Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut also known as Deir El-Bahri is located on the West Bank of Luxor framed by steep cliffs and cut into the side of the mountain. This magnificent Temple was the inspiration of the Queen who would be King - Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I. To know the history of the Temple one needs to know something of the Queen who built it.
Queen Hatshepsut was prevented by her sex from succeeding to the throne after her father Thutmose 1st. although as daughter to the Great Royal wife of Ahmose her lineage made her the only lawful heir as all his sons were from minor wives. She married her half-brother Thutmose II and retained the regency during his reign and co-regency during the subsequent reign of Thutmose III retaining power in her capable hands.
There is no doubt that Queen Hatshepsut was not about to let the fact she was a woman stand in her way of becoming King. She was iron-willed and wore a royal shirt and ceremonial beard, the badges of Kingship. She assumed the throne name-Makere and proved her right to the throne through numerous reliefs of her divine birth.
Once Hatshepsut had secured the throne she embarked on building Temples and Monuments and restoring damaged sanctuaries. As she could not record her name in history through military conquests she sought to record herself in history through architectural achievements.
She erected obelisks in the Karnak Temple is such a way that the glittering tips would shine over the Two Lands just as it appeared in the horizon of heaven. She planned Del El-Bahri to be no less spectacular. She worked with her architect Senmut, drawing ideas from the adjacent 11th Dynasty Temple of the Pharaohs Mentuhotep II and III, but on a larger scale. Using the idea of a terrace and adding an extra tier, he designed a terraced sanctuary including courts, one above the other with connecting sloping ramps at the center. It included shrines dedicated to Hathor and Anubis and chambers devoted to the Queen and her parents.
For Senmut it was a labor of love. He started his service with Hatshepsut as a tutor to her daughter Neferure. He was ambitious and had strong abilities that moved him high on the ladder of success. He was Queen Hatshepsut's strong supporter, lover and no doubt her political adviser and conducted himself as a member of the royal family having no fewer than 40 titles enjoying privileges and perks never before given to a man of humble birth. He was allowed to construct his tomb near the Temple of Hatshepsut something never allowed for any official before or after.
Queen Hatshepsut's body has never been found although she had two tombs. The first tomb was in the Valley of the Kings where all members of the 18th Dynasty were laid to rest. After she became Pharoah she built a second tomb in the Taker Zeid Valley overlooking the Valley of the Kings. The first tomb was designed so that the corridors, burrowed 213 meters beneath the barrier hill would lead to the tomb chamber itself directly beneath the mortuary temple. It appeared that she wanted to be buried in the Valley of the Kings but wished to conform to the ancient practice of linking the tomb with the mortuary temple. The passage was very basic and bad rock among other things prevented the passage from being completed and was abandoned.
Hatshepsut's sarcophagus was enlarged to receive the body or her father Thutmose I, until the priests of the 20th Dynasty moved his mummy to the shaft of Deir el Bahri for safe keeping. His own tomb had already been used by Thutmose II, who died prematurely after a short co-regency with Queen Hatshepsut. When Thutmose III asserted himself as Pharoah he expelled Queen Hatshepsut from the throne. In his anger he waged a campaign of destruction obliterating her name, statues and any reference to her from every temple in the land, including Deir el Bahri.
Later King Akenaten further mutilated the inscriptions at Deir el Bahri.They were further mutilated when Ramses II endeavoured to restore them with shoddy workmanship. Later the Christian monks setup a convent there adding further to the overall desecration, leaving the temple much as it is today.
Temple of Karnak
Egypt's ancient history is brought to life through its many temples and funerary customs. Many of these temples dot the area around Luxor, ancient Thebes. This great capital of Egypt was defined by the river Nile. Since the east bank of the Nile was associated with the rising sun, hence life, most of the temples built to honor ancient Egyptian gods were built on the Nile's east bank; to the west of the Nile, where the sun set and darkness reigned, hence death, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the queens house the tombs of pharaohs and their families from dynasties past, the most notable of these being King Tutankhamen and Queen Nefarti.
Karnak, the most spectacular temple and a sheer pinnacle of religious architecture was the center of ancient Egypt's religious practices. The mother of Egyptian temples and the greatest ever built; it was a place of pilgrimage and worship for nearly 4000 years. Enlarged and built upon by one pharaoh after another for over 1300 years, the complex covers nearly 200 acres. The temple of Amun alone is over 61 acres - the size of ten average European cathedrals.
