Overview
The temple was built at Deir el-Bahari on the west bank at Thebes as the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh who ruled Egypt around 1479–1458 BC. Its design is attributed to Senenmut, her steward and architect.
Description
Three colonnaded terraces linked by ramps rise against the cliff face, an architecture of long horizontal lines unlike anything built before it. Among its reliefs is the celebrated trading expedition to the land of Punt.
History and legacy
After Hatshepsut’s death, Thutmose III had many of her images and inscriptions in the temple erased. The temple is nonetheless widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian architecture, and since 1979 it has been part of the Ancient Thebes UNESCO World Heritage Site.