Temple of Hatshepsut 
Temple of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh. Photo © Richard Beck.
Square pillars and the rocky cliff. Photo © Richard Beck.
The three Hatshepsuts. Photo © Richard Beck.
The face of Hatshepsut (by Ray Euden); a local guide (by Jochen Bihn).
Guardian of the Upper Terrace. Photo © Richard Beck.
Thutmosis III gives wine to Sokaris, Anubis Chapel. Photo: Nir Nussbaum.
Detailed and colorful murals in a portico. Photo © Richard Beck.
Another view of the portico, with starry ceiling. Photo
tonayo.Interactive satellite map of the Temple of Hatshepsut. For a larger view,
see our Luxor Map or Google Earth download.
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is the focal point of the Deir el-Bahri (“Northern Monastery”) complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor.
Hatshepsut was a rare female pharoah. The temple known as Djeser-Djeseru ("Splendor of Splendors ") was designed and implemented by Senemut, royal steward of Hatshepsut, to serve for her posthumous worship.
History
Maatkare Hatshepsut or Hatchepsut (late 16th century BC – c. 1482 BC) was the fifth Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by modern Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, ruling longer than any female ruler of an indigenous dynasty.
Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharoah Tuthmosis I and the wife of his successor Tuthmosis II, who died before she bore a son. Rather than step aside for a secondary wife who had borne him an heir, the plucky queen made herself co-regent of the young Tuthmosis III. Soon she assumed absolute power. To legitmize her powerful position, Hatshepsut was depicted with a pharaoh's kilt and beard.
Hatshepsut was a prolific builder, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper and Lower Egypt. Under her reign, Egypt's trade networks began to be rebuilt, after their disruption during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.
She is believed to have ruled from 1503 BC to 1482 BC. Josephus writes that she reigned 21 years and 9 months. Hatshepsut is regarded variously as the earliest known queen regnant in history, as the first known female to take the title Pharaoh, and the first great woman in history, although all of these claims have been contested.
When Tuthmosis III became pharaoh after Hatshepsut's death, he defaced all her images and cartouches, consigning her reign and deeds to oblivion until they were rediscovered by modern archaeologists.
What to See
A 100-foot causeway leads to the temple, which consists of three terraced courtyards covered in sculptural reliefs. Most of the carvings of the queen herself were destroyed by her stepson and successor, who hated her for the way she treated him.
It is hard to imagine it now, but these terraces were filled with gardens and trees - a man-made oasis in the desert. On the top terrace is the Djeser-Djeseru, a colonnaded structure built into a cliff face that rises sharply above it. From a distance, the temple looks like the Egyptian hieroglyphic for Nun, a four-step pyramid. Nun was the primordial mound from which Amun was born.
On the right side of the ramp is the Birth Colonnade, with reliefs of Hatshepsut's divine origins. From left, her parents Amun/Tuthmosis I and Queen Ahmosis sit with their knees touching; strange gods lead Ahmosis into the birth chamber; the god Khnum forms Hatshepsut and her ka (both depicted as boys) on a potter's wheel; Bes and Heqet (a frog deity) look on; goddesses nurse her; and Thoth records details of her reign.
At the far end of the Birth Colonnade, approached by steps, is the Chapel of Anubis with fluted columns and colorful murals. Over the niche on the right, Thutmosis III is shown offering wine to the falcon-headed sun god Sokaris. Hathor is on the facing wall. Other walls depict Hatshepsut (defaced) and Tuthmosis making offerings to Anubis.
Across the ramp is the Punt Colonnade, whose reliefs depict Hatshepsut's journey to the Land of Punt (the birthplace of Amun) to bring back myrrh trees for her temple. From left: Amun commissions the journey; Egyptian boats sail from the Red Sea Coast and are welcomed by the king of Punt and his very fat wife (maybe afflicted by elephantiasis). The Egyptians offer metals axes and other goods and depart with myrrh trees, ebony, ivory, cinnamoon wood and panther skins. The last relief shows the trees being planted at the temple.
At the end of the Punt Colonnade is the Chapel of Hathor, whose face and sacred rattle (sistrum) can be seen on the capitals of the square pillars. In the first chamber, Hathor appears in bovine and human forms and suckles Hatshepsut (not defaced here) on the left wall. The next chamber has remarkably colorful reliefs of festival processions.
Inside the gated sanctuary of the Chapel of Hathor are reliefs of Hatshepsut worshipping the bovine Hathor (on the left) and a portrait of Senenmut (on the right). Senenmut was the queen's favorite courtier who fell from grace for mysterious reasons after 15 years of closeness with her and her daughter. When this sanctuary was first excavated, it was stacked with baskets full of wooden penises, apparently used in fertility rituals.
The Upper Terrace of Hatshepsut's temple is reached via a ramp flanked with vultures' heads. This terrace has only recently opened to visitors after years of excavations and restorations by Polish and Egyptian archaeologists. From there is a fine view of the Nile Valley.
The Sanctuary of Hatshepsut is on the left; it bears reliefs of priests and offerings. On the other side is the Sanctuary of the Sun, an open court with a central altar. In the center in the far back is the Sanctuary of Amun, dug into the cliff and aligned so that it points towards Hatshepsut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In the time of the Ptolemies, this was extended and dedicated to Imhotep and Amenhotep.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (pronounced "Hat-Cheap-Suit"); Djeser Djeseru ("Splendor of Splendors"); area called Deir el-Bahri (Arabic دير البحري, “The Northern Monastery”) |
| Type of site: | Egyptian mortuary temple |
| Dedication: | Amun and Pharaoh Hatshepsut (r.1503-1482 BC) |
| Dates: | c.1480 BC |
| Size: | The top structure is 97 feet tall. |
| Location: | Deir al-Bahri ("Northern Monastery"), Theban Necroplis, Luxor West Bank, Egypt |
| Cost: | £E21 (students £E11) |
Sources
- The Rough Guide to Egypt 6 (November 2005).
- Hatshepsut, the Queen who would be King - Bediz.com