Karnak was the home of the god of gods, Amun Ra, who was insignificant until the 12th dynasty when Thebes became the great capital of ancient Egypt. In ancient times, wars were not fought between countries; rather contests between the gods determined the fates of the lands where one god subdued another and one deity replaced another, the victorious god and its people growing in power and strength. This is how Amun, with the help of other New Kingdom gods became the supreme god and Karnak, built in his honor, and became the largest temple built.
Karnak's vast awe-inspiring complex includes 3 main temples and other smaller chapels and pylons. At its center sits the temple of Amun. Known as Ipset-Isut (the most select of places) by ancient Egyptians, Karnak was dedicated to the triad deity of Amun, his wife Mut and his son Khonso.
Probably the most impressive temple complex in the world, the Temple of Karnak -its gargantuan size, its architecture, and its thought-provoking construction - epitomizes the greatness of ancient Egypt. An icon of religious worship and ancient Egyptian mythology, it reveals the mysteries of a civilization that still penetrate our modern world
Temple of Karnak photos
Karnak Temple
Temple of Abu Simbel
The Abu Simbel Temple Egypt is one of the most visited tourist sites on the planet, and one of the most iconic images of ancient Egypt. It is as recognisable as the pyramids of Cairo or the death mask of TutanKhamun.
Lots of vacationers to Egypt would not deem their holiday complete without a trip to this famous temple. This is particularly the situation for those on a Nile sail. Of course the cruise boats disembark at Aswan and the trip to the shrine is somewhat a way south plus it has to be accomplished by means of coach or plane. By coach the journey takes about four hours and has to be done in a large convoy with police presence because of the threat of bandits and political dissidents so near the border with Sudan.
Abu Simbel Temple Egypt is really two temples and both temples had to be moved in the 1960's whilst the Aswan Dam was being constructed. Providentially quite a few Nations found the finances required to reposition the temple to a more elevated position otherwise it would have vanished beneath the waters of Nasser lake to be lost forever.
It was constructed by the Pharaoh Rameses the great and took approximately thirty years to finalize. It is an immense edifice that is carved out of the unyielding rock, and the facade of the major temple consists of four gigantic statues of Rameses the second, which are sixty-seven feet high from top to bottom. Long ago an earthquake damaged one of the statues from the waist up but this does not detract from the magnificence.
You will notice that there are minor statues sandwiched between the legs of the Pharaoh and they are understood to be his Queen, Nefetari, his mother in addition to his son. |In attendance are 2 additional feminine figures that are probably princesses plus one more who may possibly have been a less important royal companion.
In the interior there are 8 additional statues of the Ruler shown as the god Osiris and the walls are ornamented} by way of scenes of the king in battle for the reason that Rameses was for the most part celebrated for his triumphs in battle in addition to his numerous} victory's.
As was customary with the fashion of Egyptian temples the way to the inner holy place is very much engraved and develops all the way through the various halls that become increasingly extra holy until the inner sanctuary is reached. This sanctuary here is distinctive in that there is a little altar as well as 4 more figures. These statues are of Rameses, his queen and his son with the fourth on the left as you are facing them being the god of the underworld.
The subsequent temple was created for the most cherished wife of Rameses the beautiful and well-known Nefetari.
The busiest times at the temples are on the 21st of February and October at sunrise. On these days thousands flock to witness an amazing event as do Television crews and reporters.
When the Pharaoh had the temple constructed he commanded that two times a year, in February along with October the rising sun must shine all the way through the wide open entrance of the temple and shine on three of the four statues inside the sanctuary. The figure on the left, the god of the underworld was not to be illuminated, just the figures of the king, his wife and his son. This is an amazing feat of engineering and a wonder to behold even though you are caught up in a crush. Rameses commanded this feat because his birthday was in February. Modern engineers when moving the dam tried to achieve the same effect on Rameses birthday. But despite all the computer help and top present day mathematical advice they where one day out.
Those Egyptians sure were clever! It is incredible that all those 1000's of years ago it was feasible to put together with such precision such a magnificent temple.
