After an early morning river crossing many of us decided that a good retirement job would be as a boat driver on the Nile. I figured with my Naval training I could beat out the others for the job. As usual when we arrived on the East bank of the river there were vendors waiting to assail us on the way to the bus that would take us to the Hatshepsut Temple.
The rock faces surrounding the Hatshepsut temple are studded with tombs carved into the rock where courtiers were buried. As one moves along the road leading to the temple it gradually comes into view. Against its stark mountainous backdrop the partly rock-hewn Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir al-Hahri is a breathtaking sight. It was designed by Queen Hatshepsut's architect Senenmut in the 18th Dynasty and is an extraordinary monument which rises from the desert plain in a series of imposing terraces. The temple was damaged by Ramses II and his successors, and Christians later turned it into a monastery (hence the name Deir al-Bahri, which means "Northern Monastery"). However the on going excavation of the site continues to reveal much exquisite decoration.
For those who have trouble remembering Queen Hatshepsut's name the mnemonic our guide Aki gave us was think of it as Hat-Cheap-Suit, which will generally get you close enough.
There is plenty of controversy surrounding Queen Hatshepsut, and not just because she was the only female Pharaoh. While later in her reign she had herself depicted as a man (see the statues decorating the coloums Below Left), most of her likenesses and cartouches were destroyed after her death. Most attribute this to her step-son, husband and successor Tuthmosis III, however there are some who are labouring to find evidence which would clear his name.
Here is a picture of Tuthmosis III amking offerings ot the sun god Ra-Harakhty.
After the visit to the Hatshepsut Temple we stopped at an artisan stone working store where they were making alabaster pots and sculptures using traditional methods.