Urban planning in ancient Egypt

The use of urban planning in ancient Egypt is a matter of continuous debate. Because ancient sites usually survive only in fragments, and many ancient Egyptian cities have been continuously inhabited since their original forms, relatively little is actually understood about the general designs of Egyptian towns for any given period.

The Egyptians referred to most cities as either nwt or dmj. Nwt usually refers to unplanned cities that grew naturally, such as Memphis and Thebes, while dmj can be translated as "settlement" and usually refers to towns that were laid out along a plan. The archaeological evidence of such cities is best preserved, and has been most thoroughly delved, at El Lahun, Deir el-Medina, and Amarna, though some averment of urban planning exists at other sites as well.