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“ ust as life arose from the waters of the
primeval sea, so the waters of the Nile gave birth to the pharaonic kingdom. A gift to the people of Egypt Its flood plain was an extensive oasis, a
magnet for life -- human, plant and animal. Humans were drawn there because they could grow crops and settle into permanent villages. The annual flooding of the Nile deposited nutrient rich silt on the land, creating all the ingredients needed to support life and the growth of a great great civili civilizat zation ion..” The settlement of a town had to take two main considerations into mind The proximity to a water source and the height it was built above the flooding of the Nile.
NEW LANDMARKS IN ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTU RE AND CITY PLANNING
Social structure Influenced the city planning
EGYPTIAN TOWN PLANNING The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semiisolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development development of one of the world's great civilizations. •SECURITY •ECONOMICS •ELEVATIONS, KEPT ABOVE THE SLOWLY RISING PLAINS. • WHEN OLD HOUSES CRUMBLED, NEW ONES WERE BUILT ON TOP OF THE DEBRIS. •THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON UNTIL RECENT TIMES, WHEN THE YEARLY
INUNDATIONS WERE STOPPED BY THE ASWAN DAM.
•Didn Didn’t ’t continue to occupy the same site -> paucity of urban remains •No economic necessity, to take advantage of the enormous economic capital investment of walls •Each successive Pharaoh had the freedom to spend his reigning life
on earth preparing pr eparing his tomb for after-life. after-life. •Less time to settle down in each place •Most permanent building materials were used in temple or tomb construction
PLANNED PLANNE D CITY :- AKH AKHET ETA ATEN (Modern name: AMARNA) Akhenaten chose a magnificent site for his new residence city and religious cen enttre in middle Egypt ypt at Akhetate aten, 'th 'the Horizon izon of the Aten' (mod (moder ern n Amar Amarna na), ), Here was un unli limi mite ted d bu buil ildi ding ng spac spacee on a wide wide cr cres esce cent nt-s -sh haped aped plai plain n ru runn nnin ing g 6 miles or so (10 km) north to south by up to 3lf2 miles (5 km) east to west. Only a narr narrow ow strip trip of cu cult ltiv ivat atio ion n exis existted by the rive riverr, but on the opposite bank lay a great fertile plain 12 miles (20 km) across before the desert on the west side wa wass reac ach h ed .
This could form the farmland for the city, a royal garden estate, and was included in the geometrically precise tract of land delineated by the fourteen great rock-cut boundary markers.
The urban area proper was a ribbon development along the east bank of the Nile.
PLANNED PLANNE D CITY :- AKH AKHET ETA ATEN (Modern name: AMARNA) •Public open spaces had trees • Inhabitants often had their own private
garden plots. •Boundaries had empty space.
•Was abandoned after government
edifices had been erected. • These formed the town centre •The residential areas were north-east and
south-west south-west of them. •Workmen had to live in crowded flats of 60 m², or 100 m²
THE BEGINNINGS
Amarna is the modern name for the city built by Akhenaten, a Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. reign around 1350 BCE (1353 to 1336 BCE, Freed 1999:13).
Amarna is located as seen on the map above-on the Eastern side of the Nile
Akhetaten was hastily Akhetaten hastily constructed and covered an area of approximately 8 miles mil es (13 (13 km) of of terri territory tory on the east bank of the Nile River; on the west bank, land was set aside to provide crops for the city's population. The entire city was encircled with a total of 14 boundary stelae detailing Akhenaten's conditions for the establishment of this new capital city of Egypt.
NORTH CITY Royal Residences
a n CENTRAL CITY r a Administration m and religious A area f o s t n e t MAIN CITY x E e h T SOUTH SUBURB Residential Suburbs
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Linear development along east bank of Nile 3 main routes parallel to river, connecting various parts 7km long, 0.8-1.5 km wide overall Unfortified city, just symbolic walls enclosing the central temple and palace Since buildings were largely rectangular, there was regularity in overall layout without planning Palaces and temples built to a common c ommon frontage Residences of all types found in one quarter: Wealthiest people selected own house sites along main streets, streets, less wealthier ones took plots behind these, poor ones squeezed in.
