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Why were ancient Egyptian houses usually built from mud brick?

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Side view of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu rising behind it on the Giza Plateau near Cairo, Egypt. — ancient Egypt Side view of the Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background, Giza, Egypt.

In ancient Egypt, mud brick was the standard material for domestic architecture, including private houses and even royal palaces, throughout the Dynastic period.123

The primary reason for this choice was that stone was reserved as an elite construction material for state-sponsored projects, specifically for tombs—the "eternal dwellings of the dead"—and temples, which served as the "eternal houses of the gods". While Egypt possessed abundant deposits of stone, the process of quarrying, transporting, and working it was extremely costly and remained a state monopoly.423

In contrast, mud brick was a practical and accessible material for everyday construction. Although stone was valued for its strength and durability in religious and funerary contexts, mud brick remained the functional choice for towns, fortresses, and residential buildings.423