Landscape Architecture of the Egyptian Pyramids and the Temple of Amun, Karnak - Term Paper Example

Landscape architecture of the Egyptian Pyramids and the temple of Amun, Karnak Name Course Instructor Date Introduction Landscape refers to the main components of the composition. They include land form, water, climate and vegetation, vertical and horizontal structures. Landscape architecture refers to the expert skill of composing man-made structures, such as buildings, with the normal landscape and with the designs for form of land, water and plants. Land architecture is mostly concerned with public buildings and public spaces. It is thought to come about as a way of designing a particular building, but has undergone various changes over time to include a broad category of activity and concepts such as transport, planning towns, mineral extraction, agriculture, parks and forestry among many others. It is now composed of five tangible elements namely; paving, structures and buildings, vegetation, land form and water (Laurie 1985, pp 34). Landscape design is an interventionist act, involving mediation between nature and art. It has evolved over a long period mainly influenced by cultural forces at the time. This has led to the sustainability or complete eradication of some aspects of landscape design to create what we are experiencing today as the art and academic discipline of landscape design. Phenomenological historical sites that reveal this evolution are open to the public in various places across the globe as tourist destinations. These sites serve as a lens through which people learn the history of the cultures of their time. They reveal a cultural imprint in scale, materials, form and use of the landscape design and other systems in their era such as forms of governance, infrastructure, technology available and ownership. Some buildings reveal characteristics of dictatorships, some public or private ownership, all derived from the way they were made (Rogers 2001, pp 10). Egypt developed very early and among the most notable areas is their early development in architecture. The culture of ancient Egypt had a huge impact on other cultures as well, notably the Greek culture in terms of building. Kings travelled from far and wide to see the wonders that Ancient Egypt had to offer. The stability of this region under the Pharaoh is attributed to the immense progress in all areas that the ancient Egyptians excelled in. They developed architecture so that it was possible to use stone to build safer and longer lasting structures. The bureaucratic system put in place was responsible for administering all aspects of the Egyptian way of life such as food production to its relations with other nations. The Egyptians were able to establish a form of trade with other African nations, Asia and the Mediterranean nations such as the Greeks. This ensured that the nation thrived even further, and its popularity increased. The success of ancient Egypt can also be attributed to its agricultural industry facilitated by the Nile River and the manufacture and export of linen, flax and gold. However, one of the most notable developments lies in the area of architecture. The ancient Egyptian architects were able to integrate their buildings and gardens to the surroundings. The power and splendor of a ruler were shown in various ways such as through extensive gardens surrounding their tombs and temples such as the gardens of the temple of Amun. The culture of the ancient Egyptians was dominantly influenced by religious practices. Every level of the society was influenced by religion and all aspects of their life such as music, art and architecture were influenced by religion. They had a complex religion made up of a variety of gods ranging from universal gods worshipped throughout the land to gods such as Amun who were worshipped in specific locations as well as household gods. Great temple complexes were built and dedicated to these gods. There were also major festivals involving these gods at certain times of the year (Lehner 2008, pp 34). It is through the religious monuments that the architectural history of the ancient Egypt can be traced. There is no other nation that has demonstrated such a huge influence of religion and the supernatural on development like the ancient Egypt. The belief in life after death is one of the oldest and most common religious beliefs in the ancient and modern world. However, to the Egyptians, this belief was held a notch higher as it led to the establishment of funeral customs and monumental building that is yet to be witnessed in any other part of the world, ancient or modern. It is difficult to give a comprehensive account of the religious history of the Egyptians as the gods varied with the location, with a common ground in attaching meaning and symbolism to nature and animals, and the existence of evil spirits. Each god was associated with an animal and an aspect of nature, such as the association of the god Amun with the sun and a ram. (Bell 1915, pp 18-19) This paper will focus on critically analyzing two ancient works of Egyptian architecture; the Egyptian pyramids and the great temple of Amun, Karnak. Design Originally, the tombs, which later evolved to pyramids and temples were related. The dead nobles such as kings were buried in the temple grounds. This is due to the belief that the kings were half humans and half gods. However, as the Egyptians