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Egyptian Town Planning
Egyptian Town Planning
LECTURE 3
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All the main settlements developed in a linear pattern along the River Nile, which was the
primary resource.
“Just 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
• 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’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 his tomb for after-life.
•Less time to settle down in each place
•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.
PLANNED CITY :- AKHETATEN
(Modern name: AMARNA)
•Public open spaces had trees
CENTRAL CITY
Administration
and religious
area
MAIN CITY
SOUTH SUBURB
Residential
Suburbs
• 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 frontage
• Residences of all types
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.
Egyptian city dwellers had little choice about adding further storeys.
•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
•STREETS IN RESIDENTIAL
DISTRICTS AS NARROW AS 1½
METRES.
•At hotep-senusret :-
a) 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.
Temple districts
• The temple complexes had extensive storage 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)
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Thebes
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