Queen Hatshepsut Temple
While planning your trip to Luxor and adding the iconic sites to visit to your list, do mot miss adding Queen Hatshepsut Temple, as it is one of the most beautiful ancient temples in Egypt. The queen who became a ruler, Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC), constructed a beautiful temple at Deir al-Bahari, on the west bank of Luxor. It is immediately across the Nile from Karnak Temple, the deity Amun’s primary shrine. Senenmut, Amun’s top steward, created Hatshepsut’s temple, Djeser-djeseru “the Holy of Holies”.
The temple is divided into three floors, each with a colonnade at the far end. Just beyond the portico on the topmost level is an open courtyard. Hatshepsut as Osiris, the deity of the dead, is shown in mummiform sculptures leaning on the pillars.
Queen Hatshepsut Temple
Djeser-djeseru is Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple. She performed her religion here after she died. She achieved the fortunate condition of Osiris. The temple is not exclusively for her. It also honors her father, Thutmose I, the goddess Hathor, and the burial deity Anubis.
An altar open to the sun honored the solar religion of RaHorakhty. Amun came first. A path carved directly into the rock leads to his shrine. The shrine sits on the temple’s central axis, at the far end of the top courtyard.
Beautifully painted reliefs adorn the temple walls, representing temple rites, religious festivals, and even the transit of obelisks from the quarry to their final destiny in Karnak Temple. The reliefs in the portico on the so-called Middle Platform are perhaps the most noteworthy. The ornamental program on the left side depicts Hatshepsut’s journey to Punt. We think Punt was near modern-day Eritrea. The program details the residents of this region, their homes, and the surrounding environment. It also shows the wealth and unusual creatures the Egyptians brought back.
Hatshepsut, on the other side of the portico, explains how she is Egypt’s legitimate king. She does this not just by saying that her father Thutmose I selected her as his successor, but also by alleging that her actual father was none other than Amun himself.
