Mastaba

A mastaba (/ˈmæstəbə/,/ˈmɑːstɑːbɑː/ or /mɑːˈstɑːbɑː/) or "pr-djt" (meaning "house for eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient Egyptian), is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mud-bricks (from the Nile River) or stone. These edifices marked the burial sites of many eminent Egyptians during Egypt's Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom. In the Old Kingdom epoch, local kings began to be buried in pyramids instead of in mastabas, although non-royal use of mastabas continued for over a thousand years. Egyptologists call these tombs mastaba, which is the Arabic word for stone bench.

The afterlife was a main focus of Egyptian civilization and ruled every aspect of the society. This is reflected in their architecture and most prominently by the enormous amounts of time, money, and manpower involved in the building of their tombs. Ancient Egyptians believed the soul could live only if the body was preserved from corruption and depredation as well as fed.

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