THE WEST ASIATIC ARCHITECTURE

PREPARED BY: Ar. AMOL S. HOLEY

 INTRODUCTION
• Also called the Mesopotamian
civilization/ Ancient Near East
• Flourished between the land of two
rivers Tigris and Euphrates
• The first amongst ancient civilizations-
cradle of civilizations
• Invented almost everything to pave
way for modern civilizations like the
Wheel, Writing, Armies, Agriculture,
Bread and Beer.
• Mastered Irrigation
• Domesticated Animals
Situated in Modern Day Iraq and Syria
 INFLUENCES ON ARCHITECTURE
▪ GEOGRAPHICAL CONDITION

▪ GEOLOGICAL

▪ CLIMATIC

▪ RELIGIOUS

▪ SOCIAL

▪ HISTORICAL
 GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

 Fertile land – two rivers -Tigris & Euphrates

 Depositing rich alluvial soil along lower plains

 The area lacks defense boundaries

 Irregular flooding was a hazard

 Stone and Timber was not readily available

 Mud was available in abundance.

 Use of Mud Bricks

 Use of glazed Bricks.

 POLITICAL

From 3000 BC to 330 BC in following

periods

• Early Sumerian (3000-2000BC)

• Old Babylonian (2016- 1595 BC)

• Assyrian (1859-626 BC)

• Neo Babylonian (626-539 BC)

• Persian (750-330 BC)

 RELIGION

• Religion dominated their life

• Babylonia and Assyria- polytheism
• Chief gods
Shamash – Sun God
• Anu-sky god
Elil-earth god
Ea-god of water
• Gods were thought to reside in the height and to approach them temples were built on
elevated platforms (‘ziggurats’ with the shrine at top)
• Persia Betrays the influence of Babylon
- Monotheism
- Belief in the final triumph of good
 SOCIO-CULTURAL

• Kings, Nobles and priests controlled land

• Independent business class for trade

• Slaves worked the land, made money and could buy their freedom

• Homes of poor were simple with central court, rich had two storeyed houses

• Craft skills were passed to next generations

• Good at farming

• Good skill in pottery & metal casting

 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

• Clay was available in abundance therefore bricks became the major

building material
• Sun-dried bricks were for ordinary work
• Kiln burnt bricks were used for important works
• Bricks glazed in different colours used for decorative & ornamental
work
• Construct towers & artificial mountains called ‘ziggurats’
• Use of corbelled arch
• Due to absence of stone , brick construction led to evolution of arch,
vault & dome
• The arch was formed by corbelled courses or with radiating bricks
• Use of mural decorations
• Chief form of ornamentation was lotus flowers buds etc.
• Buildings with high plinth
• The temples & houses had rectangular plans and were built on high
platforms to protect them from floods.
SUMERIAN ARCHITECTURE
 TEMPLE OVAL AT KHAFAJE

• Constructed at around 2600 B.c

• Oval enclosure walls(inner &outer)
• Corners oriented to four cardinal points.
• Rectangular Layout within the oval wall.
• Three ascending terrace levels.
• First terrace – gate leading to a court with bldg on one side (admin or house for
priest)
• Second terrace – surrounded by rooms used as workshops & stores.
• Third terrace(temple platform 3.6 m high) on this terrace near staircase was
sacrificial altar.
• In this court were a well &two basins for ritual ablutions.
 TEMPLE OVAL AT KHAFAJE

Staircase
Shrine

Building
Platform 3.6mhigh

Inner wall
Fore-court Courtyard

Rooms
(Workshop, stores)
Gate

Outer enclosure wall

Town
CITY OF UR
 CITY OF UR
Link to City Plan

Ziggurat Wall
Terrace

Three
Temples Royal tomb

Residential area

Oval shaped
City wall
 CITY OF UR

• Constructed at around 2100 B.C

• Sumerian capital of Mesapotamia

• Situated at the center of oval- shaped city wall.

• Stood on platform 6.1m high above the surrounding plain

• City had two enclosed harbors

• The Ziggurat complex had

• The ziggurat & its court

• Secondary court attached to it

• Three temples attached to it

 CITY OF UR- ZIGGURAT PRECINCT

ZIGGURAT SECONDARY COURT

& COURT

TEMPLES WALL

ROYAL TOMB
• Constructed by the Sumerians around
2100 BC
• Dedicated to the moon goddess Nanna
• Base– 62 m x 43 m
• Height – 21 m
• Temple at the top made up of solid core
of mud brick
• Slanting sides giving an effect of mass
• Weep-holes provided for water drainage
• Long flight of steps for approach
• Constructed with three levels of terraces
 STAIRCASE

