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The Origin and Development of Domestic Architecture and Urban Planning in the Pre-Islamic Near East

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The Origin and Development of Domestic Architecture and Urban Planning in the Pre-Islamic Near East The origin and development of domestic architecture and urban planning in the pre-Islamic Near East Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Kabuka, Mukhtar, 1954- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 14:12:45 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/558096 1 THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING IN THE PRE-ISLAMIC NEAR EAST by Mukhtar Kabuka Copyright © Mukhtar Kabuka 1988 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 8 8 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for.an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University of Arizona Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable with­ out special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. Signed: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: jto iq/sfb. ^ =\ VF._ S. MATTER . Date . Professor of Architecture 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. I dedicate this work only to Him and thank Him for the guidance and strength He has bestowed on me. I would like to express my thanks and deep gratitude to Professors Fred Matter and Kenneth Clark for their pa­ tience, generous support, and valuable criticism throughout. I also extend thanks to Professor Robert Giebner for his help. I am heartily grateful to Dr. George Touma, Visiting Professor from the College of Architectural Engineering at the University of Aleppo in Syria, for his help and constructive criticism. I thank Erika Louie for her steadfast editorial and logistical help in the last stages of manuscript preparation. Her patience, support, attention to detail, and organizational input came at the right time, in abundant quantity. I am indebted to my wonderful family: my mother, father, brothers, and sister. Their continuous support and love have made life a little more bearable and more joyful. 4 TABLE OF CONTENT'S Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................ 7 LIST OF T A B L E S .......... 13 ABSTRACT. .......................... ....... 14 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: THE PROBLEM, METHODOLOGY, AND ORGANIZATION ...... ............... 15 A. The Problem ........................... • 15 1. G o a l s .... 15 2. Objectives..... 15 3. Relevance .......... 15 4. Limitations . 21 5. Definitions .......... 23 6. Hypotheses............. - 23 B. Methodology and Organization .... 25 PART ONE: THE PRE-HELLENISTIC NEAR EAST 2. ‘ STONE AGE .............. .. 29 A. Introduction ...... 29 B. Palaeolithic Age (Before 10,000 B.C.) 31 C. Mesolithic Age (10,000-8,000 B.C.) . 32 D . Neolithic Age (8,000-4,000 B.C.) . 33 1. Case S t u d i e s ........... 33 a . Jericho ..... ............ 33 b. Beidha ........... 34 c. Byblos ..... ............ 34 d. Tell Mureybet ........ 35 e. Tell Abu Hureyra ....... 35 f. El Kowm ........... 36 3. CHALCOLITHIC AGE (4,000-3,000 B.C.) ......... 38 A. Political Analysis .................. 40 B. Economic Analysis ................ 40 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Page C. Architectural Analysis ....... 41 1. Case Studies .................... 44 a . Er id u ................... ■. 44 b . Uruk ............. 46 c. Tepe Gawr a ........ 4 6 4. BRONZE AGE .......... 53 A. Early Bronze Age (3,000-2,000 B.C.) . 53 1. Case S t u d i e s .............. 54 a. E b l a ....................... 5 4 b. Tell Selenkahiye ...... 59 c. The Ancient City of Ur . 62 B. Middle Bronze Age (2,000-1,500 B.C.) 119 1. Case Study . 125 a. Shaduppum .... .... 125 C. Late Bronze Age (1,500-1,100 B.C.) . 127 1. Case S t u d i e s ........... 129 a. Alalakh . "... .............. 129 b. Ugarit ..... ........... 129 5. IRON AGE (1,100-1 A.D.) ........... 136 A. Case Study ........................... 138 1. Babylon .............. 138 a. The Ancient Kara of Merkes in the City of Babylon . 145 PART TWO: THE HELLENISTIC NEAR EAST 6. GREEK PERIOD ( 373-64 B.C. ) .................. 156 A. Political Analysis .................. 158 B. Social Analysis ........... 159 C. Architectural Analysis . ........... 163 1. Concept . 163 2. Planning .......... 167 a'.. Agora . ...................... 170 b . Stoa ......................... 171 7. ROMAN PERIOD (64 B.C.-330 A.D.).'..... 173 A. Political Analysis .................. , 174 B. Social Analysis ....................... 176 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS--Continued Page C. Architectural A n a l y s i s .......... 