This web site is dedicated to history lovers with a sense of wanderlust. This site contains both information necessary to plan your trip to visit Hatsheput's Funerary District in Luxor, Egypt, and the history behind the site.
Travel Back To ancient Egypt.
You are a commoner in the eight-teeth dynasty of the Pharaohs. Your country has flourished under the rule of many great Pharaohs. Times were peaceful, trade was abundant, and citizens felt safe in their secured boarders. Your Pharaoh is the great Hatshepsut, Daughter of Tuthmosis I, and Queen to the late Tuthmosis II.
In the morning you wake and see workers starting new construction in the square where you do most of your daily business and get the daily news from travelers. They are erecting an obelisk(see image below) in honor of Pharaoh Hatshepsut that will read of her many great acts of Pharaoh. One of the workers tells you that Pharaoh Hatsheput has started work on her burial site at Dayr el-Bahari on the west banks of the Nile.(Current day mouth to the Valley of the Kings) He tells you it is unlike anything any other Pharaoh of the past has done. It will be a massive funerary district of sublime symmetrical Colonnade structures featuring terraces with lush gardens and ponds. You tell the worker that you feel that this will be an appropriately grand burial for such a great ruler and that her Ka will be well kept. He smiles in agreement and begins to tell you that her funerary district will be built into the cliff facing of the hills of the valley. The worker can see the amazement in your eyes as you try to image a building of such grandeur. He says the architect commissioned for this and many other tasks is Senenmut. He tells you that he is a master that has made great new advances in the world of architecture and he started out as a humble brick layer. You realize that you do not want to keep the worker much longer from his tasks so you thank him and go about your day. Many years pass and you watch the Oblisk finish being constructed and watch as it fills with information on the Pharaoh Hatsheput. It told of her great trade net works into the land of Punt. It told of the many structures she erected with Senenmut such as the monuments constructed at the Temple of Karnak, Karnak's Red Chapel, and The Temple of Pakhet. She even restored the Precinct of Mut for the goddess of Egypt back to its glory. Later it tells of Pharaoh Hatsheput's death in January 16, 1458 BC. A morning a few months after the death of Pharaoh Hatsheput you watch as workers from the capital come into your town. You are old now and hobble over closer to the Obelisk and ask the young man what is going on. He informs you that he has orders to remove all Obelisks to the Pharaoh Hatshepsut and all her images. Your eyes widen in disbelief and you ask why. The worker turns away from you, chisel in hand and says it is the will of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III. Today very little remains in historical records of Hatsheput but her great funerary district and many other sites are still in tact. On your visit to Hatsheput's funerary district you can pay homage to the once great queen, and marvel at the amazing architectural structures and art she left behind. |
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“Wonderful experience” Seeing this temple just after sun up was amazing. The building is hugely impressive and we had a very well informed Egyptology as a guide to show us round.
“Incredible visit”Hatshepsut traveled to Karnak Temple 5 times a day to worship, standing on her temple steps looking toward the Nile was breathtaking.
“Temple Explored”The sight of Queen Hatsheput temple was awe inspiring. The sheer size of the statues, immense columns as well as the hieroglyphics told the fascinating story of her life. The only dislike was that we were constantly approached by local vendors and touts.
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