Our next stop was the Temple of Hatshepsut, built in honor of the first great female monarch who ruled in the 18th dynasty, roughly 1479-1485 BC. Hatshepsut was the chief wife of Thutmose II, but they had no sons, and so when her husband died his son by another wife, Thutmose III, became Pharaoh. Tut III was only 12 years old at the time, and so Hatshepsut was named regent, and eventually proclaimed herself king. She claimed to be born of the god Ra, and thus no one could argue her ascent to the throne, even though she was a woman. She ruled for a period of 20 years and during that time commissioned major works of art and architecture including the first obelisks. Her stepson, once a bit older, was of course a little bitter that his coronation was delayed because of her, and therefore after her death he destroyed many of her images and statues, and erased her name from the historical records.
The Temple was designed to mimic and blend in with the surrounding landscape
These small caves were constructed for the workers to live while they built the temple
A nice view of the desert with the Nile Valley in the background. The division between the two is extremely abrupt.
The Temple is made up of 3 colonnaded terraces connected by a central ramp. The foreground, which is now a paved road, was once a lush garden of frankincense trees and exotic plants.
Like the Temple of Karnak, this is all post and lintel architecture held together by the precise cutting of the stone, gravity, and a bit of mortar
Surfaces are carved with reliefs showing various gods and Hatshepsut's legendary birth by Ra
Inside the first colonnade
A depiction of two gods. Hatshepsut was once in the middle, but her image was scratched out by her stepson.
Many of the pillars were faced with statues of Hatshepsut, but only a few survive and have been reconstructed. Here she is portrayed in the traditional pose of a Pharaoh, with arms crossed over her chest. Moreover, she is shown with the fake beard of the kings, to make herself appear more masculine and authoritative.
Hieroglyphs with my hand for scale
Tourist police making the most of a bit of shade
In the upper terrace
View from the parking lot
The Temple was designed to mimic and blend in with the surrounding landscape
These small caves were constructed for the workers to live while they built the temple
A nice view of the desert with the Nile Valley in the background. The division between the two is extremely abrupt.
The Temple is made up of 3 colonnaded terraces connected by a central ramp. The foreground, which is now a paved road, was once a lush garden of frankincense trees and exotic plants.
Like the Temple of Karnak, this is all post and lintel architecture held together by the precise cutting of the stone, gravity, and a bit of mortar
Surfaces are carved with reliefs showing various gods and Hatshepsut's legendary birth by Ra
Inside the first colonnade
A depiction of two gods. Hatshepsut was once in the middle, but her image was scratched out by her stepson.
Many of the pillars were faced with statues of Hatshepsut, but only a few survive and have been reconstructed. Here she is portrayed in the traditional pose of a Pharaoh, with arms crossed over her chest. Moreover, she is shown with the fake beard of the kings, to make herself appear more masculine and authoritative.
Hieroglyphs with my hand for scale
Tourist police making the most of a bit of shade
In the upper terrace
View from the parking lot
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