developed, they came up with new ways of burying the kings. They were buried in ‘Mastabas’, rectangular structures made out of bricks and later stones, with a door on one side. Inside this tomb was a chamber or more than one chamber. There was a passage leading to a cavity where the mummified body was placed and the passage was filled up. The ancient Egyptian pyramids are pyramid-shaped structures that were built as tombs for Pharaohs. The ancient Egyptians believed that the Pharaohs were chosen by God to serve as mediators between humans and gods; hence they were treated with a lot of respect. After their death, they were buried in pyramid together with their possessions that would be useful to them in their afterlife. The shape was also influenced by the belief that they were “launch pads” for the soul of the dead Pharaoh to the sky to live with the imperishable stars. Others believed the pyramids were a stairway for the souls of the Pharaoh to climb to the sky (Lehner 2008, pp 107). They evolved from the mastabas, where after a mastaba was built, it was covered up in bricks and stones in the shape of a pyramid. There are no existing records of the building plans used to build the pyramids, and as a result most of the design schemes that people have come up with over the years are speculative. Different theories have been put forward as to why they were built in the shape of a pyramid. The most common is that this shape reflects the rays of the sun. In his book The Keys to the Temple, David Furlong (1997, pp ) believed that the ancient Egyptians worked on the plan of the pyramids in the form of a triangle, basing their calculations on the basic properties of a triangle such as equal sides and the angles of an equilateral triangle. He came up with a basic plan of how the pyramid’s plan might have looked through use of basic geometry. See figure 1 Pyramids are believed to have evolved into the perfect pyramid shape, with the initial pyramids being the step pyramids, which were built by placing layers of building material differing in length. True pyramids were characterized by a major shift especially in the internal structure, from slanting accretion layers to horizontal courses. These changes can be attributed to social and religious developments. The accretion method involved building a solid central core, which was then expanded outwards on all sides by the addition of more accretion layers. The building stones in this layer were set in an inward tilt and were of a similar size except those on the outside of the layer. They were smoothened to give the layer a flat inclined surface. Another approach was to build an accretion layer with two kinds of blocks; an outer layer made of even blocks that served the function of a casing for the layer as well as a retaining for the inner layer of roughly-shaped blocks, as seen in the Meidum Pyramid illustration in figure 2. The temple of Karnuk was an extension of an existing temple that was built, modified and renovated by many different kings. The Egyptians believed the temples were living and growing things, and as a result they kept expanding them. Smith (1990, pp. 44). It houses a number of temples and chapels, and it is the principle construct at Karnak. Prior to entering this temple there is a long row of cult statues referred to as the Avenue of Sphinxes, comprised of several statues of a seated sphinx with the king standing under its paws beneath its chin. This is the ram of the god Amun assimilated to the solar symbol of the lion. There is a massive pylon at its entrance, offering a great view. This pylon was never completed. To the left if the pylon is triple shrine built about a thousand years earlier than the pylon. It was dedicated to the worship of gods Amun, Khosu and Mut.it portrays amount in the middle in two of his forms: as a human wearing a double crown of plumes and as a ram with a crown symbolizing the sun disk.The pylons are the most distinguishing figures of the temple, and were all built by different kings for different purposes. Location Both works of architecture are placed near the Nile river. Figure 6. This is due to various factors such as ease of transportation of building material and religious beliefs. For instance, most temples, including the temple of Amun were built on the east of the Nile, and pyramids at the west. This is due to the belief that the rise and setting of the sun corresponded to the cycle of life. The east therefore signified rebirth and the west death. They believed that the souls of the departed traveled through the sky with the sun each day, where they settled into the pyramids to renew themselves for another day. The location near the river was also for convenience purposes in terms of transportation of building material and water for construction. Alignment and symmetry The Egyptians are said to have been very fond of symmetry as evidenced by ancient architecture. The shape of the pyramids is a perfect combination of a square base with four equal lines meeting at the exact center of the square. Their gardens and buildings were also symmetrical shapes and sizes. The alignment and size of the pyramids had been assumed to be of no particular importance. However, recent studies have shown that the sizes and detailed positioning of the Giza pyramids has some correlation to the Orion constellation. The pyramids are aligned exactly as the belt of stars in Orion appear. The