There are two types of rectangular burial buildings. The first type includes long, narrow parallel chambers such as those at Palaikastro, Archanes and Platanos. The second type consists of square or rectangular chambers. The tombs of this type are best represented by the tombs at Mochlos. No roofs have been preserved; they are usually restored as flat roofs. These two variations often occur in the same cemetery and are presumably contemporary. One of the most impressive examples of this burial building type is the one of Chrysolakkos at Mallia which dates to the Middle Minoan I period (2000-1900 BC).

This type has parallels in domestic architecture, thus indicating the relation of the house of the dead with the house of the living. It is more widespread in the north-eastern part of the island. The earliest examples of burial buildings date from the Early Minoan III (2300-2100/2000 BC) and the latest from the end of the Middle Minoan period (2000-1550 B.C.). In the Mesara plain rectangular tombs coexist with tholos tombs and it seems that they were built as extensions in order to house the bones and grave goods of earlier burials.