The temples located west of Thebes were called memorial temples or religious temples, as the kings of the New Kingdom separated the royal cemetery from the rest of the funerary complex, wanting to hide the cemetery from the eyes to protect it from theft. They overlooked the idea of ​​the pyramid and saw tombs carved into the rock in a valley in the western mountain in Thebes, as this temple is associated with the beginning of the funeral rites for the pharaoh and the performance of religious rituals, religious hymns and prayers after his death. Some prefer to call it the temple of rituals or memorialization. These temples were also designated for the performance of rituals for some gods in addition to the king. These temples extend west of Thebes, starting with the temple of King Amenhotep I in the north and ending with the temple of Ramses III in Medinet Habu in the south. It seems that the system followed by the kings of the 18th Dynasty was to start their temples from north to south, then the kings of the 19th Dynasty followed them in building temples from north to south between the temples of the 18th Dynasty. Among the most famous temples are the temple of Queen Hatshepsut from the 18th Dynasty and the temple of Ramses II, which is called The Ramesseum from the 19th Dynasty and the Temple of Ramesses III from the 20th Dynasty, which is the Temple of Habu.

What Was Queen Hatshepsut Known For?

Queen Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, married her brother, King Thutmose II, in order for him to gain legitimacy to sit on the throne, as she was born from a secondary wife. After the death of her husband, she became the guardian of his son, the young King Thutmose III, who was the heir to the throne. Then she was removed from power and assumed royal titles. She tried to prove the legitimacy of her rule and claimed her lineage to the god Amun. She recorded the story of her birth, her divine lineage, and her coronation by her father, Thutmose I, through the god Horus and the god Set on the walls of her temple in Deir el-Bahri. She was assisted in this by her own engineer, Senmut, who had a close relationship with the queen. Secondly, she ordered the construction of many temples in Minya, Elephantine, and Luxor. She built two obelisks in Karnak and recorded the story of the two obelisks on the walls of the Deir el-Bahri Temple, starting with bringing them and then dedicating them to the god Amun. Then she sent a trade trip to the land of Punt, where the scenes and texts of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri were deliberately scraped off by King Thutmose III in revenge for what she had done to him. The scenes and texts of the god Amun were scraped off because For the religious revolution carried out by of Akhenaten.

How Did Queen Hatshepsut Die

Her death has since been attributed to a benzopyrene carcinogenic skin lotion found in possession of the Pharaoh, which led to her having bone cancer.

Queen Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple Location

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Where Is The Temple Of Hatshepsut Located

The Mortuary temple Queen Hatshepsut is located north of the funerary complex of King Mentuhotep Nebhepetre, west of Thebes or Luxor, in an area called Deir el-Bahari. This area was given this name as it is a modern Arabic name given to this area in the 7th century AD after the Copts used the temple of Queen Hatshepsut as their monastery. This temple is located north of the area, and the north is known as Bahri, hence the name Deir el-Bahari.

Funerary Temple Of Queen Hatshepsut

The funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut was known as: Djeser Djesru, which means the Holy of Holies.

Temple Of Hatshepsut Architecture History

-The Valley Temple:

The lower temple or valley temple was built near the cultivated valley. It was completely destroyed. Alabaster vessels, inscribed stone blocks, and inscribed mud brick molds were found in it. These artifacts are now preserved in the Metropolitan Museum, the Egyptian Museum, and the British Museum.

The Ascending Road:

The ascending road extended from the Valley Temple and reached the courtyard of the Temple of Rituals. This road was open and unroofed. It contained on both sides, at equal distances, statues of Queen Hatshepsut in the form of a sphinx. This road included a rest stop for the boat of Amun at Deir el-Bahari. A stone piece was found engraved with a scene from that rest stop and is preserved in the British Museum, No. 41228.

Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut Temple

The design of the temple began in the eighth or ninth year of Queen Hatshepsut's reign. It was built from fine limestone. The architect, Senmut, supervised the design of the temple. This architect and Queen Hatshepsut were impressed by the design of the funerary complex of King Mentuhotep II and the terraced system. They thought of the same idea and the architect built the temple on three levels, one above the other.

Temple Of Hatshepsut Architecture Analysis

-The First Level Of Temple:

The first level, or lower level, was the ascending path leading to an open gate in a wall surrounding a large courtyard. This courtyard represented part of the first level of the temple. The statues that start from the Valley Temple and surround the ascending path in the first courtyard of the temple continue until they reach the two pools that precede the ascending slope that reached the second level of the temple. Each pool takes the shape of the letter T, and each pool faces the other pool. The courtyard had a garden with palm trees. The garden was also present in the complex of King Mentuhotep II. The courtyard ends from the west with a row of two rows of columns on both sides of the slope, representing the end of the first level of the temple. Each row consists of 22 columns on the sides, 11 columns on each side. The front row takes the square shape from the front and the polygonal from the back. These columns are decorated with the titles and royal names of King Hatshepsut. The northern row is bordered by a statue of the king standing in the Osirian form, on the northern end. It was restored there, and the statue is engraved on the southern row, on the southern end.