air-shaft in the pyramids is also pointing to the Orion. This is thought to be as a way of projecting the souls of the kings towards the orion. Figure 4 and 5. The temple of Amun is also said to be aligned to the winter solstice sunrise. The fact that the temple enclosure is located at the only place where the solstitial line is at right angles to the course of the river suggests that the site was calculatingly chosen. The cosmic representation extended to the entire setting. Addition of new temples and chapels followed the same alignment and kept the original orientation, producing reasons that further this symbolism, as did a range of wall texts and decorations. Gardens The design of gardens, like any other aspects was influenced by religion. The architecture and plants used were in accordance with religious considerations and their layout. The Egyptians were fond of symmetry in all areas such as art and landscaping, and archeological evidence shows this. The gardens were made in geometric shapes, centered on pools most of the time. The gardens had a specific meaning and presented various attributes of the owner, either an individual or a god in a temple. The plants were mainly symbolic. The pyramids were surrounded by sacred grooves containing plants that were associated with a particular meaning in the myths and rituals surrounding the dead. The pyramids were not considered buildings but tombs, hence did not require a lot in terms of gardening. Temples on the other hand were surrounded with utilitarian orchards which could only be planted on sacred grounds and had a sacred purpose too. Some gardens such as the one in the temple of Amun allowed for crowds, festivity and religious processions to take place. The pathway beside the sacred lake in the temple of Amun allowed for passage of processions such as in the Burial of Osiris. The avenue between the temple such as that in Amun also allowed for processions of various festivals such as the annual journey of the statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu from the Karnak to the Luxor temple. The temple gardens were mostly used by the priests for the purposes of collection of offerings for the gods and offering sacrifices to the gods. The entrance to the gardens of the temple were gated, with the decoration of the gate being symbolic. The entrance to the gardens surrounding the sacred lake in the temple of Amun were symbolic to the double doors of heaven. Unlike the pyramids, the gardens of the temple of Amun and private gardens too, contained a pool or lake, that was central to the garden (see figure 7and 8). The main purpose of this lake was to serve as a water source for the temple and the garden, as well as a place where rituals were performed (Alix 1998, pp 9). Decoration – sculpures, statues and drawings Both tombs and temples had differing statuary and sculpture principles, bearing religious or political messages. In the tombs, the statue was that of the owner of the tomb to serve the purpose of representing the living presence and commanding of respect to the dead. The statues in the temples represented the god being worshiped. The avenue of sphinxes in the temple of Amun shows the ram of the god Amun assimilated to the solar symbol of the lion. Figure 9. Inside the temple are various drawings of Amun. In the pyramids, the sculptures and statues belonged to the dead king. They were statues and reliefs of the Pharaoh who was buried in the particular pyramid. The art on the wall reveal more about the culture of the ancient Egyptians. There are various inscriptions revealing the advancement of writing in Egypt and the grammar and language used in those days. The Sphinx is a common sculpture in both the pyramids and the temple of Amun. The lion was considered a solar symbol and a symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt. The Sphinx, which was a combination of a royal human head placed in a lion’s body symbolized power and might. It also symbolized the intelligence of the Pharaoh (Lehner 2008, pp 127). Menageries These included keeping of live animals in various points in the garden. There were no menageries placed in the pyramids. However, caged lions were placed in the entrance of the temple of Amun. Antelope, fish, a variety of birds and ibex were also placed in the temple’s gardens. They were kept here for food or for sacrifices to the gods. Avenues and causeways Avenues were a common feature in Egypt’s architecture. They served the purpose of lining the entrances and providing shelter as one entered the premises. They were mostly lined with trees or sculptures. The avenue of sphinxes in the temple of Amun illustrated in figure 9 shows this clearly. The pyramids also had avenues connecting between mortuary temples and the pyramid itself. Figure 10 illustrates the causeway between the Khafre’s mortuary temple and the valley temple and other causeways in the Giza pyramids. Enclosure Both the temple and the pyramids were enclosed with walls around them. This was for the purposes of preventing unauthorized access and also direct access through one entrance. The pyramids could only be accessed through the causeways and the entrance to the temple was the only way of access. The pyramids had a wall also for the purposes of delienation and keeping the robbers away from stealing the valuables that the Pharaohs were buried with. However, the robbers found a way through these walls and stole