Chapter 2 Report

Prepared by:

Francess Deanna Ramli(10-201005-00109)

Prepared for:

Mr Raed M. A. Elottol

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Table of Content

Content Page

Introduction

Ancient Egyptian Architecture

Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture

The Giza Pyramid Complex

- Pyramid of Kufu

- Pyramid of Khafre

- Pyramid of Menkaure

Karnak

- Precinct of Amun-re

- Precinct of Mut

- Precinct of Montu

- Temple of Amenhotep IV

Luxor Temple

Conclusion

References

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Introduction

Ancient Egypt was a prehistoric civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower

reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It was part of a superior complex

of civilizations, the Nile Valley Civilizations, of which regions south of Egypt are a part. Egyptian society

coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first

pharaoh, which was King Narmer, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history occurred in a

series of stable ’Kingdoms’, divided by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods.

Ancient Egypt reached its peak during the New Kingdom, after which it entered a phase of slow decline.

Egypt was under the enemy’s control by a succession of foreign powers in this late period. The rule of the

pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when Egypt fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province.

The victory of ancient Egyptian civilization stemmed partially from its ability to adapt to the environment

of the Nile River Valley. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced

surplus crops, which fueled social enlargement and culture. With wealth to spare, the administration

sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and neighboring desert regions, the early development of an

independent writing system, the organization of joint construction and agricultural projects, trade with

nearby regions, and a military intended to overpower foreign enemies and declare Egyptian dominance.

Motivating and organizing these actions was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and

administrators under the control of a pharaoh who ensured the collaboration and unity of the Egyptian

people in the context of an detailed system of religious beliefs. The many achievements of the ancient

Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the structure of

enormous pyramids, temples, and obelisks.

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Ancient Egyptian Architecture

The Nile Valley and the Great Pyramid of Giza

The Nile valley has been the site of one of the most dominant civilizations which developed a

vast array of various structures encompassing ancient Egyptian architecture. The architectural

monuments, which include the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza, are among the

largest and most well-known. Tombs and temples are also very vital to ancient Egyptian.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a

figurine of a reclining or couchant

sphinx, which is a mythical

creature with a lion's body and a

human head, that stands on the

Giza Plateau on the west bank of

the Nile in Giza, near modern-day

Cairo, Egypt. It is the largest

monolith statue in the world, standing 241 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66.34 feet high.

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Characteristics of Egyptian Architecture

Due to the insufficiency 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 significant

quantities. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while

bricks were used for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple grounds and towns, and for auxiliary

buildings in temple complexes.

Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud composed from the Nile River. It was positioned

in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to solidify for use in construction.

Many Egyptian towns have vanished because they were situated near the civilized area of the

Nile Valley and were flooded as the river bed slowly rose at some point in the millennia, or the mud

bricks of which they were built were used by peasants as fertilizer. Others are hard to find, new buildings

having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot environment of Egypt conserved some mud

brick structures.

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Dier al-Madinah authored by Steve F-E-Cameron

Examples include the village Deir al-Madinah, the Middle Kingdom town at Kahun, and the

fortresses at Buhen and Mirgissa. Also, many temples and tombs have survived for the reason that they

were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of stone.

Thus, our understanding of prehistoric Egyptian

architecture is based generally on religious monuments, massive

structures characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings,

possibly echoing a technique of construction used to obtain

stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and flatly

modeled surface adornment of the stone buildings may have

derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use of the

arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all monumental

buildings are post and lintel constructions, with flat roofs

constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls

and the closely spaced columns.

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Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers, were covered with hieroglyphic and

pictorial frescoes and carvings tinted in brilliant colors. Many motifs of Egyptian ornamentation are

symbolic, such as the scarab, or sacred beetle, the solar disk, and the vulture. Other familiar motifs

include palm leaves, the papyrus plant, and the buds and flowers of the lotus. Hieroglyphs were inscribed

for decorative purposes as well as to document historic events or spells.