PLANNE PLA NNED D CITY CITY :- AKH AKHET ETA ATEN •Whole space inside the walls was occupied by
houses. •The parallel streets were were about two metres metres wide •Whole space inside the walls was occupied by
houses. • Workers' settlement was walled in. •The temples, the palace and the royal residences,
the barracks, the offices of the administration, etc were not surrounded by any wall
North North City City Located within the North City area is the Northern Palace,, the main residence of the Royal Family. Palace Northern Suburb was initially a prosperous area with large houses, but the house size decreased and became poorer the further from the road they were. Cent Central ral City City Most of the important ceremonial a nd adm ad min iniistr trat ativ ive e bu buil ildi dinngs were lo loccat ate ed in th the e ce cent ntrral city. Here the Great Temple of the Aten and the Small Aten Temple were used for religious functions and between these the Great Royal Palace and Royal Res esid iden ence ce were the ceremonial residence of the King and Royal Family, and were linked by a bridge or ramp. Locat ate ed be behi hinnd the Royal Resi side dennce was th the e Bureau of Corre resp spon onde denc nce e of Ph Phar arao aohh , where the Amarna Letters wer ere e fou ound nd.. This area was probably the first area to be completed, and had at least two phases of construction.
Southern Southern suburbs suburbs the Southern Southern Suburbs contained the estates of many of the th e ci city ty's 's po pow wer erfu full no nobl bles es,, Th This is ar area ea al also so he held ld th the e st stud udio io of the sculptor Thutmose Thutmose,, where the famous bust of Nef efer erti titi ti was fou ounnd in 19 1912 12.. Furt rthher to the south of the city was Kom el el-N -Nan ana a, an enclosure, usually referred to as a sun-shade, and was prob pr obab ably ly bu buil iltt as a su sunn-te tem mpl ple. e.,a ,and nd th then en th the e Maru-Aten Maru-Aten,, which was palace or sun-temple originally thought to havve be ha been en co cons nstr truc ucte ted d for Akhenaten Akhenaten''s qu quee eenn Kiya Kiya.. City City outski outskirts rts Surrounding the city and marking its extent, the Bou Bound ndar ary y St Stel elae ae (each a rectangle of carv rve ed rock on the cliffs on both sides of the Nile) describing the fou ound ndiing of the ci citty are a prima mary ry sou ourc rce e of inf nfor orm mati tio on abou ab outt it it.. Away from the city Akhenaten's Royal ne necr cro opolis was start rte ed in a narrow valley to the east of the city, hidden in the cliffs. Only one tomb was completed, and was used by an unnamed Royal Wife, and Akhena nate tenn's tomb was hastily used to hold him and likely Meketaten Meketaten,, his second sec ond dau daught ghter er.. In the cliffs to the nort rthh and south of the Royal Wadi, the nob oblles of th the e ci city ty co cons nstr truc ucte ted d th thei eirr Tombs Tombs..
SOUTH SUBURB Residential Suburbs
PLANNE PLA NNED D CITY CITY :- AKH AKHET ETA ATEN •The Egyptians rarely planned
few spaces free for the important roads of access, •Setting temple districts apart and erecting an
adobe wall around it all. Akhetaten were at times times •Akhetaten
a jumble of houses,
• plot owners were not free to do as they liked. •They had had to take into account account their neighbours' neighbours' rights
and wishes •Use of grid-iron only for for a small and rela tively
example le of political political insignificant part of the city - examp expediency •The implementation of any town plan implies political control to ensure that the inhabitants conform to its requirements •Akhenaten could impose a plan on the
workmen, but not on his wealthy powerful relatives and officials
CITY QUARTERS
Egyptian city dwellers dwellers had little c hoice about adding further storeys. storeys. Land suitable for building above the floodlev floodlevel el of the nile •Had to be above •Reasonably close to the river •Many egyptians egyptians were forced forced to live in these crowded crowded conditions. conditions.
was no lack of suitable land, some private private homes were were still built •At akhetaten where there was in the same warren-like fashion.
PLA LANN NNED ED CIT ITY Y :- HOTE TEPS PSEN ENUS USRE RETT •Founded by senusret ii in the fayum •Inhabited for about a century. The outlay of the city
was rectangular • Area Area 350 350 x 400 400 sq sq m.
. •Surrounded by brick wall •Divided into two parts by another wall. •Different social classes did not live in separate city
quarters. •Rich residential area, where palatial 60 room
residences were were fifty times as big as the dwellings in the poorer half of the city.