Temple of Abu Simbel photos
Temple of Abu Simbel videos
Temple of Amun
Siwa Oasis is located in the western desert of Egypt 300 km (185 miles) southwest of the Mediterranean city of Marsa Matrouh. The word comes from Arabic Wahat Siwa Siwa, which means "protector of the Egyptian sun god Amun-Ra. Siwa is best known as the site of a Greek temple dedicated to the sun oracle Egyptian god Amun. The temple is still visible on the hill Aghurmi, which is 4 kilometers from the town of Siwa.
Flint show that Siwa was already inhabited in the Paleolithic and Neolithic, but the first historical records date from the Middle and New Kingdoms of ancient Egypt (2050-1800 BC and 1570-1090 BC). Nonethless, it is unlikely that the pharaohs and their governors never exercised any real control over Siwa, since there is no sign of buildings from this period.
But Siwa was, in its way, a center of Egyptian culture, a temple built in honor of the ram-headed sun god Amun-Ra, housed a divine oracle whose fame, about 700 BC was widespread in the eastern Mediterranean. Persian king Cambyses, son of Cyrus the Great and conqueror of Egypt, held a grudge against the oracle, probably because he had predicted that his conquests in Africa would soon falter - as elsewhere. In 524 BC Cambyses dispatched from Luxor an army of 50,000 men to destroy the oracle at Siwa - a scattering of forces he could ill afford on its way to capture Ethiopia. The whole army has disappeared without a trace, buried in sand seas between Siwa Oasis and the center-Egyptian, and no sign of it has been found so far.
The most famous visitor to Siwa was undoubtedly Alexander the Great. It has been acclaimed pharaoh of Egypt after defeating the Persian Darius at the Battle of Issus in 333 BC. In 331 he left his newly founded city of Alexandria, reached Mersa Matruh, Siwa and marched along the desert road which is still used today.
With the advent of the Roman era, oracles went out of fashion, and therefore the Egyptian gods, the Greeks were more or less integrated into their own mythology.Reading omens and entrails of animals were more Roman style. When the traveler and historian Strabo visited Egypt in 23 BC, it was found that the oracle of Amon had lost almost all its importance, although undoubtedly the god was still revered locally until the advent of Islam.
The next thousand years in the history of Siwa has been difficult. Economic and social turmoil following the dissolution of Roman power politics. Bedouin tribes have attacked the scattered settlements of the oasis and disrupted what little trade had the Siwan.Around the year 1200 the population was reduced to 40 able-bodied men, perhaps 200 in all. Then, the entire population moved from the ground below, near the temple of the oracle of a nearby hill that could be fortified.
The first European to visit since Roman times was the English traveler William George Browne, who came in 1792 to see the ancient temple of the oracle. By the 19th century other European visitors, was never accepted by the population, describes the entire hill like a beehive most buildings. In 1820, Siwa fell under the domination outside for the first time when it was conquered by the troops of Muhammad Ali, Ottoman pasha of Egypt. With central rule, the defense needs of the city have been reduced and for the first time since 1200 he has been allowed to build houses outside the fortifications of the city - although most people were reluctant to do . A rainstorm in 1926 destroyed many houses, however, and does other dangerous, forcing people to leave. The ancient city is now almost in ruins, although its nature honeycomb is still clearly visible.
Recently, a team of Greek archaeologists working near the oasis of Siwa in the Western Desert of Egypt have discovered three tablets indicating that the body of Alexander could have been taken there for burial after his death in a military campaign. More research on this is underway.
Other sites of local historical interest include the remains of the temple oracle Mawta the Gebel al (Mountain of the Dead), a Roman necropolis with dozens of tombs carved into the rock, and "bath Cleopatra, "an ancient natural spring.
Although we do not know for certain, the goal of Alexander in making the journey may have been a piece of image-making policies. Each of the 28th dynasty pharaohs of Egypt had visited Siwa to be recognized in the temple there is the son of Amon-Ra, the supreme god and each thereafter, was depicted as wearing horns of a ram Amon on his head. Alexander wanted the same declaration of divine power to legitimize his conquest of Egypt and get on the same footing as the pharaohs.