178 1.. Concept ....................... 179 2. Planning ......................... 181 . 8. EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ( 330-640 A.D. ) A. Political Analysis ................. 185 B. Architectural Analysis . 186 9. CASE S T U D I E S ................................ 188 A. The City of Dura-Europos........... 188 1. The Hellenistic Period . 188 2. The Parthian Period............. 203 3.. The Roman Period . :. 210 4. Greek and Roman Domestic Architecture............. .. 216 a. The Greek Peristyle House . 222 b. The Roman Atrium House . 236 5. Characteristics of Residential Quarters at Dura-Europos . 241 a. The Neighborhood........... 241 b. The Dwelling ............... 259 B. The City of A l e p p o ................. 284 1. The Pre-Hellenistic Period . 284 2. The Greek Period ........ 291 3. The Roman Period . 296 4. The Byzantine P e r i o d ........... 297 10'. SUMMARY ............... 301 APPENDIX A: ORIGINAL STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS .... 310 APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY . ........................... .. 317 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................ .. 320 7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Map of the Middle East . 24 2. Map of Neolithic sites in the Near East . 30 3. Round dwelling at Tell Mureybet............... 37 4. Ethnic profile of the ancient Near East . 39 5. Map of Mesopotamia, Chalcolithic Age.... 43 6. Temple at Eri.du ............... 45 7. Uruk, city mound .................. 47 8. The White Temple at Uruk ................ 48 9. Tepe Gawra, 3,500-3,200 B.C............... 51 10. Tepe Gawra, religious compound ............. 52 11. Tepe Gawra, residential area, 3,000 B.C. 52 .12. Map of the ancient Near East, Early Bronze Age ........... .................... 57 13. Artist's impression of E b l a .............. 57 14. Ebla, city plan . 58 15. Tell Selehkahiye, house plan . .'........ .. 61 16. Walled city of Ur ..... 64 17. Ur, religious compound . ................ 66 18. Bedouin tent plan .................... .. 70 19. Analysis of the Bedouin t e n t ............ 74 20.. Evolution of the courtyard h o u s e ........ 75 21. Ancient hara in Beidha, 7,000 B.C......... 78 8 . LIST OF FIGURES--Continued Figure Page 22. The economic development of ancient man . 82 23. Urban growth of the ancient hara ...... 84 24. Ur, plan of Kara A . .... ... 86 25. Ur, plan of Hara B ........................... 87 26. Ur, circulation system of Hara A ..... 90 27. Ur, land use pattern of Hara A ....... 92 28. Solar analysis of the hara .................. 96 29. Wind behavior in the h a r a ............... 97 30. Sun behavior on a gridiron neighborhood . 98 31. Ur, view inside a h a r a .......................... 100 32. Ur, view of the ziggurat . ................ 100 33. Development of the traditional courtyard d w e l l i n g ............. .................. .. 105 34. Ur, House No. 3, Gay Street in Hara B . 107 35. Ur, House No. 3, Gay Street, perspective . 109 36. Ur, types of courtyard dw e l l i n g s ........... 110 37. Ur, isometric of the Khan in Hara A . 112 38. Ur, floor plan, House No. 3, Hara A ......... 114 39. Section A-A, House No. 3, Hara A ........... 115 40. Heating and cooling of the courtyard ... 118 41. Canaanite (Phoenician) colonial expansion . 122 42. Map of Mesopotamia, Middle Bronze Age .... 122 43. Megiddo XIII, reconstruction of city gate . 124 44. Middle Bronze Age city gates ........ 1.24 9 LIST OF FIGURES--Continued Figure Page 45. Shaduppum, city plan . ............... , 126 46. Map of ancient Syria ............ 131 47. Alalakh, city plan . ............... .. 132 48. Ugarit, city p l a n .......................... 133 •49. Ugar it, the Citadel . .......... 134 50. Ugarit, Palace plan ....... ........... 135 51. Location of Babylon .. 141 52. Babylon,■city plan ...... ............. 142 53. Babylon, reconstruction model ........ 143 54. Babylon, Merkes K a r a ........................ 144 55. Babylon, Southern citadel . ............. 144 56. Merkes Kara, circulation system . '........... 147 57. Merkes Kara, analysis of the circulation s y s t e m ................... 147 58. Analysis of the circulation system in a residential a r e a ................................ 149 59. Circulation system in Merkes Ear a ........... 150 60. Babylon, floor plans of Houses A, B and C in Merkes Kara . .................. 154 61. Merkes Kara, view of House C ........ 154 62. Agora at A s s o s .......... 172 63. Map of the Hellenistic Near East: location of Dura-Europos and its trade routes' '.
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