Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, known in ancient Egyptian as Djeser-djeseru, the Holy of Holies, was built for Hatshepsut, the Eighteenth Dynasty queen who ruled as pharaoh. Designed by Senenmut, the temple rises in three broad terraces linked by ramps and framed by colonnades that deliberately echo the dramatic limestone cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. It served as Hatshepsut’s mortuary cult temple but also contained important sanctuaries for Amun, Hathor, Anubis, Ra-Horakhty and her father Thutmose I. Its reliefs are among the monument’s greatest attractions. The middle terrace includes celebrated scenes of Hatshepsut’s expedition to Punt and images presenting her divine birth and legitimacy as ruler. The temple also formed part of the wider ritual landscape of Thebes and was linked conceptually to Karnak across the Nile. Its architecture, historical importance and visual setting make it one of the essential monuments of Luxor’s West Bank.