Image Gallery
Pyramid of Sahure
Sahure (2490-2477 BCE) built his mortuary complex at Abusir near the Temple of the Sun. He was the first to make use of the palmiform columns in architecture which would become standard for columns throughout Egypt from then on (the well-known columns whose tops are shaped like palm fronds).
Questions & Answers
When did ancient Egyptian architecture begin and end?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture developed during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) and continued through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) and then, sporadically, during the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE-646 CE).
What is the first pyramid built in Egypt?
- The first pyramid built in ancient Egypt is Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara c. 2670 BCE.
What inspired ancient Egyptian architecture?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture was inspired and informed by the concept of ma'at (balance, harmony) and stability. Buildings were designed to represent the order established by the gods.
What is the most famous architecture in Egypt?
- The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are the most famous pieces of architecture from ancient Egypt.
External Links
License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Chanel Wheeler. Uploaded by Ibolya Horváth, published on 26 September 2016. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
