Marhaba | The Pyramids | Nile Cruise | Alexandria | Myths | Links
Nile Cruise - Hatshepsut's funeral temple
Over the ridge from the Valley of the Kings is Hatshepsut's temple tomb at Deir el-Bahri. Hatshepsut was married to Tuthmosis II but was widowed early. She didn't want the son of a secondary wife to rule in her place so decided to become Pharoah herself. She married the young boy to her daughter.
She had this temple built to house her remains, and it is thought that it once used to have an avenue of sphinxes and myrrh trees leading up to it from the Nile. She is supposed to have dressed as a man. Her reign (1503-1482 BC) is noted for her encouragement of foreign trade rather than fighting battles. After her death, Tuthmosis III tried to deface all her cartouches, monuments and pictures. It wasn't until archaeologists started uncovering ancient Egyptian ruins that her identity was re-discovered. We didn't have time to visit the temple properly, so this is the nearest we got.
E-mail: gplonker@usa.net
