Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut
Mortuary temple of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, a masterpiece of ancient architecture.
Hatshepsut, a pharaoh of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty, ordered the construction of her mortuary temple, known in ancient Egyptian as Ḏsr-ḏsrw, meaning “Holy of Holies.” This structure, situated across from modern Luxor, is widely regarded as a pinnacle of ancient architectural achievement. It consists of three enormous terraces that climb from the desert floor and nestle into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. The temple was designed with a dual purpose: its main east-west axis was used to welcome the sacred barque of the god Amun-Re during the annual Beautiful Festival of the Valley, while its north-south axis symbolized the entire reign of the pharaoh, from her coronation to her rebirth in the afterlife.
- Built
- Between Hatshepsut's seventh and twentieth regnal years
- Location
- Opposite Luxor, at Deir el-Bahari
- Architect
- Unclear; possibly Senenmut or Hapuseneb
- Material
- Limestone, with some red granite and sandstone
- Known for
- Masterpiece of ancient architecture; reliefs of the expedition to Punt and divine birth of Hatshepsut
Lore & Background
The temple was constructed between Hatshepsut's seventh and twentieth regnal years, with building plans repeatedly modified. Its design was heavily influenced by the adjacent Temple of Mentuhotep II of the Eleventh Dynasty, built six centuries earlier. The central axis, customarily reserved for the mortuary complex, is occupied instead by the sanctuary of the barque of Amun-Re, with the mortuary cult displaced south. Separated from the main sanctuary are shrines to Hathor and Anubis on the middle terrace. The porticoes host notable reliefs of the expedition to the Land of Punt and the divine birth of Hatshepsut, which form the backbone of her case to rightfully occupy the throne.
Reader's Guide
The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is significant as a pinnacle of New Kingdom funerary architecture, representing both the pharaoh's divine legitimacy and the honoring of gods relevant to the afterlife. Its unique arrangement—with the central axis dedicated to Amun-Re rather than the mortuary cult—marks a departure from tradition. The temple suffered damage over time: references to Hatshepsut were erased under Thutmose III, images of gods were defaced during the Amarna Period, and an earthquake caused further harm. Later, a Coptic monastery was built on the site. Rediscovered in the modern era, the temple was fully excavated between 1893 and 1906 by the Egypt Exploration Fund, with further work by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Egyptian Antiquities Service. Since 1961, the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology has carried out extensive consolidation and restoration, and the temple was opened to the public in March 2023.
Did You Know?
- The temple's Egyptian name, Ḏsr-ḏsrw, means 'Holy of Holies'.
- Hatshepsut's tomb, KV20, lies inside the same massif capped by El Qurn, a pyramid for her mortuary complex.
- The temple's design was directly inspired by the adjacent Temple of Mentuhotep II, built six centuries earlier.
- A Coptic monastery of Saint Phoibammon was built between the 6th and 8th centuries AD, and images of Christ were painted over original reliefs.
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