The Temple of Hatshepsut is one of the most stunning architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt. This mortuary temple is located in the desert, at the base of a cliff at Deir el-Bahri, near the city of Luxor on the west bank of the Nile. It was built in the 15th century BC for Queen Hatshepsut – the only female pharaoh in Egyptian history.
Tourists usually visit the temple as part of a one-day excursion to Luxor and Karnak, which is so popular among tourists vacationing in hotels in Hurghada. The journey from the resort takes only a few hours. Tourists traveling around the country are also brought here as part of Nile cruise. But getting here from Sharm el-Sheikh or Cairo is quite problematic, the distance is too long.
The Temple of Hatshepsut is located in the desert, it is carved right into the rock
The facade of Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple is quite wide, more than 40 meters. The back of the building is carved directly into the rock. Its peculiarity is the presence of three large terraces, each of which has a large open area and buildings with columns and sculptures. The terraces are connected by gentle ramps, along which you can climb to the very top of the temple. The closed rooms of the sanctuaries are located inside the rock. Now there is nothing on these terraces, but originally green gardens bloomed here and there were pools of water. The park was reeking in front of the temple itself. Now there is only desert around here.
At the entrance to the temple there are giant sculptures
Inside, the walls of the temple are decorated with colored reliefs, on which you can see pictures from the life of the ancient Egyptians as well as the history of Hatshepsut herself. One interesting thing is that in the southern part of the lower portico the process of delivering obelisks for the construction of the famous Temple of Amun in Karnak is depicted. And the reliefs of the northern temple are dedicated to the story of the divine birth of Hatshepust. The southern portico of the second tier of the temple is dedicated to the story of the queen’s famous campaign in the southern state of Punt. In the temple the campaign is depicted in minute detail.
Unfortunately, only a small restored part of the temple is open to tourists, only a couple of rooms, while most of it is closed and has been badly damaged by time. There is an entrance fee. Also keep in mind that the sun here is hot, especially in summer. Still a desert.
The interior has beautiful color paintings.
In general, the temple makes a rather majestic and strong impression from the outside. There’s quite a bit of interesting stuff inside.
