Imhotep Today: Egyptianizing architecture (Encounters With Ancient Egypt)

Examples of buildings, structures or monuments that draw inspiration from ancient Egypt, or even transplant in their entirety motifs or architectural elements, can be seen across the world. But why is this so? These fifteen essays explore the use and adaptation of Egyptian designs, motifs and architecture across the modern world drawing on case studies from Britain, France, Italy, America, Australia and South Africa. The contributors discuss why some images were more popular than others, such as sphinxes, obelisks and pyramids, and what events fuelled the rise of Egyptomania, illustrated with a range of examples from facades of zoos, bridges, cinemas, prisons, museums, cemeteries, funerary monuments and parks. Further discussion is made of the reasons for drawing on Egyptian culture, whether for aesthetic, symbolic or cultural reasons, and the contributors question whether this Egyptian message is universally understood.