used (300 per cubic
meter) must be at least 7.5 million!
 King Djoser's name was found on hundreds of
clay seals. His mother Nimaathapi was mentioned eight
times plus a single name of king Peribsen from the
second dynasty 50 years earlier.

50.  Also present were names of priests and chiefs of royal
vineyards. No adjacent tombs were found and this tomb
was lonely in the flood plain right from the beginning
4.600 years ago.
 The centralized royal power to the capital Memphis and
its burial ground Sakkara, included monumental
buildings too, and mastaba K1 at Beit Khallaf was
probably the last of its kind to be built in the
countryside.

52. The stairway (1) becomes the corridor (2) which widens and makes the
stone walled chamber for the deceased (3). Wells from above (in grey)
were for later offerings and all ended above the rooms. The tomb tried to
resemble the owner's house from his life on earth, and by the grave
chamber (bedroom) were likely facilities like closet (4), bathroom (5) and
lavatory (6).

53. ZIGGURATS: WHITE TEMPLE AT WARKA
ATUL VYAS

54. URUK
 URK-WHERE CITY LIFE
BEGAN MORE THAN FIVE
TOUSAND YEARS AGO AND
WHERE THE FIRST
EMERGED-WAS CLEARLY
ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT PLACES IN
SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA.
 WITHIN URUK,THE
GREATEST MONUMEMT
WAS THE ANU ZGGURAT ON
WHICH THE WHITE TEMPLE
WAS BUILT.

55. ZIGGURATS
 ZIGGURAT IS A BUILT RAISED PLATFORM WITH FOUR
SLOPING SLIDES- LIKE A CHOPPED-OFF PYRAMID.
 ZIGGURATS ARE MADE OF MUD BRICKS THE BUILDING
MATERIAL OF CHOCE IN THE NEAR EAST,AS STONE IS
RARE.
 THE SIDES OF THE ZIGGURATS WERE VERY BROAD
AND SLOPNG BUT BROKEN UP BY RECESSED
STRIPES OR BANDS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, WHICH
WOULD HAVE MADE A STUNNING PATTERN IN
MORNING OR AFTERNOON SUNLIGHT.
 THE NLY WAY UP TO THE TOP OF THE ZIGGURAT WAS
VIA A STEEP STAIRWAY THAT LED TO A RAMP THAT
WRAPPED AROUND THE NORTH END OF THE
ZIGGURAT AND BROUGHT ONE O THE TEMPLE
ENTRANCE.

56.  THE NLY WAY UP TO THE TOP OF THE ZIGGURAT WAS
VIA A STEEP STAIRWAY THAT LED TO A RAMP THAT
WRAPPED AROUND THE NORTH END OF THE
ZIGGURAT AND BROUGHT ONE O THE TEMPLE
ENTRANCE.
 THE FLAT TOP OF THE ZIGGURATS WAS COATED WITH
BITUMEN AND OVERLAID WITH BRICK , FOR A FIRM
AND WATERPROOF FOUNDATION FOR THE WHITE
TEMPLE.
 THE TEMPLE GET ITS NAME FOR THE FACT THAT IT
WAS ENTIRELY WHITE WASHED INSIDE AND OUT,
WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT A DAZZLING
BRIGHTNESS IN STRONG SUNLIGHT.

57. THE WHITE TEMPLE
 THE WHITE TEMPLE WAS RECTANGULAR , MEASURING
17.5*22.3 M AND , AT ITS CORNERS, ORIENTED TO THE
CARDINAL POINTS.
 IT IS A TYPICAL URUK HIGH TEMPLE .
 THE WHITE TEMPLE HAD THREE ENTRANCES,
 NONE OF WHICH FACED THE ZIGGURAT RAMP
DIRECTLY.
 THE NORTH WEST AND EAST CORNER CHAMBERS OF
THE BUILDING CONTAINED STAIRCASES.
 CHAMBERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NORTHEAST ROOM
SUITE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH
WODDEN SHELVES IN THE WALLS.

58.  FEW OBJECTS WERE FOUND INSIDE THE WHITE
TEMPLE THEY WERE 19 TABLETS OF GYPSUM ON THE
FLOOR OF THE TEMPLE –ALL OF WHICH HAD
CYLINDER SEAL IMPRESSION AND REFLECTED
TEMPLE ACCOUNTING.