ANCIENT &

ASIAN
ARCHITECTURE
Prepared and Delivered by
Dr. Hazrina Haja Bava Mohidin
 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

PART 1 PART 2
About the course Introduction
Course Information Ancient Architecture specifically
Learning Outcome in and around Asia
-Egypt
-Mohenjo Daro & Harappa
-Mesopotamia

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 Part 1
About the course
BIA 1004
Ancient and Asian Architecture
 “
How we will go about in
class ?

- do’s and dont’s

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 By the end of the class, you will be able to..

➢ Identify architectural origins and entities of ancient civilizations,

Asian vernacular architecture and Islamic architecture.
➢ Differentiate the various characteristics of ancient civilizations,
Asian vernacular architecture and Islamic architecture
➢ Describe the legacy of ancient civilizations, Asian vernacular
architecture and Islamic architecture throughout history.

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 Part 2
Introduction to
Ancient and Asian
Architecture
 Scope of the course
River Valley
Civilization (Egypt is
part of African
Continent)
Ancient Architecture

Central America
Civilization

East Asia

South Asia

Asian Architecture

West Asia

Islamic Architecture

Southeast Asia

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 Week 1 Lecture: River Valley Civilization (3000-2000BC)

Indus Valley (Mohenjo Tigris and Euphrates Nile River (Ancient

Daro and Harappa) River (Mesopotamia) Egypt)
Mohenjo-daro was one of the Mesopotamia is an ancient Ancient Egypt was a civilization
largest cities of the ancient Indus historical region in West Asia, of ancient North Africa,
Valley Civilization, also known as located in the heart of the Tigris– concentrated along the lower
the Harappan Civilization, which Euphrates river system. In fact, reaches of the Nile River in the
developed around 3,000 BC from the name Mesopotamia translates place that is now the country
the prehistoric Indus culture. to “the land between the rivers” Egypt.
in Greek.

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 WORLD MAP

Mesopotamia

Syria,
Central Iraq, etc Indus
America Nile

Egypt
Pakistan

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Mohenjo Daro &
Harappa
Indus River
 Indus Valley (Mohenjo Daro and Harappa)
The Indus Valley Civilisation was a Bronze
Age civilisation in the north western regions
of South Asia, extending from what today is
northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and
northwest India, lasting from 3300 BC to
1300 BC, and in mature form from 2600
BCE to 1900 BC.*
Along with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia,
it was one of three early civilisations of
the Old World
Geographically, the Indus Valley is a fertile
land, with Indus River cutting through the
two cities forming the great river system
* depending on the excavation data obtained at various times

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Both Mohenjo Daro and Harappa are located
near the Indus river and both are equally
fertile.
It was confirmed by archeologists that these
two cities existed together and had similar
traits.

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Indus Valley (Mohenjo Daro and Harappa)

The city lacks ostentatious palaces,

temples, or monuments. There's no
obvious central seat of government
or evidence of a king or queen.
Modesty, order, and cleanliness were
apparently preferred. Pottery and
tools of copper and stone were
standardized. Seals and weights
suggest a system of tightly controlled
trade.

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 Architectural characteristics and planning

The ancient city sits on elevated ground

in the modern-day Larkana district of
Sindh province in Pakistan.
It spread out over about 250 acres (100
hectares) (some say 500 acres)* on a
series of mounds, and the Great Bath
and an associated large building
occupied the tallest mound

* depending on the excavation data obtained at various times

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A well-planned street grid and an elaborate drainage system hint that the occupants of
the ancient Indus civilization city of Mohenjo Daro were skilled urban planners with a
reverence for the control of water. They also separated the public and residential spaces for
better access and zoning.

