Definition of "mastaba" in English

noun

1. A wide stone bench built into the wall of a house, shop etc. in the Middle East.

2. (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.

   • The pyramids at Giza are flanked by large cemeteries containing hundreds of mastabas.