Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

A funerary temple at Deir el-Bahri, built for the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Hatshepsut and dedicated chiefly to Amun. Its terraces, colonnades, and reliefs integrate the monument with the cliffs.

Deir el-Bahri: A Theban archaeological site on the west bank of the Nile, containing royal mortuary temples beneath a semicircular cliff. The temple occupies the central terrace of this larger sacred complex.
Terrace: A level platform or floor raised above the surrounding ground, often supported by a retaining structure. Three ascending terraces organize the temple’s principal architectural sequence.
Senenmut: An influential official under Hatshepsut, associated with the design and construction of her mortuary temple. His career and tombs are closely tied to the building project.
Thutmose III: An Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh who ruled Egypt after Hatshepsut and led major military campaigns. Images and names of Hatshepsut were erased at the temple during his reign.
Amun: A major ancient Egyptian deity who became king of the gods and was worshipped at Thebes. The temple’s principal divine dedication was to Amun.
Colonnade: A row of columns supporting a roof or entablature, often forming a covered passage. Long colonnades frame the temple terraces and their processional routes.
Mentuhotep II's mortuary temple: The Eleventh Dynasty ruler’s terraced mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, beside Hatshepsut’s monument. Its nearby terraces provided an architectural precedent and shaped the site’s setting.
Damnatio memoriae: The deliberate suppression or destruction of a person’s public memory through actions such as erasing names and images. The temple’s altered reliefs and inscriptions are evidence of attacks on Hatshepsut’s memory.
Hatshepsut: A ruler of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty who reigned as pharaoh during the fifteenth century BCE. She commissioned the temple as her royal mortuary monument.
Punt expedition: Hatshepsut’s trading expedition to Punt, recorded in reliefs at her temple. Its relief cycle presents foreign trade as evidence of prosperity under her reign.

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