Ancient Egyptian temples were united with astronomically significant events, such as solstices

and equinoxes, requiring precise measurements at the moment of the particular event. Measurements at

the most important temples may have been ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himself.

Osiride Piers in the Ramesseum at Luxor, Egypt and the Egyptian Scarab

A winged solar disk

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The Giza Pyramid Complex

Map of Giza Pyramid Complex

The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex

of ancient monuments is situated some 8 kilometres inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on

the Nile, some 20 kilometers southwest of Cairo city center. This Ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of

the Pyramid of Khufu also known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Cheops, the somewhat

smaller Pyramid of Khafre or Kephren, and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure or

Mykerinus, along with a number of minor satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, and the Great

Sphinx.

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The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops, is

the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis neighboring what is now El Giza,

Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain mostly

intact. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, Cheops

in Greek, and constructed over a 20-year period finishing around 2560 BC. Initially at 480.6 feet, the

Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made construction in the world for over 3,800 years, the longest period

of time ever held for such a record. Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that

created a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the fundamental core structure. Some of the casing

stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the foundation. There have been varying

scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction methods. Most customary

construction hypothesis are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and

dragging and lifting them into place.

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There are three identified chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber is cut into the

bedrock upon which the pyramid was built and was unfinished. The so-called Queen's Chamber and

King's Chamber are higher up within the pyramid construction. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only

pyramid in Egypt known to hold both ascending and descending passages. The main part of the Giza

complex is a setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu where one is

close to the pyramid and one is near the Nile, three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller

"satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding

the pyramid for nobles.

Mortuary Temple of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Deir el Bahari, West Thebes, Egypt

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The Pyramid of Khafre is the second-largest of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza and the

tomb of the fourth-dynasty pharaoh Khafre (Chephren). The pyramid has a foundation length of

215.5 metres and formerly rises to a altitude of 148.5 metres. The Pyramid is made of Limestone blocks

weighing more than 2 tons each. Two entrances direct to the funeral chamber, one that opens

11.54 metres up the face of the pyramid and one that opens at the bottom of the pyramid. These

passageways do not align with the centerline of the pyramid, but are offset to the east by 12  metres. The

lower descending passageway is carved completely out of the bedrock, descending, running horizontal,

then ascending to link the horizontal passage leading to the funeral chamber.

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One theory as to why there are two

entrances is that the pyramid was

anticipated to be much larger with the

northern base shifted 30 metres further to

the north which would make the Khafre’s

pyramid much larger than his father’s

pyramid. This would place the entry to the

lower descending passage within the

masonry of the pyramid. While the foundation is cut away farther from the pyramid on the north side than

on the west side, it is not clear that there is sufficient room on the plateau for the enclosure wall and

pyramid terrace. A substitute theory is that, as with many earlier pyramids, plans were altered and the

entrance was moved halfway through construction. There is a supplementary chamber that opens to the

west of the lower passage the purpose of which is doubtful. It may be used to store offerings, store burial

equipment, or it may be a serdab chamber. The upper descending passage is clothed in granite and

descends to join with the horizontal passage to the funeral chamber.

The burial chamber was carved out of a pit in the bedrock. The roof is constructed of gabled

limestone beams. The chamber is rectangular, 14.15 metres by 5 metres, and is oriented east-west.

Khafre’s sarcophagus was carved out of a solid block of granite and sunk partially in the floor. Another

pit in the floor likely contained the canopic chest.

Along the centerline of the pyramid on the south side was a satellite pyramid, but almost nothing

remains other than some core blocks and the outline of the foundation.

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To the east of the Pyramid sat the mortuary temple. It is larger than previous temples and is the

first to include all five typical elements of later mortuary temples: an entrance hall, a columned court, five

niches for statues of the pharaoh, five storage chambers, and an inner sanctuary. There were over 52 life

size statues of Khafre, but these were removed and recycled, possibly by Rameses II. The temple was

built of megalithic blocks, the largest is an estimated 400 tonnes, but it is now largely in ruins.

