Egyptian Civilisation

Just as life arose from the waters of the primeval sea, so the waters of the Nile gave birth to the
pharaonic kingdom. 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 civilization.” 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.

EGYPTIAN TOWN PLANNING

The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi isolation provided by
deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations.
Each successive Pharaoh had the freedom to spend his reigning life on earth preparing his tomb for
after-life. Most permanent building materials were used in temple or tomb construction.

Planned City: AKHETATEN (Modern name: AMARNA)

Akhenaten chose a magnificent site for his new residence city and religious centre in middle Egypt at
Akhetaten, 'the Horizon of the Aten' (modern Amarna), Here was unlimited building space on a wide
crescent-shaped plain running 6 miles or so (10 km) north to south by up to 3lf2 miles (5 km) east to
west. Only a narrow strip of cultivation existed by the river, but on the opposite bank lay a great
fertile plain 12 miles (20 km) across before the desert on the west side was reached. 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.

Amarna is the modern name for the city built by Akhenaten, a Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of
ancient Egypt.

Akhetaten was hastily constructed and covered an area of approximately 8 miles (13 km) of territory
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
The city was linearly developed along east bank of Nile. 3 main routes parallel to river, were planned
to connect to various parts. It was an 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 were built to a common frontage. Residences of all types were found
in one quarter: Wealthiest people selected own house sites along main streets, less wealthier ones
took plots behind these, poor ones squeezed in.
Planned City: AKHETATEN

Whole space inside the walls was occupied by houses. The parallel
streets were about two metres wide. 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 City

Located within the North City area is the Northern Palace,

the main residence of the Royal Family. 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.

Central City

Most of the important ceremonial and administrative

buildings were located in the central 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 Residence were the ceremonial residence
of the King and Royal Family, and were linked by a bridge or
ramp. Located behind the Royal Residence was the Bureau of
Correspondence of Pharaoh, where the Amarna Letters were
found. This area was probably the first area to be completed,
and had at least two phases of construction.

Southern suburbs

The Southern Suburbs contained the estates of many of the

city's powerful nobles, This area also held the studio of the
sculptor Thutmose, where the famous bust of Nefertiti was
found in 1912. Further to the south of the city was Kom el-
Nana, an enclosure, usually referred to as a sun-shade, and
was probably built as a sun-temple, and then the Maru-
Aten, which was palace or sun-temple originally thought to
have been constructed for Akhenaten's queen Kiya. City
outskirts Surrounding the city and marking its extent, the
Boundary Stelae (each a rectangle of carved rock on the
cliffs on both sides of the Nile) describing the founding of
the city are a primary source of information about it. Away
from the city Akhenaten's Royal necropolis was started 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 Akhenaten's tomb was hastily used to hold
him and likely Meketaten, his second daughter. In the cliffs
to the north and south of the Royal Wadi, the nobles of the
city constructed their Tombs.
The Egyptians rarely planned few spaces free for the important roads of access. Temple districts were
set apart by erecting an adobe wall around it all. Akhenaten were at times like a jumble of houses,
plot owners were not free to do as they liked. They had to take into account their neighbours' rights
and wishes. Use of grid-iron only for a small and relatively insignificant part of the city - example of
political 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 had little choice about adding further storeys. Land suitable for building had to
be above the floodlevel of the nile at the same time reasonably close to the river. Many egyptians
were forced to live in these crowded conditions. At akhetaten where there was no lack of suitable
land, some private homes were still built in the same warren-like fashion.

Planned City : HOTEPSENUSRET

Founded by Senusret II in the Fayum. It was inhabited for about a century. The outlay of the city was
rectangular. The city was surrounded by brick wall and divided into two parts by another wall.
Different social classes did not live in separate city quarters and were rather planned to intermingle
with each other. Although the rich residential area, had palatial 60 room residences which were fifty
times as big as the dwellings in the poorer half of the city.

The city had wide streets leading to the palace. All the streets connecting various parts of the city
were straight lines. The main street could go upto 9 meters wide while the streets in residential
districts could go as narrow as 1 ½ meters. The streets were also planned for drainage by having
shallow stone channels run down the middle of them.

The city had uniform type houses with no gardens, with each house having their own open
courtyards. Houses of Ordinary men had at least 3 rooms and a courtyard. Depending on their status,
number of rooms increased, sometimes even to 2 floors. The whole area was covered with streets
and one storeyed mud buildings.

Temple districts

Temple districts were better planned. The outlay of individual temples was basically symmetrical and
were surrounded by walls . At hotep-senusret, the brick wall was on three sides of the temple Was
12 metres thick and lined with limestone. Avenues leading through the city to the temple district
were wide, suitable for processions.

The temple complexes had extensive storage space. The thickness of the brick wall lined with
limestone hotep senusret (kahun) was about 12 metres . Its height must have been correspondingly
great. When walls were built completely of stone, their thickness could be reduced, but they were
still quite massive. Paved street five metres wide was discovered. 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, result that the
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 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. Some of the dwellings had conical granaries on
the ground floor. The doorways were arched and traces of brick barrel-vaulting have been found on
supporting walls. Roofs were made of wooden planks supported by beams and plastered over with
mud.
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 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