mastaba

  1. Noun.  A wide stone bench built into the wall of a house, shop etc. in the Middle East.
  2. Noun.  (architecture) A rectangular structure with a flat top and slightly sloping sides, built during Ancient Egyptian times above tombs that were situated on flat land. Mastabas were made of wood, mud bricks, stone, or a combination of these materials. Some are solid structures, while others can contain one or more rooms, sometimes decorated with paintings or inscriptions.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.