Deir El-Bahri Hatshepsut Temple

-The Second Level Of The Temple Hatshepsut:

The visitor reaches it via a ramp that he ascends from the first level. On both sides of this ramp are balustrades. The beginning of this balustrade is decorated with a scene of a lion crouching on its hind legs. The presence of the lion is a symbol of the protection of this second level and the protection of the queen whose titles are written in front of it. On this level there is a row of columns consisting of 15 columns in a single row. This row includes four shrines. The end of the second level of the temple is represented by two rows of columns, each row consisting of 22 columns on both sides: 11 columns on each side.

What Is Unique About Hatshepsut Temple?

-Hathor Temple:

Hathor Temple There is a temple of Hathor in the second level of the temple consisting of two parts, a built part and the other part carved into the rock. The built part consists of two halls whose roofs are supported by 32 columns. These columns are decorated with a view of the head of the goddess Hathor with the face of a woman and the horns of a cow. In the middle of the western wall of the second column is a staircase leading to the second part, which is carved into the rock and consists of a hall with two columns containing four niches. In the middle of the western wall is an entrance that leads to a rectangular basement with four niches. In its western cemetery is an entrance leading to a hall representing the holy place of worship and containing scenes and engravings of the goddess Hathor with Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III with the rest of the gods. It also contains scenes of the architect Senmut worshipping.

Queen Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple

The Temple of Anubis , is located on the second level of Hatshepsut's temple. It consists of a hall with a roof supported by 12 columns. Its ceiling is decorated in blue and with yellow stars. The walls of the temple are engraved with scenes of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III and their relationship with the gods, headed by the god Anubis.

The Mortuary Temple Of Queen Hatshepsut

The third level of the temple is reached by a ramp that the visitor ascends from the second level. This ramp includes a staircase in the middle. The sides of this ramp are decorated with a balustrade.The beginning of this balustrade is decorated on both sides with a cape animal, above which is a falcon with its wings spread around it, its talons grasping the sign of eternity, which is a sign called the Shen.The third level or surface of Hatshepsut's temple consists of a courtyard with a group of columns consisting of two rows of columns, each row consisting of 22 columns on both sides, meaning 11 columns on each side. The columns of the front row take a square shape, while the columns of the second row take a polygonal shape. A standing statue of Queen Hudud in the Osirian form (in reference to the god Osiris, the god of the afterlife) is fixed to the front of each column.

Temple Of Queen Hatshepsut

The Memorial Gate is located in the middle of the western wall of the colonnade on the third level of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This gate is made of granite and was preceded by statues of the queen in the Osirian form. The gate consists of an upper threshold and two sides. The gate is engraved with the names and royal titles of Queen Hatshepsut, but she was usurped by King Thutmose III. Therefore, the names and titles of Kings Hatshepsut and Thutmose III sometimes appear on it. There are also feminine epithets that the men of the third king did not take care to destroy. The memorial gate leads to an open courtyard surrounded by two rows of columns, most of which are in ruins. Its western wall has 18 niches, nine on each side, which once housed statues of Queen Hatshepsut.

What Is Unique About Hatshepsut Temple?

The ritual shrines of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose I There are five rooms south of the hypostyle court connected by three entrances to the hypostyle court. The eastern and western entrances connect to two stores. The middle entrance connects to a hall that includes two niches in its eastern wall and two entrances in the western wall. This entrance connects to a hall that represents the ritual shrine of Hatshepsut. The northern entrance connects to a smaller hall parallel to the previous hall that represents the ritual shrine of Thutmose I.

Queen Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple

-A Shrine For The God Ra-Horakhty:

There is a shrine for the god Ra-Horakhty on the third level of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, its roof supported by three columns. This altar was dedicated by Queen Hatshepsut for offerings to the god Ra-Horakhty and is inscribed with the text of dedication and consecration.

-Second Shrine For Anubis:

In the middle of the northern wall of the altar hall of the god Ra-Horakhty, there is an entrance leading to a hall containing another entrance leading to another hall representing another shrine for the god Anubis on the third level of the temple.

-Shrine Of The God Amun:

The third level of Hatshepsut's temple also includes a shrine for the god Amun, which is a rectangular hall extending from south to north.

-The Holy Of Holies:

There is an entrance in the middle of the western wall of the hypostyle court on the third level of the temple leading to a hall carved into the rock containing four niches in its northern and southern walls. The hall includes an entrance in the western walls leading to a small shrine containing two opposite niches, one in the north and the other in the south. In the Ptolemaic period, a ceiling supported by four columns and a hall west of the Holy of Holies were added. The halls of the Holy of Holies were decorated with scenes of King Thutmose II and III and Queen Hatshepsut with the gods.

The Best Time To Visit Hatshepsut Temple

The best time to visit Hatshepsut Temple and the West Bank of Luxor is in the fall, winter and spring, from October to April. A word of advice: Visit early in the morning to avoid the intense heat of the afternoon and the crowds.

Hatshepsut Temple Entrance Fees

Adult:   EGP 440 | Student: EGP 220