Rock-cut architecture

Excavations instead made into the side of a cliff or steep slope can feature an impressive facade, as in Lycian tombs, Petra, and the Ajanta Caves.

Alteration of naturally formed caverns, although distinct from completely carved structures in the strict sense, date back to the neolithic period on several Mediterranean islands e.g. Malta (Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni), Sardinia (Anghelu Ruju, built between 3,000 and 1,500 BCE) and others.

Among these monuments was the Great Temple of Ramesses II, known as Abu Simbel, located along the Nile in Nubia, near the borders of Sudan about 300 kilometers from Aswan in Egypt.

1280 BCE), and consists of a monumentally scaled facade carved out of the cliff and a set of interior chambers that form its sanctuary.

[6][7] In the 5th century BCE, the Lycians, who inhabited southern Anatolia (now Turkey) built hundreds of rock-cut tombs of a similar type, but smaller in scale.

The ancient Etruscans of central Italy also left an important legacy of rock-cut architecture, mostly tombs, as those near the cities of Tarquinia and Vulci.

They were built by the Buddhist monks and consisted mostly of multi-storey buildings carved into the mountain face to contain living and sleeping quarters, kitchens, and monastic spaces.

Unlike most previous examples of rock-cut architecture which consisted of a facade plus an interior, these temples were complete three-dimensional buildings created by carving away the hillside.

Artisans in the Nabataean city of Petra, in modern Jordan, extended the Western Asian tradition, carving their temples and tombs into the yellowish-orange rock that defines the canyons and gullies of the region.

The high resistance of natural cliff, skilled use of plaster and constant microclimate often have helped to preserve this art in better condition than in conventional buildings.

Such exceptional examples are the ancient and early medieval frescoes in such locations as Bamyan Caves in Afghanistan with the most ancient known oil paintings in the world from 8th century CE, Ajanta Caves in India with well preserved tempera paintings from 2nd century BCE, Christian frescoes on Churches of Göreme, Turkey and numerous other monuments in Asia, Europe and Africa.

The Great Temple of Abu Simbel (ca. 1280 BCE), one of the earliest known examples of rock-cut architecture.
The Kailasa temple , part of the Ellora Caves
The 57-foot (17 m) tall monolithic Gommateshwara statue , built in 981 CE
The Midas Monument , a Phrygian rock-cut tomb dedicated to Midas (700 BCE).
Tomb of Absalom ( Kidron Valley ), with rock-cut lower half
Lomas Rishi , one of the first rock-cut caves in India , 250 BCE.
Al Khazneh or the Treasury at Petra
Mount Longmen as seen from Manshui Bridge to the southeast.
The Geghard monastery, 13th century.
Selime Cathedral, A rock-cut temple in Cappadocia (9th century CE)
One of the 13 rock-hewn churches at Lalibela , Ethiopia , entirely cut out of the rock surface (c. 1000 CE)