Mud-brick house

History Making mud bricks

Brickmakers mixed Nile mud with sand and chopped straw, pressed the mix into wooden molds and left the bricks to dry in the sun. A painting in the tomb of the official Rekhmire, from around 1450 BC, shows every step, from fetching water to stacking the finished bricks. Mud brick is cheap and keeps houses cool by day and warm at night, and many villages in Egypt still build with it today.

History Inside a small house

Ordinary houses had a few rooms in a row: a front room, a living room, small rooms for sleeping and storage, and a kitchen at the back, often open to the sky. A stair or ladder led to the flat roof. Families had stools, chests, baskets and pots; many people slept on mats.

Bible Bricks without straw

The Book of Exodus says that the Israelites were forced to work as slaves in Egypt, making bricks. When Moses asked the pharaoh to let them go, he made their work even harder: "You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw" (Exodus 5:7).

Think about it

1. Why is mud brick a good building material in a hot, dry land?
2. What would happen to a mud-brick house in heavy rain?
3. What are the houses near you made of?

Key words

Mud brick

A brick made of mud and straw, dried in the sun.

Mold

A frame that gives something its shape.

Whitewash

A white paint made from lime.