Kahun was a planned Egyptian settlement built under the reign of Sesostris II around 1895 BCE. Enclosed within a rectangular wall, it contained administrative and residential quarters, standardized workers' houses, broader central streets, and separate homes for leading citizens. Its rectilinear layout and drainage system provide evidence for organized urban planning in ancient Egypt.
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The Story
Kahun was built around 1895 BCE during the reign of Sesostris II. Unlike a settlement that developed gradually, it was laid out within a rectangular wall and included administrative and residential buildings. Its plan demonstrates the capacity of the Egyptian state to organize an entire urban foundation according to a predetermined design.
The workers' quarter contained nearly 250 excavated houses arranged in blocks along streets four metres wide, which led into a central thoroughfare eight metres wide. Each house occupied roughly 100 to 125 square metres and contained about a dozen rooms on one level. This standardized housing contrasts with the larger and more varied residences assigned to leading citizens.
Kahun's avenues ran parallel to the city walls, and a drain ran down the centre of these streets. The settlement therefore combined administrative order, social differentiation, regular circulation routes, and basic infrastructure. Its plan is presented alongside Tell-el-Amarna as evidence for Egyptian traditions of town planning, while the passage cautions that other cities may have grown more irregularly over time.
Kahun was a planned Egyptian settlement built under the reign of Sesostris II around 1895 BCE. Enclosed within a rectangular wall, it contained administrative and residential quarters, standardized workers' houses, broader central streets, and separate homes for leading citizens. Its rectilinear layout and drainage system provide evidence for organized urban planning in ancient Egypt.
Continue exploring
The Story
Kahun was built around 1895 BCE during the reign of Sesostris II. Unlike a settlement that developed gradually, it was laid out within a rectangular wall and included administrative and residential buildings. Its plan demonstrates the capacity of the Egyptian state to organize an entire urban foundation according to a predetermined design.
The workers' quarter contained nearly 250 excavated houses arranged in blocks along streets four metres wide, which led into a central thoroughfare eight metres wide. Each house occupied roughly 100 to 125 square metres and contained about a dozen rooms on one level. This standardized housing contrasts with the larger and more varied residences assigned to leading citizens.
Kahun's avenues ran parallel to the city walls, and a drain ran down the centre of these streets. The settlement therefore combined administrative order, social differentiation, regular circulation routes, and basic infrastructure. Its plan is presented alongside Tell-el-Amarna as evidence for Egyptian traditions of town planning, while the passage cautions that other cities may have grown more irregularly over time.