Serdab

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Serdab

(Russian sardoba), a term used in Middle Asia and other countries of the East to designate underground rooms in medieval towns used as shelter against intense summer heat. It may also designate storage areas for snow or domed cisterns for water.

REFERENCE

Masson, M. E. Problema izucheniia tsistern-sardoba. Tashkent, 1935.

serdab

1. In ancient Egyptian architecture, a closed statue chamber.

2. In Mesopotamian town houses, a cellar under the courtyard, ventilated and lighted by skylights, serving as a living room during the summer months.

References in periodicals archive ?

A wooden beam found inside the serdab (labyrinths) of the Pyramid of King Zoser of the Third Dynasty testified that Hawass' restoration wasn't the first.

Egypt's Saqqara gets a security upgrade

ambled aplomb ardebs badmen balked bardes barons basted batons beards bedamn bedlam beldam blamed breads broncs cobnut debars depots despot dopers drones fetish fisher flambe Fresno habits habitu hagbut hiders histed hognut hoiden honied jerids joined joints jurist kiblah klutzy lambed nought pedros phobia phobic posted pouted prosed quartz rhinos sabred serdab shedir sherif Shinto snored soften sonder sorned spored stoned stoped tabued thongs tonish updove

Vicinal and nonvicinal heterograms

Cecil Taylor's Serdab? Nirvana's Milk It?) Unfortunately, the fact that these authors have chosen to paint such a coarse, distorted picture, possibly a result of their being unable to see beyond the walls of academia,(14) not only detracts from their essays, but also serves to denigrate and obscure the many achievements of their predecessors, specifically the composers of tonal music who were active during the period in question.

A "New Totality?" (Contemporary Music Review issue on the concerns of US composers)