The flat-roofed, rectangular tomb used in Egypt’s Early Dynastic Period was the mastaba.
A mastaba was a substantial tomb with a flat roof, rectangular plan, and sides that usually sloped inward. Early examples were built mainly from sun-dried mudbrick, while important later monuments could use limestone. Beneath the visible superstructure lay a burial chamber, often reached by a shaft, while an offering chapel served the deceased’s continuing funerary cult.
Mastabas developed from earlier Egyptian burial structures and became standard tombs for rulers, officials, and other members of the elite. They protected the body and provided a permanent place where relatives and priests could leave food and other offerings. The Arabic word mastaba means “bench,” a reference to the structure’s bench-like profile.
Mastabas are sometimes treated as simple alternatives to pyramids, but they also helped shape pyramid architecture. The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara transformed the mastaba form into a monumental, tiered structure. Even after royal pyramids became dominant, non-royal mastabas continued to be built, especially near major pyramid cemeteries such as Giza.