Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut

Have you ever visited Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut before?

At Deir Al Bahri the eyes are drawn to the dramatic limestone cliffs rising 300m above the desert plain. At the foot of this beauty lies an even greater wonder the Temple of Hatshepsut. The almost modern looking temple blends beautifully with the cliffs from which it is cut a match made in heaven. Most of what you see has been reconstructed and also there are another temples in luxor such as Karnak Temple which is a massive complex covering 2 sq km the size of 10 cathedrals and Luxor Temple which built by the new kingdom pharaohs amenhotp III and ramses and Temple of Seti I which famous for his beautiful temple of abydos and Mut Temple Enclosure which built by amenhotep III and Montu Temple Enclosure also in luxor

Continuous excavation and restoration since 1891 has revealed one of ancient Egypt’s greatest monuments. It must have been even more spectacular in the days of Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BC) when it was approached by a sphinx lined causeway instead of today’s noisy tourist bazaar. The court was a garden planted with exotic trees and perfumed plants and was linked due east across the Nile to the Temple of Karnak. Called Djeser-djeseru (Most Holy of Holies) it was designed by Senenmut a courtier at Hatshepsut’s court and perhaps also her lover. Although the design seems unusual it had all the elements of a memorial temple the central axis and three part plan but had to be adapted to the site: almost exactly on the same line as the Temple of Amun at Karnak and near an older shrine to the goddess Hathor and there are also another landmarks in luxor you can visit such as Valley of the Queens which is at the southern end of the theban hill side and New Gurna and Medinat Habu which is fronted by the sleepy village of kom lolah and backed by the theban moutain and Luxor Museum which has an amazing collection of antiquities from the end of old kingdom to the mamluk period

The temple has been ravaged over the centuries: Tuthmosis III removed his stepmother’s name wherever he could; Akhenaten removed all references to Amun; and the early Christians turned it into a monastery, Deir Al Bahri (Monastery of the North) and defaced the pagan reliefs there are another famous landmarks in luxor such as Tomb of Seti I which knwon as the best tomb in the valley and Tomb of Ramses VI (KV9) which is the grandest tomb in the valley of kings and Tomb of Tutankhamun KV (62) which is one of the smaalest in the valley and Tuthmosis III ( KV 34) which deeps in the hils Tomb of Tuthmosis IV ( KV 43) which one of the largest and deepest of the 18th dynasty and Tomb of Tawosret sethnakht (KV 14) which was the wife of of seti II

Deir Al Bahri is one of the hottest places on earth so an early morning visit is recommended also because the reliefs are best seen in the low sunlight. The complex is entered via the great court where original ancient tree roots are still visible. The colonnades on the lower terrace were closed at the time of writing. The delicate relief work on the south colonnade left of the ramp shows the transportation of a pair of obelisks commissioned by Hatshepsut from the Aswan quarries to Thebes, while the north colonnade has scenes of birds being caught and there are Tomb of Ramsis III ( KV 11) which also known as user maat ra and Tomb of Nefertari which is the best in theban necropolis and all of egypt

A large ramp leads to the two upper terraces. The best reliefs are on the middle terrace. The reliefs on the north colonnade show Hatshepsut’s divine birth and at the end of it is the Chapel of Anubis with well preserved colourful reliefs of a defaced Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III in the presence of Anubis, Ra-Horakhty and Hathor. The reliefs in the Punt Colonnade to the left of the entrance tell the story of the expedition to the Land of Punt to collect myrrh trees for the incense used in temple ceremonies. There are scenes of strange animals, exotic plants, foreign architecture, landscapes and different looking people. At the end of this colonnade is the Hathor Chapel with two chambers with Hathor headed columns.On the west wall is Hathor as a cow licking Hatshepsut hand and Hatshepsut drinking from Hathor udder On the north wall is a worn relief of Hatshepsut soldiers in naval dress for Hathor Beyond the pillared halls is a 3 room chapel cut into the rock now closed to the public with reliefs of the queen in front of the gods and behind the door a small figure of Senenmut the architect of the temple and some say Hatshepsut lover and there are also Tomb of Merenptah ( KV 8) which is the second largest valley of the kings and Tomb of Ramsis IV ( KV 2 ) which is near the entrance of valley of kings

the upper level was restored by a Polish Egyptian team over the last 25 years and had 24 Osiris statues some of which remain The central pink granite doorway leads into the Sanctuary of Amun cut into the cliff

On the south side of Hatshepsut temple are the remains of the Temple of Montuhotep built for the founder of the 11th dynasty and one of the oldest temples found in Thebes and the Temple of Tuthmosis III Hatshepsut’s successor both are in ruins and also there are another countries you can visit during your stay Egypt Tours provide you with many suggestions also you can travel with your family and spend quality time with them Egypt Family Tours give you many offers to choose from and also if you want to be in a private tour we can provide this for you through Egypt Private Tours give you also many offers to choose from and also we have safari tours if you want to try and book it you can do this through Egypt Safari Tours provide you numerous suggestions to choose from and also there are tours for women only you can book it also through Egypt Women Tours give you also many recommendations to choose from