The Glaze Glass and Tiles in the Egyptian Architecture

Abstract

Man is the sole being who assigns to populate and construct the land. Every nation has its civilization that conforming to its environment and architecture. Egypt through its different creeds and schools, its architecture was advanced since the early ages, them the Pharaoh’s era (Ancient Egyptian) through tombs building (Pyramids), temples, churches and mosques. The architecture has been boomed in the Memloki’s regime time and Mohammed Ali family that could distinguishing with a distinct architecture still lofty up till now, then after the Egyptian architecture has attached big stagnancy, and that a distinct architecture could not appear till a development could appear in the global architecture, and becomes similar whether in Egypt or in another countries according to the great advance in techniques and materials that become circulating and available in the global markets the same as the Egyptian and Arabian markets. The different environmental and climate specifications that were fitting with every architectural building and country according to their environmental, patrimonial and climate nature could not be available. Architecture is the yield of cultures and experiences of the different previous or coming civilizations with the addition of thought and the modern technology that is suitable for each environment. The Egyptian architecture is exposing to a special climate where the strong sun rays, dust and wind in several periods could have impact on the general features of architecture, where they were differed according to the difference of the useful values, the environmental and religious aesthetical requirements. Through the present development and the technological progress in architecture, many architects tried to confirm the appearance of new though and formation for the Egyptian architecture can reacting with the environment and relating with the climate, trying to solve the problems of losing the energy in winter and the increased rising of temperature in summer, so it was necessary to change the architecture facades, and using the new glass that satisfying the designing and useful needs of the Egyptian architecture. It could use the glass of the new features that satisfying the environment’s needs and requirements for temperature reflection, the color changing according to light variation and also to realize the visual continuity and privacy in the Egyptian architectural facades. But the architectural mural revetments were not in the required aesthetical values to react with the modern architecture, this made us study the way of how obtaining the architectural revetment materials that fitting with the Egyptian environment. It could found that the vitrified glass and mosaic consider from the important valid materials for such climate and architectural beautification, giving the architecture a style has the philosophy and culture of the time, the originality, feature and civilization of Egypt in the recent thought of the Egyptian architecture. 2 Whereas the glass with all of its different types and the vitrified tiles were the selected materials for the architecture’s revetments, it could use the available Egyptian materials in the environment such as dolomite, lime stone, kaolin, sand, in addition to Sodium carbonate, and some of the colored chemical elements to produce types of the vitrified tiles and glassy mosaic valid for facades and the architectural artistic works in Egypt.