STAIRCASES
ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE
CITY OF KHORSABAD
 CITY OF KHORSABAD

• Assyrian city
• founded in 717 BC Sargon II

• Approx rectangular in plan

• Area about 2.6 sq meter

• Seven gates gave access to the

city

• Main buildings of the city

1. Sargon’s palace
2. Palace of Kings brother
3. Temple to Nabu
(God of writing and
wisdom)
CITY OF KHORSABAD
CITY OF KHORSABAD
NEO BABYLONIAN ARCHITECTURE
 CITY OF BABYLON
[Link]

1. Gate of Gods

2. Nebuchadnezzar
developed and
beautified the city

3. Constructed long walls,

hanging gardens,
Ziggurat and the
Tower of Babel
 Euphrates
River

Ishtar gate Outer wall

Inner wall
Town with
square plan– Moat
1300m side

Ziggurat

Main streets
Processional way at right
angles
CITY OF BABYLON

1. City has the form of a square, 1300 m on each side

2. The brick wall was 9000m long
3. A wide and deep moat that encircled the city. Also used for navigation.
4. The Euphrates River also flowed through the middle of the city.
5. "Hanging Gardens"(one of the wonders of the ancient world) and
water was raised from the river by hydraulic pumps
• Constructed in 612 BC by
Nebuchadnezzar
• Eight massive gates that led to
the inner city
• Grid plan
• Streets were paved with stone
slabs 3 feet square
• The great Tower of Babel
• Ziggurat and 53 temples
including the "GreatTemple of
Marduk.”
• Nebuchadnezzar’s palace with
the Hanging Gardens.
 VIEW OF THE CITY OF BABYLON

Processional
Way
Zigurrat

Inner wall
Gate

Outer wall

Moat
HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

1. Situated on the east bank

of the River Euphrates,
2. Built by King
Nebuchadnezzar to please
his wife, who was longing
for the gardens of her
Persian homeland.
3. Occupied an area of 275m
X 183m in the palace
 • Series of terraces, each smaller than
[Link]

the last, with the top tier some 75ft

high.
• The terraces were supported by
arcades.
• Materials- stone slabs and bricks
• Bottom of each tier was sealed with
a layer of lead to prevent moisture
from seeping into the stone that
supported the soil and plants.
• Water was stored in reservoir at the
top& supplied through pipes to the
gardens
 GATEWAY – ISHTAR GATE

• The Ishtar gate was the eighth gate to the • It was constructed in about
inner city of Babylon 575 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II
on the north side of the city.
• Dedicated to the goddess Ishtar
ex-bearbot:

The Ishtar Gate from Ancient Babylon (in its reconstructed state at the Berlin Museum) from the 6th century BCE, one of the great feats of world architecture and one of the original Seven Wonders. Nowhere to be found on Tumblr, which is sad, so I thought I’d rectify that.
• Only the foundations of the
gate were found, going down
some 45 feet, with molded,
unglazed figures.

• The gateway has been

reconstructed in the Pergamon
museum, Berlin, from the
glazed bricks found

• Reconstructed Height is 47 Feet

The gate consisted of two portals
one behind the other

It was built in kiln-burnt bricks

ISHTAR GATE STEPPED BATTLEMENT

FORTIFIED TOWER

YELLOW AND
BROWN ANIMAL
FORTIFIED
FIGURES
WALL

GATEWAY
Detail of lions on the Ishtar Gate, Babylon. Photo: Josep Renalias.
The gateway was completely
covered with beautifully
colored glazed bricks.
Its reliefs of dragons and bulls
symbolized the gods Marduk
and Adad.

Lion symbol

Colour-glazed brick frieze of

rosettes
PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE
 PERSIAN ARCHITECTURE

• Persian architecture was columnar.

• Columns had molded base ,fluted shaft &
decorative capital
• Sometimes the top brackets of columns had
twin bulls or dragon.
• Use of flat timber roofs with arches.
• Use of double mud brick walls.
PALACE COMPLEX AT PERSEPOLIS
• Darius-I built this palace
• This palace was used for coronation
of kings
• The building stood on rectangular
plan– 460 m x 275 m on a platform
15 m high
• Approach from N-W by steps 6.7 m
wide
• Gateway opened into Apadana (
audience hall)
• 76 m X 76m with 36 columns & 20
m high
• Apadana had its own terrace 3 m
high with stairways on north & east.
• To the south of apadana was
palace of Darius
• Stairway of Apadana & Tripylon
had bas-reliefs
• Treasury At South-east End.
• Darius son Xerxes- I added his
palace women’s quarters (harem)
• Added throne hall (hall of 100
columns) 68m X 68m on east end,
with 11 m ht supporting flat roof
 GATE OF ALL NATIONS
[Link]

Gateways had imposing towers & guarded by man-headed winged bulls (Lamassu)
 Palace Reliefs
[Link]

Double Bull Capital

 [Link]

LAMASU
They combine the strength of a bull, the freedom of an eagle, and the intelligence
of a human being
Persepolis
Apadana hall