City planning Drainage system

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Being in the bronze age, the Indus The Indus Valley people used tan coloured
Civilization evolved some new techniques sundried mudbricks and wooden structures to build
in metallurgy and produced their homes and other buildings. Most houses had
copper, bronze, lead, and tin. The enclosed courtyards and some were several stories tall.
engineering skill of the people was The civilization’s engineers and builders were highly
remarkable, especially in building skilled. Large buildings stored grain, wells supplied
docks. terracotta, bronze, and steatite water and every house had at least one indoor
were also found in the excavation site bathroom. Wastewater flowed through pipes and houses
also had garbage chutes connected to bins in the
The people of the Indus Civilisation streets.
achieved great accuracy in measuring
length, mass, and time. They were
among the first to develop a system of
uniform weights and measures.

Artist impression of livelihood

during the Indus Civilization

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The advanced architecture of the Indus
Civilization is shown by their impressive
dockyards, granaries, warehouses, brick
platforms, and protective walls. The massive
walls of Indus cities most likely protected the
them from floods and may have dissuaded
military conflicts

Within the city, individual homes or groups of

homes obtained water from wells. From a
room that appears to have been set aside for
bathing, waste water was directed to covered
drains, which lined the major streets. Houses
opened only to inner courtyards and smaller
lanes. The house-building in some villages in
the region still resembles in some respects the
house-building of the Indus Civilization.

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 Summary of Indus Civilization
➢Historical – one of the oldest ancient civilization existed 3000BCE
➢Geographical characteristics – near Indus river, hence the very fertile
➢Political and religion– not very dominant in their life, emphasis more on life
➢Building typology – public: public bath, citadel, granary, docks, etc (life, survival and
necessities)- domestic – houses (single and multi-storey)
➢Architecture Characteristics – minimal and non-articulated, has courtyards and baths
➢Material and technology – natural resources (obtained locally) and high in technology for drain
and waste system
➢City planning- advance grid system
➢Others: mathematical advance knowledge

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Mesopotamia
Tigris and Euphrates River
 Tigris and Euphrates River (Mesopotamia Civiliation)
Mesopotamia is a region of
southwest Asia in the Tigris and
Euphrates river system that
benefitted from the area’s climate
and geography to host the
beginnings of human civilization
where the land is very fertile
Mesopotamia is located in the
region now known as the Middle
East, which includes parts of
southwest Asia and lands around
the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

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Important historical events – People of Mesopotamia
The Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) dominated Mesopotamia
from the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BC) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was
conquered by the Achaemenid Empire. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death,
it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire

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Architecture of Mesopotamia
Among the Mesopotamian architectural
accomplishments are the development of urban
planning, the courtyard house, and ziggurats. No
architectural profession existed in Mesopotamia;
however, scribes drafted and managed construction
for the government, nobility, or royalty.

The architecture of Mesopotamia were more

elaborated in terms of function and articulation as it is
a juxtaposition of several regions and influences
based on location and historical evidences.

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Architectural Characteristics
Typologies
• Palaces
• Temples (Ziggurat)
• Fortress
• Domestic houses

• Urban planning
• Landscape design

Material and technology

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 Mari Palace, Syria

Palaces
The palaces of the early Mesopotamian elites were
large-scale complexes, and were often lavishly
decorated.

palaces functioned as large-scale socio-economic

institutions, and therefore, along with residential and
private functions, they housed craftsmen workshops,
food storehouses, ceremonial courtyards, and are often
associated with shrines.

It houses major complex with multiple courtyards, a

number of sanctuaries, burial chambers for dead
priestesses, and a ceremonial banquet hall.

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Temples
The plan of the temple was
rectangular with the corners
pointing in cardinal directions to
symbolize the rivers which flow
from the mountain to the four
world regions. The orientation
also serves a more practical
purpose of using the temple roof
as an observatory for Sumerian
timekeeping. The temple was
built on a low terrace of rammed
earth meant to represent the
Ziggurats were huge pyramidal temple towers which were sacred mound of primordial land
first built in Sumerian City-States and then developed in which emerged from the water
Babylonia and Assyrian cities as well. There are 32
ziggurats known at, or near, Mesopotamia

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Ziggurat
• Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval,
or square platform, the ziggurat was
a pyramidal structure. Sun-baked bricks made up
the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks
on the outside. The facings were often glazed in
different colors and may have
had astrological significance.

