mastaba

Meaning

Noun

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

Origin

• From Arabic مِصْطَبَة ("bench").