Sustainability of Sovereign Buildings in Mesopotamian Civilization

Abstract

The pattern of sovereign buildings has emerged within the course of the history of architecture around the world and through the succession of civilizations since ancient times. The planning and designing foundations of these buildings were mainly affected by the diverse ruling authorities and differed according to the successive systems of government. The main thing that distinguishes most of the designs of this style of building is their sustainability through the materials used in its construction as a means of perpetuation throughout the ages, constantly marking the eternity of its rulers. The lack of knowledge in previous literature in the field of Architecture about the role of materials and technologies in achieving sustainable sovereign buildings in Mesopotamian civilization, constitutes the main research problem. The aim of the present paper is thus defined as arriving at the establishment of a theoretical framework by which are determined the main principles and mechanisms of materials’ choice and techniques utilized in different eras of ancient Iraqi architecture, to finally benefit from the past experiences to attain sustainable sovereign buildings today and in the future. The research results confirm the role of the ruling authority (priests and rulers) in the choice of materials and techniques, as a prominent contribution in achieving sustainability and eternity in sovereign buildings of Mesopotamian civilization.