• The number of tiers ranged from two to seven,

with a shrine or temple at the summit. Access to
the shrine was provided by a series of ramps on
one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from
base to summit. It has been suggested that
ziggurats were built to resemble mountains, but
there is little textual or archaeological evidence to
support that hypothesis.

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Fortress
• Composed of walls and towers
• Made of stones and sun dried bricks
• The entrances are great arched gateways
flanked by square towers.
• New knowledge in building arches using
stones, brick and clay
Houses
• The materials used to build a Mesopotamian house
were mud brick, mud plaster and wooden doors, which
were all naturally available around the city
• Mostly are ruined but character of the houses are being
carried through in most areas in current time
• The external walls were featureless with only a single
opening connecting the house to the street.

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Urban Planning and Landscape Design
• The construction of cities was the end product of trends which began in the Neolithic
Revolution.
• The growth of the city was partly planned and partly organic.
• Planning is evident in the walls, high temple district, main canal with harbor, and main street.
• The finer structure of residential and commercial spaces is the reaction of economic forces
to the spatial limits imposed by the planned areas resulting in an irregular design with regular
features.
• The typical city divided space into residential, mixed use, commercial, and civic spaces.
The residential areas were grouped by profession.
• At the core of the city was a high temple complex always sited slightly off of the geographical
center.
• This high temple usually predated the founding of the city and was the nucleus around which
the urban form grew.
• The districts adjacent to gates had a special religious and economic function.
• The city always included a belt of irrigated agricultural land including small hamlets. A
network of roads and canals connected the city to this land as transportation is essential

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Summary of Mesopotamia Civilization
• Historical – one of the more • Political and religion– practice of religion is apparent
complex civilization – through availability of temples (ziggurat) as well as place
various cultural and influences. of administrative and status (palace).
• Geographical characteristics – Importance of religions – temple situated at the core of
near two rivers resulting to very the city
fertile soil • Building typology – governance, worship, public and
domestic
• Architecture Characteristics – minimal and partially
articulated especially in temples and palaces, has
courtyards in bigger buildings. Houses were modest.
• Material and technology – natural resources (obtained
locally) and high in technology especially skills in
building arches and gateways flanked by square towers
• City planning- advance grid system, clear city zonings,
and availability of roads and canals

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Ancient Egypt
Nile River
Ancient Egypt Civilization – Nile River
Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient North Africa,
concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the
place that is now the country Egypt around 3100BC

The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its

ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for
agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of
the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a
more dense population, and social development and culture.

The Nile has been the lifeline of its region for much of human
history. The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave humans the
opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a
more sophisticated, centralized society that became a
cornerstone in the history of human civilization

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 Administrative and Governance

• The pharaoh was the absolute monarch of the country

and wielded complete control of the land and its
resources.

• The king was the supreme military commander and

head of the government, who relied on a bureaucracy of
officials to manage his affairs.

• The temples formed the backbone of the economy.

Not only were they houses of worship, but were also
responsible for collecting and storing the nation's
wealth in a system of granaries and treasuries
administered by overseers, who redistributed grain and
goods.

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Ancient Egypt Civilization – Nile River
• Egyptian society was highly stratified, and social
status was expressly displayed.
• Farmers made up the bulk of the population, but
agricultural produce was owned directly by the state,
temple, or noble family that owned the land
• Artists and craftsmen were of higher status than farmers,
but they were also under state control, working in the shops
attached to the temples. Arts and crafts were important to
them
• The upper class prominently displayed their social status
in art and literature. Below the nobility were the priests,
physicians, and engineers with specialized training in their
field.
• Slavery was also available during that time

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Architecture

Architecture in Ancient Egypt was greatly influenced by the

social scenario where status and power were exercised.
Some of the most prominent typologies were:

• Temples
• Pyramid

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Temples
• Egyptian temples are not just for worship, it is also the
place where the Pharoah governs.
• It is composed of several building complexes; along with
its many buildings, courts, parade grounds, and housing, it
is considered to have served not just as a temple and
dwelling of the Pharaoh but a town.
• The central area of the complex consisted in the Pharaoh's
apartments that were made up of a number of rooms and
courts, all of which were oriented around a columned
banquet hall.
• Accompanying the apartments, that presumably housed the
royal cohort and foreign guests, was a large throne room
connected to smaller chambers, for storage, waiting, and
smaller audiences.

