Queen Hatshepsut's Temple

We have now seen more temples than I can count, without looking at our itinerary.  I'm feeling a little dazed, but still enjoy the cruising life.

With the red carpet, I kind of feel like royalty as I go back and from from ship to shore.

Like everyone else, we have a room with a view.  When we are lucky enough to be in our room we look out on Luxor Temple.

The highlight of today's temple tour was definitely Hatshepsut Temple. This is a mortuary temple.  Mortuary temples were built near royal tombs in Ancient Egypt.  Right up the road from here are the Valley of the Queens, and the Valley of the Kings. Temples were designed to commemorate the reign of the Pharaoh under whom they were constructed and then would further be used by the pharaoh's cult after death.  Hatshepsut Temple's architecture is remarkable and uses materials not found locally. It is also interesting because the Pharaoh who built it was a woman! Queen Hatshepsut was the stepmother of pharaoh Thutmose III and through various twists and turns of history she herself eventually became the pharaoh. She was the longest reigning female pharaoh, and accomplished much for Egypt. Well done, Queen Hatshepsut!

Hatshepsut Temple looks very modern to me, compared to the others we have seen. It was built between 1479-1458 BCE so it is another young temple.  It's built right into the side of a mountain.  Materials used in this temple come from all over Africa and Arabia. Further up the road from here are royal burial tombs that are also dug into the mountain sides.

Multiple statues of Queen Hatshepsut line the upper entrance terrace.  She is wearing a beard.  According to hieroglyphic stories, pharaohs always "strapped" on a beard when doing their royal business.

 And after a long day of admiring the work of ancient pharaoh's it's time to return to The Senator, and the elephant in the room.

I continue to be amazed by the bath towel sculptures.  I guess this is part of the cruising culture.