About the Temple of Hatshepsut
The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the finest preserved temples of ancient Egypt and the best example of marvelous mortuary temples in the West Bank of Luxor.
Although the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut was constructed more than 3500 years ago, the beauty still retains many of its magnificent aspects and sections. We take pride in El Deak tours that offer the most amazing tours to Luxor to visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
The location of the Temple of Hatshepsut
The Temple of Hatshepsut is located in the West Bank of Luxor, near many other attractions including the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. El Deak Tours provides the best tours to Luxor and Aswan including visiting the astonishing Temple of Hatshepsut.
The Temple of Hatshepsut is located at the bottom of a high hill, the fact that even contributed more to the charm of the temple.
The complex was also named El Deir El Bahary or the Northern monastery because the Copts of Egypt in the early days of Christianity resorted to it and turned it into a Coptic organization.
The history of the Temple of Hatshepsut
Queen Hatshepsut was not factually the first ruler of Egypt to construct a temple at that unique location. The first was Amenhotep II, who ruled over Egypt at the end of the 20th century BC, around 500 years before the construction of the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Temple of Amenhotep II was the first temple to be constructed in the West Bank of Luxor.
The first to begin the excavation works at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut was August Merritt at the end of the 19th century in the period from 1893 till 1897 when he was able, with the help of his mission, to unearth the ruins of the Coptic monastery.
The Temple Hatshepsut today
Several tours organized by El Deak Tours provide the opportunity to explore the amazing Temple of Hatshepsut.
The layout of the temple is different from the common design of the ancient Egyptian temples like Luxor, Karnak, and Philae temples. The hypostyle hall was replaced with a number of galleries and terraces in the Temple of Hatshepsut.
There are two large statues of the Queen Hatshepsut at the entrance of her temple in the West Bank of Luxor. The first gallery of the temple has some remarkable inscriptions of the construction process of two obelisks that were made in Aswan and then transferred to the Karnak Temple in Luxor.
A slope leads from the first terrace of the temple to the second one. The second terrace is featured with wall carvings of the commercial missions the Queen Hatshepsut sent to the lands of Punt in 1459 BC when she important plants, spices, and different types of goods from this kingdom that was situated to the South of Egypt.
The facade of the second terrace of the temple has 26 statues of the Queen Hatshepsut in the disguise of the god Osiris. This is one of the most distinctive features of the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor.
Among the most remarkable features of the Temple of Hatshepsut is the Chapel of the goddess Hathour situated to the left-hand side of the entrance to the temple. With many pillars with the statue of the head of Hathour and some wonderful paintings representing Hathour as a cow, this chapel is highly recommended for any traveler who visits Egypt and who is fond of the Pharaonic art and architecture.
Opposite to the chapel of Hathour, the chapel of Anubis is situated to the left hand side of the entrance to the temple. This chapel is dedicated to the god associated with mummification and the afterlife of the Pharaohs. It is characterized with many inscriptions and wall paintings of different gods and offerings scenes.
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