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 Pyramids

• Egyptians believed in afterlife. Pyramids were meant to

serve their eternal life. It is a tomb for the Pharoah.
• The pyramids, which were built, testify to the power of
the pharaonic religion and state. They were built to
serve both as grave sites and also as a way to make their
Pyramids of Giza
names last forever.
• The size and simple design show the high skill level of
Egyptian design and engineering on a large scale
• Along with building his pyramid, they commissioned
giant Sphinx as guardian over the tomb. The face of a
human, possibly a depiction of the pharaoh, on a lion's
body was seen as a symbol of divinity among the
Greeks fifteen hundred years later.

Sphinx

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 Ancient Egypt Houses
Rich people in ancient Egypt owned big houses
and most homes had gardens with swimming
pools.

Wealthy Egyptians had spacious estates with

comfortable houses.

Homes were arranged around an inner

courtyard or on one side of a corridor. There
would be reception rooms and private quarters.
The entrance was set in the wall facing the street
and the windows were set high up in the walls of
the upper story.

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• Egyptians lived in houses made from mud bricks. • The houses of the poor
were made from single
• Poorer people lived in cramped quarters often as small walls which were one
as one room where an entire family lived out their lives brick thick

• Due to flood from the Nile

river, houses are usually
in wear and tear condition

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Structural and material/ technology advancement
Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building
materials used in ancient Egypt were sunbaked mud
brick (collected from the damp banks of the Nile
river) and stone, mainly limestone, but also sandstone
and granite in considerable quantities. From the Old
Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved
for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for
royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts
and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple
complexes. The core of the pyramids consisted of locally
quarried stone, mudbricks, sand or gravel.

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Column
Carved from stone, the columns were highly decorated with
carved and painted hieroglyphs, texts, ritual imagery and
natural motifs. Egyptian columns are famously present in
the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak (circa 1224 BC), where 134
columns are lined up in 16 rows, with some columns reaching
heights of 24 metres.

Karnak Great Hall

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 Ornamentations

• Ornamentations were also

emphasized. Exterior and
interior walls, as well as
the columns and piers,
were covered with hieroglyphic
and pictorial frescoes and
carvings painted in brilliant
colors.
• Other common motifs
include palm leaves,
the papyrus plant, and the buds
and flowers of the lotus.

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Summary of Egyptian Ancient Civilization
• Historical – one of the most • Political and religion– practice of religion is placed
ancient and popular with highly in the life of Egyptians, Pharoah is deemed as the
prominent influences. highest ruler. Status is important and portayed on
• Geographical characteristics – architecture.
near river Nile, very fertile soil • Building typology – governance and worship are deemed
as one, public and domestic
• Architecture Characteristics – highly ornate, and
emphasized on articulation. Very detailed and
sophisticated
• Material and technology – natural resources (obtained
locally) and high in technology especially skills in
building massive and complex structures like
the pyramids

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 SUMMARY FOR RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Characteristics Mohenjo Daro/Harappa Mesopotamia Ancient Egypt

Location River valley – very fertile and accessible for goods and passage ways

Social Equal Has rulers/kings Highly stratified – segregated

Integrated – due to by class
invasions and conquer
Religion Not emphasized Moderately emphasized Highly emphasized

Urban Planned - grid Planned and Organic Planned -grid

Architecture Minimal and emphasizing on Minimal but more complex Architecture dominated by
characteristics survival and life building typologies available social status and
religion/political beliefs
Highly articulated and
complex motifs to show
power and identity

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