PLAN PLANNE NED D CITY CITY :- HO HOTE TEPS PSEN ENUS USRE RET T (Kah (Kahun) un)
PLANNE PLANNED D CITY CITY :- HO HOTEP TEPSEN SENUS USRET RET •THIS PART HAD ALSO A WIDE
STREET LEADING TO THE PALACE. •THE STREETS ALL OVER THE
CITY WERE STRAIGHT LINES. •THE MAIN STREET WAS NINE
METRES . •STREETS IN RESIDENTIAL
DISTRICTS AS NARROW AS 1½ METRES. •STREETS HAD SHALLOW STONE STONE
CHANNELS RUNNING DOWN THE MIDDLE FOR DRAINAGE .
PLAN PLANNE NED D CIT CITY Y ::- HOTE HOTEPS PSEN ENUS USRE RETT
•Uniform type of houses with no gardens •Each house has its own open court
•House of ordinary workman = At
least 3 rooms + courtyard • depending on status, number of rooms
increased, some even 2 floors •The whole area was covered with streets and
one-storeyed mud-brick buildings. buildings.
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HOTEPSENUSRET WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM AKHENATEN'S 2 situations whereb wher eby y an ancient Egyptian temple was either: New foundation on a hitherto nonurban site and where it was to remain the principal or even sole •
reason for a settlement’ settl ement’s s existence
Eg. Kahun Part of community which which had other independent bases for its economic life Eg. Akhenaten •
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Temple districts •Temple districts were better planned. • The outlay of individual temples was basically
symmetrical. •Walls surrounded them.
hotep-senus nusret ret :•At hotep-se a) the brick wall was on three sides of the temple Was 12 metres metres thick and and lined with with limestone. limestone. Avenues Avenues leading through the city to the temple district were wide, suitable for processions.
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The temple complexes had extensive storage space The thickness of the brick wall lined with limestone hotep senusr senusret et (kahun (kahun)) was was about about 12 metres metres . Its height must have been correspondingly great. When walls were built completely of stone, their thickness could be reduced, but they were were still quite massive.
• Paved street five five metres wide was discovered. discovered. •
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Pavement of streets was restricted to the temple complexes Temples were surrounded by an empty space Over time houses were built right up to the outer temple walls. Houses decayed and were rebuilt many times times , result that the ground ground level of the residential area rose The temples which, being built of stone, were not periodically rebuilt, seemingly sank into the ground.
Palaces The whole compound was was enclosed and separate from the rest of the capital, Albeit close to suppliers of services, temples and the seat of the administration
Workers' dwellings The houses of the workmen had two to four rooms on the ground floor (44 and 60 m²) • access to the flat roof, which was used as
living and storing space. • The houses abutting the inner wall on the eastern side were bigger, having up to seven rooms. dwellings had conical granaries on •Some of the dwellings the ground floor. The doorways were arched ba rrel-vaulting aulting have been •Traces of brick barrel-v found on supporting walls. were made of wooden planks supported •Roofs were by beams and plastered over with mud.
Deir-el-medina: Worker’s Worker’s villages
The Great Houses The Great Houses covered about 2700 m² each and served as offices and living quarters for the high officials in charge of the construction work and their families. There were four almost identical houses and one differently built one north of the street and another three with a completely different ground plan south of it. After the pyramid had been built and the officials had left, people began to take over their houses, adapting them to their own needs by walling up entrances and creating new walls and passages.
The Great Houses The layout of one of the northern Great Houses 1 Main entrance 2 Doorkeeper's lodge 3 Offices, guest rooms 4 Pillared hall 5 Private quarters 6 The mandara, i.e. reception room for strangers 7 Open courtyard 8 Best hall, with columns and tank 9 Private rooms 10 Visitors' passage to the mandara 11 Women's hall 12 Women's quarters 13 Store rooms
National capitals – Memphis and Thebes National capital / administrative centres – most important towns Memphis – Capital of Northern Egypt Thebes – Capital of Southern Egypt
On the fertile west bank of Nile Numerous temples and palaces, and pyramid complex complex of Sakkara (step – pyramid pyramid os Djoser) Djoser)
On east bank of Nile, houses Temple of Luxor, Luxor, Temple complex at Karnak Karnak with the the great temple temple of Amun (c.1991-785 (c.1991-785 BC) Right across on west bank, was the Necropolis of Thebes – Tomb of Tutankhamun
Memphis A
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Thebes
Thebes. General plan showing principal urban areas.
What was meant to be the Home for the Pharaoh after his death is One of the major tourist attractions today….
Thank you Abhishek K.V.
