Luxor - West Bank
The New Kingdom Mortuary Temple

Parts of the Temple

Granite Obeslisks -The lowest colonnade contains a fabulously unusual series of reliefs of the transport of granite obelsiks from Elephantine to Thebes. The massive obelisks are shown afloat a barge, which is being towed by a total of thirty boats. The scene then moves on to chronicle the great celebration that took place upon their arrival in Thebes. Delicate reliefs show how the gods were given great offerings and sacrifices of oxen. The jubilant queen is then seen presenting the granite obelisks to the great god Amun-Re.

The Land of Punt -The middle colonnade at the rear of the great court (second terrace) contains scenes that evoke the Queen's dynamic relationship with the gods. Hatshepsut chooses to record the success of a mission to a very far off foreign land called Punt. To reach Punt was no easy task, and so it is fitting for this achievement to be lavishly celebrated, as it was an out of the ordinary event, that demonstrated the effectiveness of her rulership. Punt was a land of wonder (ancient Egyptian = bj3jt) and marvels (bj3w), that was somewhere to the south east of Egypt. Over the years a generation of different hypothesis have been proposed on the location of this mysterious place: Syria, Sinai, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, southern Arabia, and Eritrea. It would seem that the latter is now the widely accepted location of Punt. The most important import from Punt, in the Egyptian mind, was incense (myrrh) that was plentifully employed in the temples, and indeed was a necessary part of the rituals that allowed a god to manifest himself on earth. Punt also produced other exotic produce that the high tastes of palace court culture demanded. The faint reliefs chronicle the mission. King's before Hatshepsut had sent expeditions to Punt, but she was to outshine them by actually importing living myrrh trees to allow her own land to be able to produce the product and effectively eliminate the dependence on Punt for this indispensable commodity. Hatshepsut is here fulfilling her role as Pharaoh and the god Amun makes the mission possible for her:

"I gave you Punt in its entirety, up to the lands of the gods of t3-ntr (= God's Land). It had been heard (of), from mouth to mouth, in the reports of the ancestors. The marvels that were bought thence under your royal forefathers had been bought from one (hand) to another from time immemorial, to former kings in exchange for many payments - none reached it (Punt) except for your explorers. But I will cause your expedition to reach it (i.e. directly)."

The scenes depict the Egyptian fleet arriving at Punt with the ships being powered by oarsmen and large sails. Below the boats, in the water, are great ranges of exotic fish. Men are seen going ashore Punt carrying different shaped jars of goods for exchange. Above this scene the hieroglyphic texts read:

"Sailing on the sea, and making a good start for t3-ntr (God's Land). Making landfall safely at the terrain of Punt, by the royal expedition in accord with the command of Amun, to fetch for him the marvels of every land…"

The south end of the colonnade contains registers that detail the Puntites welcoming the Egyptians and receiving goods from them which have been dedicated to "Hathor Lady of Punt", a goddess that the Egyptians regarded as being a deity of all foreign lands. One chief, by the name of Parahu, greets the Egyptian expedition, and is accompanied by his extremely obese wife called Atiya. The Egyptians are then lead off to a tent to be presented with Puntite produce:

"Preparing a tent for the Royal Envoy and his force at the myrrh-terraces of Punt, by the sea, to receive the chiefs of this land.. Bread, beer, wine, meat and fruit -everything that is (found) in Egypt- is presented to them, as was commanded in the Palace."

Scenes then record the goods, including the uprooted myrhh trees, being brought upon the ship, and the Egyptians setting sail back for the homeland:

"Loading the ships very heavily with the marvels of the Land of Punt: with (all kinds of) good herbs of God's Land and heaps of nodules of myrrh, with piles of fresh myrrh, with ebony and pure ivory with 'green' gold of Amau, with tishepes and khesyt wood, with myrrh, incense and eye-paint, with baboons, monkeys and hounds, with southern leopard-skins, and with servants and their children. Voyaging and arriving safely, making landfall at Karnak Temple joyfully, by the royal expedition, accompanied by chiefs of this land. They have brought (things) the like of which has not been brought to other kings, from the marvels of the land of Punt."

Once back in Egypt, Hatshepsut presents the cargo to Amun in a great ceremony, and she speaks before the court:

"He (Amun) entrusted me with establishing for him Punt in his house.
I made for him Punt in his garden… Her majesty herself offers the marvels of Punt to Amun… The likes of which was never brought by any king since the beginning of earth… (the God) makes wonders (for her)… such a thing never happened for the other kings who appeared on this earth."

Hathor Chapel -Leading from the Punt colonnade is the chapel of Hathor, a place where Hatshepsut associates herself with the sky-goddess Hathor. The face of Hathor, and her sacred musical instrument, the sistrum, are carved at the capital of the chapel's pillars - rather similar to the much later Ptolemaic temple at Dendera. Chambers within the chapel show the bovine and human Hathor breastfeeding Hatshepsut, and scenes of the queen worshiping the deity.

Divine Birth and Coronation -At the north side of the ramp, on the middle colonnade, scenes depict Hatshepsut being the born child of Amun, which further amplifies her divineness and inherent kingly qualities. Next to this are reliefs recording the coronation of Hatshepsut as Ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Anubis Chapel -At the end of the second colonnade is the chapel dedicated to the jackal headed god Anubis. Much of the roofing of the colonnades is modern reconstruction. The Anubis Chapel has intact parts of its roof that are painted dark blue with yellow five-pointed stars that make the ceiling resemble the heavens. The reliefs here are beautifully preserved and well worth a visit. Creative colourful images include the lavishly piled feast that is heaped before a seated Anubis. Hatshepsut is seen with her stepson, Thutmose III, before the falcon-headed sun god, Re-Harakhty, and again with the goddess Hathor.

The Rear Court -The highest terrace is still in the process of conservation and research by a Polish and Supreme Council for Antiquities (Egyptian) Mission, and is closed off to the public. At the end of this terrace is the sanctuary of Amun, which is cut into the living rock of the Theban Mountains. To the south of this is the mortuary suite, and opposite, to the north, is the altar court. These three areas are more in keeping with the traditional functions of the mortuary temple.

Hatshepsut and Tuthmose III ruled together for about twenty years, and during years 12, 16 and 20 of their reign they carried out battle campaigns in Nubia, against the Kushites. However at around the twentieth to twenty-second year of their reign Hatshepsut vanishes from the written record, and Thutmose III sets about obliterating her name and image from the monuments of Egypt. Many images of Hatshepsut within Deir el-Bahri were chiselled out as an attack against the female king. It was under his reign (1479-1425 BCE) that Egypt turned its attention to conquering the Near East and expanding the Egyptian Empire.

(Ashley Cook)