most of the valuables (Bell 1915, pp 104). There are differences in relation to the modern settings, of the pyramids and the temple of Amun. Most of the original aspects are not available due to various factors such as corrosion due to subjection to weather conditions, robbery, decomposition among others. For instance, the outer cover of the Giza pyramids is said to have been polished with limestone to ensure the pyramids were visible from far and for beauty purposes. However, most of this layer is gone and what remains is the inner layer made of stone. The enclosures of most of the pyramids have also collapsed. The temple of Amun is under threat from encroachment of modern buildings due to the fast development around this major attraction site. Some of the parts of the temple are also in ruins due to age. Conclusion It is evident that there were similarities and differences in the land architecture of the pyramids and the temple of Amun, Karnak. This was mainly due to the meaning associated with the building of each one of them. The temple was built on a purely religious concept while the pyramids were built with a combination of religion and power. These differences and similarities serve to show how advanced the ancient Egyptian architects were. They had little technology as compared to this age but they still managed to build massive and impressive structures that have been in existence for thousands of years. Their choice of material is impressive, given at the time most structures were built using lighter and non-permanent material. They built structures that can be said to be of standard and high quality, with evidence of precise calculations being made to ensure the structures lasted and also serve their purpose.despite the land being mainly a desert, the architects managed to create breath taking sceneries by planning and designing canals and pools that channeled water for building as well as irrigating beautiful gardens that contrasted with the surrounding desert landscape enhancing the beauty of their work. Various patterns can be identified by analyzing the aspects in the temple of Amun and the pyramids, all different in terms of time. The initial pyramids, the mastaba, are seen to be completely different from the later pyramids such as those in Giza. Change is seen to occur in the design and building of the pyramids through time. The same principle applies to the Amun temple, that was built over a period of one thousand five hundred years. Each renovation or addition of a different king was unique to the king, with some factors such as the alignment remaining constant over time. These works of architecture serve to show that landscape architecture plays a vital role in conveying of meanings and have significance that are understood differently by different people depending on the context. They are understood and interpreted differently by their owners and people outside, also depending on their social circle. If meaning is connected with the presentation of symbols and signs, people are likely to interpret through association of what they understand by these signs and meanings. The architect has a responsibility of enabling this communication. He or she has to understand that this communication can only occur under certain circumstances such as the symbols and signs being part of a shared system. This way, the meaning is likely to be interpreted uniformly. The architect can be said to have a responsibility of interpreting and presenting their designs in a way that the ordinary user will read and understand. The significance of landscape designs and architecture evolves over time though understanding of symbolism. As a result, it is a dynamic process and significance that would have been appropriate in the ancient Egypt might not be appropriate in the modern society. The modern systems and beliefs are more diffuse than ancient ones, hence architectures might need to hide clues about symbolism in modern designs to assist the emergence over time. To achieve this, one must try to understand the landscape and how well to portray a real meaning of the locality and the meaning of the place. Incorporating the modern or current context to the design will ensure plurality of culture and ensure continuity in meaning and significance. Landscape architecture ought to provide a place for the much needed serenity, especially with the complications and chaos of the twentieth century. This needs a careful and phenomenological approach that brings together cultural aspects, human ideas such as art and nature, leading to a rich and diverse piece of art that serves all its purposes simultaneously. References Alix, Wilkinson. The Garden in Ancient Egypt. The Rubicon Press, 1998. Bell, Edward. The architecture of ancient Egypt. An historical outline. London: G Bell & Sons Ltd, 1915. Furlong, David. The Keys to the Temple. 1997. Laurie, Michael. An introduction in landscape architecture. New York: Elsevier, 1985. Lehner, M. The complete Pyramids. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008. Rogers, Elizabeth Barlow. Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architectural History. 2001. Sampsell, Bonny M. "Pyramid design and construction." The Ostracon 11, no. 3 (2000). Smith, Kidder G.E. Looking at Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrahams Publishers, 1990. Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson Publishers, 2000. Read More