Temple of Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut’s Temple
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 Shown within Egypt
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| Alternate name | Djeser-Djeseru |
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| Location | Upper Egypt |
| Type | mortuary temple |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | yes |
| Condition | Reconstructed |
Coordinates: 25°44′18″N 32°36′24″E / 25.738266°N 32.606588°E
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as the Djeser-Djeseru ("Holy of Holies"), is an ancient funerary shrine in Upper Egypt. Dedicated to the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, it is located beneath the cliffs at Deir el Bahari, on the west bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings. The mortuary temple is dedicated to the sun god Amun and is situated next to the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II, which served both as an inspiration, and later, a quarry. It is considered one of the "incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt."
The Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw is responsible for the study and restoration of the three levels of the temple. As of early 1995, the first two levels were almost complete, and the top level was still under reconstruction.
Hatshepsut's chancellor, royal architect Senenmut oversaw the construction of the temple. Although the adjacent, earlier mortuary temple of Mentuhotep was used as a model, the two structures are nevertheless significantly different in many ways. Hatshepsut's temple employs a lengthy, colonnaded terrace that deviates from the centralised structure of Mentuhotep’s model – an anomaly that may be caused by the decentralized location of her burial chamber. There are three layered terraces reaching 29.5 metres (97 ft) tall. Each story is articulated by a double colonnade of square piers, with the exception of the northwest corner of the central terrace, which employs Proto Doric columns to house the chapel. These terraces are connected by long ramps which were once surrounded by gardens with foreign plants including frankincense and myrrh trees. The layering of Hatshepsut's temple corresponds with the classical Theban form, employing pylons, courts, hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel and sanctuary.
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