Temple of Amun Siwa Oasis photos
temple of Kalabsha
Kalabsha is another Nubian temple which was part of the rescue operation for monuments threatened by the rising waters of Lake Nasser. The temple was transported to the present site courtesy of the German Federal Republic in a salvage operation sponsored by UNESCO in the 1960s. Its original position was 56km south of Aswan until it was dismantled and moved to the island now called New Kalabsha, just south of the Aswan High Dam. It can be seen from the Dam through a good pair of binoculars.
Kalabsha Temple, ancient Talmis, was built over an earlier New Kingdom site during the Roman Period for Caesar Augustus. It was dedicated to Isis, Osiris and Horus-Mandulis, who was the Roman aspect of the Nubian solar god, Merwel. This is perhaps the finest example of a freestanding temple in Nubia and is constructed from sandstone blocks. A granite gateway which was discovered when the temple was relocated was given to the Berlin Agyptisches Museum. The quay leads to a pylon which is built at a slight angle to the rest of the temple. The temple was built in the traditional Egyptian style. An open court, Ptolemaic columns and screen walls lead to the hypostyle hall which is decorated with scenes of rituals depicting Min, Khnum and other gods of Southern Egypt. The sanctuary area consists of three chambers each leading into the one behind, with a pair of columns in each room. The Holy of Holies was in the farthest room, which was later used as a Christian church. Augustus is depicted on the walls offering to Mandulis. There is a passage surrounding the inner temple building similar to other Ptolemaic temples.
Nearby monuments
Kalabsha Temple complex is among the most important of the salvaged monuments on Lake Nasser. It includes the main temple of Kalabsha, Beit el-Wali, Gerf Hussein, and the Kiosk of Qertassi. To encourage visitors to tour the island a path has been paved with slabs of Aswan granite which connects the Kalabsha temple with the other monuments and a visitor’s centre, cafeteria and open-air museum are also being constructed.
The small rock-cut temple originally situated 50km south of Aswan at Beit el-Wali, can now be seen at the north-west of the island of New Kalabsha. It was constructed during the reign of Rameses II and dedicated to Amun and the local gods of Nubia and Aswan, but later known as ‘the house of the holy man’ because it was used as a hermit’s dwelling. There are scenes of victory in battles showing Rameses and his sons against the Nubian tribesmen and scenes of tribute brought to the king depicting animals and ivory. Many beautifully preserved painted reliefs show the King before the gods.
The blocks of Gerf Hussein, one of the monuments transported to New Kalabsha in the 1960s, were never reconstructed and were left neglected and overgrown until they were re-discovered on the island during recent restoration work by Egyptian archaeologists. It was found that the blocks were actually a dismantled rock-cut temple known as Per-Ptah, the ‘House of Ptah’, founded during the reign of Rameses II by Setau, Viceroy of Nubia. The temple of Gerf Hussein, which has now been reconstructed, is approached through a large colonnaded court and is dedicated to the cults of Re-Horakhte and Amun-Re. Inside the rock-temple six pillars support the ceiling of a large hall, each with engaged colossal statues of Rameses II. At the rear an antechamber leads to three small chapels, with the largest central sanctuary depicting Rameses II before the gods.
To the south of the main Kalabsha temple, the Roman kiosk from Qertassi, was originally built 30km south of Aswan. Two Hathor columns grace its entrance and four papyrus columns support the roof lintels with screen walls between. The kiosk is tiny and no other decoration has survived. It was originally known as a symbolic birthplace of the gods.
Another rock-cut temple is known as the Chapel of Dedwen and contains reliefs of an unidentified pharaoh offering to the Nubian god Dedwen. This has been reconstructed by an Egyptian team from the SCA.
Temple Kalabsha
THE TEMPLE OF DEIR EL BAHARI
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived the goddess who presided over the necropolis. A tree lined avenue of sphinxes led up to the temple, and ramps led from terrace to terrace. The porticoes on the lowest terrace are out of proportion and coloring with the rest of the building. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks by barge to Karnak and the miraculous birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen's expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense. Along the front of the upper terrace, a line of large, gently smiling Osirid statues of the queen looked out over the valley. In the shade of the colonnade behind, brightly painted reliefs decorated the walls. Throughout the temple, statues and sphinxes of the queen proliferated. Many of them have been reconstructed, with patience and ingenuity, from the thousands of smashed fragments found by the excavators; some are now in the Cairo Museum, and others the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
TEMPLE OF DEIR EL BAHARI
