Introduction

 Ancient KMT or Kemet, which was later called Egypt by the Greek, was the high point and culmination of several thousand years of cultivation and development along the Nile River Valley by their southern ancestors from Nubia (Sudan) and Kush (Ethiopia). (Rashidid, p. 81, 1994) (Hilliard, p. 119, 1995) KMT began at its conception -which is accepted as the First Dynasty when King Narmer united Upper or southern KMT with Lower or northern KMT around 3500 B.C.-(Asante,p. 52, 1990) as a complete and mature civilization. Therefore, from the outset, unified KMT inherited a legacy. The MDW NTR or Medu Neter -later called hieroglyphics by the Greeks- system of writing, a highly constructed cosmogonical and cosmological systems, and a sophisticated system of measure and mathematics were all thousands of years old. In addition, there existed a civilization that permeated scientific and spiritual refinement due to there being a dire thirst to understand the universal order and laws of nature. "Ancient Egyptians lived close to nature, basically as a sedentary population under highly favorable environmental conditions. They were in a position to make repeated observations of natural processes over thousands of years." (Hilliard, p.91, 1995)

These historical precedences allowed for the manifestation of many of the most beautiful and highly crafted architectural edifices of antiquity. "The finest works of architecture were based on the principles derived from ancient wisdom which dictated proportions and motifs based on the laws of harmony." (Asante, p. 190, 1990) Over the Third, Eighteenth and Twenty-fifth Dynasties, many of the most remarkable structures were built. For example, it was during the first seven dynasties that most of the pyramids were built with the Great Pyramids of Ghiza built during the Third Dynasty, in particular; and the most magnificent temples were built during the Eighteenth Dynasty, the Temple of Amon at Waset, later identified as Luxor by the Arabs and Thebes by the Greeks was constructed during this period. (Hilliard, p. 118, 1995) (Rashidi, p. 83-87, 1994)

As with other areas concerning KMT, its architecture partakes in a wholistic approach to its overall design scheme. The architecture served as a representation of knowledge strategically employed within the grand design.

"The entire living environment was organized and constructed to the smallest detail as a teaching environment. The architecture was symbolic to the smallest detail. Even the layout of buildings within in a city carried symbolic meaning. (Hilliard, p. 97, 1995)

Every conceivable aspect of the architectural design contributed to its final form. Hence, the architecture can be interpreted as the organic unity of science, art and religion fused together in a coherent form. It was a harmonic synthesis of all the developments of civilization which were systematically embedded within the architectural design.

These repositories of knowledge were crafted and designed by master-builders and their symbolic devices affected the senses by evoking understanding through revelation by instant vision. "This same architecture transmits a subliminal message into the consciousness of any individual who is spiritually and mentally prepared to receive it." (Browder, 1992) The designers of this architecture affected an intense desire to establish a sacred place for a dialogue between human form and its spiritual essence. This spiritual essence was captured through the use of sacred principles (geometry) developed over thousands of years by observing the natural environment. "Because geometry is an image of the structure of the cosmos, it can readily be used as a symbolic system for understanding various features of the universe." (Pennick, 1980) Thus, Kemetic architectural edifices were embedded with geometry in order to reflect the purest forms of nature and the universe. What came forth were structures that replicated the macrocosm (the universe) in the form of a microcosm (the architecture). This microcosm manifested the use of esoteric expression through "sacred" geometry.

Relevancy

Geometry is the fundamental principle which permeates every aspect of nature. Practically any place one looks, geometry constitutes the universal continuum of life. "Geometry exists everywhere in nature: its order underlies the structure of all things from molecules to galaxies, from the smallest virus to the largest whale." (Pennick, 1980) The forms of crystals and other natural objects such as the spiral around the stem of a plant that leaves grow, the pads on a cats foot, the horns of some animals, the shapes of certain shells, as well as the shapes of flowers, ferns, butterflies and water currents all possess apsects of geometrical proportion. "It follows that all shapes, surfaces, and lines are arranged in conformity with the proportions inherent in nature and reflect ideal systems of beauty." (Ardalan and Bakhtiar, 1973) Therefore, one can deduce that geometry refers to mean not only the processes of nature but knowledge of the laws and principles which govern things and which are themselves related to the metaphysical order.

Following the forms of nature, the artifact (art and architecture) have been consciously planned, since the earliest of times, to be based upon geometrical principles. "These systems, although initially derived from natural forms, often exceeded them in complexity and ingenuity, and were imbued with magic powers and profound psychological meaning." (Pennick, 1980) This "sacred" geometry is fundamentally linked with the nature of the universe. And because geometry is an image of the structure of the cosmos, it can be used as a symbolic system for understanding various features of the universe.