A causeway runs 494.6 metres to the valley temple. The valley temple is

very alike to the mortuary temple. The valley temple is built of megalithic

blocks covered in red granite. The square pillars of the T shaped hallway

were made of solid granite and the floor was cemented in alabaster. The

exterior was built of huge blocks some weighing over 100 tonnes. There

are sockets in the floor that would have fixed 23 statues of Khafre, but

these have since been plundered. The interior made of granite of the

Valley temple is remarkably well preserved. The exterior made of Limestone is much more weathered.

The pyramid was surrounded by a terrace 10 m (33 ft) wide paved with irregular limestone slabs behind a

large perimeter wall.

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The Pyramid of Menkaure, situated on the Giza Plateau in the southwestern outskirts of Cairo,

Egypt, is the smallest of the three Pyramids of Giza. It was built to serve as the tomb of the fourth dynasty

Egyptian Pharaoh Menkaure.

Menkaure's Pyramid had an original height of 66.5 metres. It now stands at 61 metres tall with a

base of 108.5 m. The first sixteen courses of the exterior were made of granite. The upper segment was

cased in the normal manner with Tura limestone. Part of the granite was left in the irregular. Incomplete

projects like this aid archeologists understand the methods used to construct pyramids and temples. South

of the pyramid of Menkaure were 3 satellite pyramids none of which appear to have been accomplished.

The largest was made partly in granite like the main pyramid. Neither of the other 2 progressed beyond

the construction of the inner core.

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This is the Menkaure’s Pyramid

with the 3 satellite pyramids.

Behind it is the Khafre’s Pyramid

and farther than that is the

Khufu’s Pyramid.

In the mortuary temple, the foundations, and the inner core were made of limestone. The floors

were begun with granite and granite facings were added to a few of the walls. The foundations of the

valley temple were made of stone. However they were both completed with crude bricks. Goerge Andrew

Reisner, who was an American archaeologist of Ancient Egypt, predicted that some of the blocks of local

stone in the walls of the mortuary temple weighed as

much as 220 tons, while the heaviest granite ashlars

imported from Aswan weighed more than 30 tons. It is

not abnormal for a son or successor to complete a

temple when a Pharaoh dies so it is not unreasonable to

presume that Shepseskaf finished the temples with

crude brick. There was a message in the mortuary

temple that said he "made it as his monument for his father, the king of upper and lower Egypt." During

excavations of the temples, Reisner discovered a large number of statues mostly of Menkaure alone and

as a part of a group. These were all carved in the naturalistic style of the old kingdom with a high degree

of feature evident. The pyramid's date of construction is unknown, because Menkaure's supremacy has

not been precisely defined, but it was probably completed in the 26th century BC.

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Karnak

The temple complex of Karnak is located on the banks of the River Nile some 2.5 kilometers

north of Luxor. It consists of four main parts, the Precinct of Amon-Re, the Precinct of Montu, the

Precinct of Mut and the Temple of Amenhotep IV, but it has been dismantled, as well as a few smaller

temples and sanctuaries situated outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, and a number of

avenues of ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Precinct of Mut, the Precinct of Amon-Re and Luxor

Temple.

The key difference between Karnak and most of the other temples and sites in Egypt is the length

of time over which it was urbanized and used. Construction work began in the 16th century BC.

Approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity and

variety not seen elsewhere. Few of the individual features of Karnak are unique, but the size and number

of features is overwhelming.

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Precinct of Amun-Re

This is the largest of the precincts of the temple complex, and is dedicated to Amun-Re, the chief

deity of the Theban Triad. There are some colossal statues together with the figure of Pinedjem I which is

10.5 meters tall. The sandstone for this temple, including all the columns, was transported from Gebel

Silsila 100 miles south on the Nile river. It also has one of the largest obelisks weighing 328 tonnes and

stationing 29 meters tall.

