Ancient Egypt

For over 30 centuries the tombs and temples of Egypt have instilled wonder and inspiration in all who saw them - Roman emperors, Arab conquerors and ordinary travellers alike. This book provides a guide for the modern-day traveller to the architectural legacy of Egyptian civilization.

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For over 30 centuries the tombs and temples of Egypt have instilled wonder and inspiration in all who saw them - Roman emperors, Arab conquerors, Napoleon and ordinary travellers alike. This book provides a guide for the modern-day traveller to the architectural legacy of Egyptian civilization. Spanning the period from the old kingdom up to, and including, the "Egyptianized" architecture of the Graeco-Roman era, this guide concentrates on sites accessible from the centres of Cairo, El-Minya, Luxor and Asdwan. The principles of Egyptian architecture are clearly explained in the book's introduction, enabling the reader to enjoy and appreciate any building they might wish to explore. Also analyzed are the religious, political and economic conditions that influence the architecture of the time. The fortunes of the Old Kingdom rulers can be graphically traced through the development and decline of the pyramid complexes. The question of death and the afterlife was of great concern to the early Egyptians and much of their surviving architecture is of a funerary nature. A chronology at the end of the book helps the reader understand the complex nature of Egypt's past.