Precinct of Mut

The Precinct of Mut, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four major enclosed areas that make

up the immense Karnak Temple Complex and occupies some 150,000 m². It is dedicated to the Egyptian

goddess Mut, the mother goddess. The area, in which the precinct is situated, originally was known as

Isheru or Asher. Isheru was the name of the spring-fed, crescent shaped lake on the site of this portion of

the temple complex. At present the area is not open to the public or to tourists.

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Precinct of Montu

Precinct of Montu, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main enclosed areas that make up

the immense Karnak Temple Complex. It is dedicated to the Egyptian god Montu, the son of Amun-re

and Mut. The area covers about 20,000 m². It is located to the north of the Amun-Re complex and is

much smaller in size. It is not open to the public. Most monuments are poorly preserved.

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Temple of Amenhotep IV (deliberately dismantled)

The structures within the Temple of Amenhotep IV at Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, were used during

the first four years of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, when he still referred to himself as

Amenhotep IV. The temple that Akhenaten constructed on the site was located to the east of the main

complex, outside the walls of the Amun-Re precinct. It was destroyed immediately after the death of its

builder, who attempted to triumph over the powerful priesthood that had gained control over Egypt before

his reign. It was so well demolished, that its full extent and lay-out currently is unknown. The priesthood

of that temple regained its powerful position as soon as he died and was instrumental in destroying many

records of his existence.

Reconstructed wall decorations from the Temple of Akhenaten at Karnak. The building was later

demolished and its stone blocks ("talaats") were used to form the core of the 9th pylon of the Amun

temple during Horemheb's reign.

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Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple is a huge Ancient Egyptian temple complex situated on the east bank of the River

Nile in the city today known as Luxor or ancient Thebes and was found in 1400 B.C.E. , It is known in

the Egyptian language as ‘ipet resyt’, or "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the Theban

Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was constructed during the New Kingdom, the focus of the annual

Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby Karnak Temple to

stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility

hence its name.

The earliest parts of the temple still standing are the baroque

chapels, just behind the first pylon. They were built by Hatshepsut, and

appropriated by Tuthmosis III. The core part of the temple which is the

colonnade and the sun court were built by Amenhotep III, and a later

addition by Rameses II, who built the doorway pylon, and the two

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obelisks, one of which was taken to France, and is now at the centre of the Place de la Concorde,

connected the Hatshepsut buildings with the main temple.

A panoramic view of the interior of the Luxor temple, just inside the entrance.

The mosque built over the ruins is on the left.

To the rear of the temple are chapels built by Tuthmosis III, and Alexander. During the Roman

era, the temple and its surroundings were a legionary fortress and the home of the Roman government in

the area.

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Conclusion

Popular culture leads people to believe that Pyramids are highly confusing, with many tunnels

within the pyramid to create puzzlement for grave robbers. However, this is not true. The shafts of

pyramids are quite simple, mostly leading directly to the tomb. However, there are occasionally additional

tunnels, but these were used for the builders to understand how far they could burrow the tomb into the

crust of the Earth. Also, it is popular thought that due to grave robbers, future Kings were buried in the

Valley of the Kings to help keep them secreted. Nevertheless, this is also false, as the Pyramid

construction continued for many Dynasties, just on a smaller scale. Also, grave robbers did not appear in

the Old Kingdom, when the Giza Pyramids were constructed. Rather, it appeared much later in Egyptian

history. Finally, the pyramid construction was stopped due to economic factors, not theft. It was much

cheaper to bury the Kings in the Valley of the Kings, rather than construct huge, seemingly useless

pyramids.

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References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_architecture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxor_Temple

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luxortemple.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Concorde

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Obelisque_concorde_jms.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_al-Madinah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precinct_of_Amon-Re

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precinct_of_Montu

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precinct_of_Mut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Amenhotep_IV

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/architecture/architect.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/egypt.htm

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http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.4.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/architecture/egyptarchit.htm

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