- The Temple of Hatshepsut
which carried the name "djeser-djeseru", or "the sublime of the sublimes", is undoubtedly the most impressive building
of Western Thebes: in general, the design of this architectural masterpiece is attributed to Senenmut, "Chief , Steward
of Amun", who had his own tomb built right under the first terrace of the Temple, but it is known that, nearby, there
was certainly another tomb, that of Djeut, "Overseer of the Treasury, Overseer of Works", whose tomb no. 11 can be found
in the Dra' Abu el-Naga necropolis. Senenmut wanted the building to appear integrated into the surrounding scenery; in
this respect, he was certainly inspired by the innovative concepts already realized by the builders of the Temple of
Mentuhotep, but he developed these concepts in ways that were indeed original. The Temple, reduced by now to a state of
ruin, was excavated in 1891 by Egyptologist Naville, who was the first to make an attempt at its reconstruction, later
continued by Winlock and by Baraize, and - many years later - by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, which
is still carrying out works at the site since 1961. This well-documented reconstruction work has once again given to the
monument the grandiose appearance that characterized it in ancient times.
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- The construction of the Temple of Hatshepsut took fifteen years between the 7th and the 22nd
years of her reign, but studies of the monument carried out up to the present have revealed that the original design
underwent profound modifications in the course of the construction works: it is possible that the builders came across
the site of an earlier, uncompleted building, but we have no definite information about this. The site chosen by
Hatshepsut for her Temple was the product of precise calculations: it was situated not only in a valley considered
sacred for over 500 years to the principal feminine goddess connected with the funeral world, but also on the axis of
the Temple of Amun of Karnak and, finally, it stood at a distance of only a few hundred meters in a straight line from
the tomb that the Queen had ordered excavated for herself in the Valley of the Kings (KV20), on the other side of the
mountain.
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- As with the Temple of Mentuhotep, that of Hatshepsut was preceded by a temple in the valley, now lost, built
on the bank of a reservoir connected to the River Nile. From there began - flanked on both sides by two rows of sphinxes
- the avenue of processions which entered into the first courtyard limited in the west by a portico with 22 columns
flanked on both sides by two Osirian colossi representing the Queen and adorned with bas-reliefs illustrating in the
southern part (the obelisks portico) the transportation of two large granite obelisks from Aswan and their erection in
the Temple of Karnak and, in the northern part (the hunting portico), ritual scenes of hunting and fishing.
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- Two
successive ramps lead from the first courtyard to the second courtyard and to the upper terrace, both delimited to the
west by porticos. The intermediate portico is flanked by two chapels situated to the south and the north of it and
dedicated respectively to Hathor and Anubis. On the wall of this portico, two most important events of the Queen's reign
are illustrated in polychrome bas-reliefs: in the southern part (the Punt portico) one can see illustrations of the
expedition to Punt and, in the northern part (the birth portico), the divine birth of Hatshepsut is represented as if
she were conceived by the god Amun in the image of her real father Tuthmosis I (Aakheper-Ka-Re, ruled 18th Dynasty
1504-1492 BC).
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The chapel of Hathor
The chapel of Hathor (in the southern part of the terrace), which originally had a separate entrance, includes a
vestibule and a hypostyle hall followed by a sanctuary excavated in the rock which consists of a vestibule with two
columns and two rooms. The vestibule, now accessible from the portico of Punt, consists of two square Hathor headed
columns in a central position adorned in their upper parts with masks representing Hathor with the characteristic cow's
ears. These columns are flanked by two groups of four columns each while the hypostyle hall, which is situated at a
clearly higher level, is supported by 12 columns. The perimeter walls of the vestibule and of the hypostyle hall are
decorated with scenes of festivals celebrated in honour of the goddess and scenes of sacrifices to Hathor represented on
her boat in the form of a cow. The part built in the rock consists of a vestibule with two columns from which there is
access to the Sanctuary proper where the most secret parts of religious rituals were performed; it consists of the first
narrow and long hall with a vaulted ceiling and four small niches on the northern and southern walls from where one can
enter the last room.
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- The walls are interrupted by two large niches, and in the corner of one of them, in a
well-concealed position, there appears, quite unexpectedly, the portrait of Senenmut, as if the architect had wished to
participate in a magic way, together with the Queen, in the most secret rituals of the cult of Hathor. The remaining
part of the decorations of the Sanctuary is dominated by the motif of the goddess Hathor, always represented in the form
of a cow nursing and protecting Hatshepsut, and by the motif of the Queen offering sacrifices to her divine wet-nurse.
And finally, on the back wall of the hall, the final scene of the cult of Hathor is represented: the consecration by
Amun and Hathor of the Queen wearing the double crown and the ritual beard.
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The lower chapel of Anubis
The lower chapel of Anubis (on the northern side of the terrace) has a splendid hypostyle hall with 12 grooved columns
and an astronomical ceiling followed by two small rooms in succession at right angles to each other, with vaulted
ceilings; farther on, there is a niche, also at right angle to the second room.
- The upper terrace
- A second ramp leads from the centre of the intermediate
portico to the upper terrace whose portico consists of columns originally decorated with Osirian statues of the Queen,
now mostly destroyed. Through a great doorway of pink granite, one enters a courtyard circled by columns. To the north
and south of the courtyard, there are two areas dedicated respectively to the cult of the sun and that of the royalty.
The northern part dedicated to the solar cult of Re-Harakhty includes a vestibule with columns leading into a courtyard
with a solar altar in the centre. In the northern part of the courtyard, there is another chapel dedicated to the cult
of Anubis (the upper chapel of Anubis). There is no clear idea as to why there are two chapels dedicated to this
divinity in the Temple, but numerous hypotheses have been advanced to explain this exceptional and unique fact; anyway,
it appears clear that great importance was attached to this god in Deir el Bahri, especially in comparison with other
funeral gods, such as Osiris and Sokar, who acquired greater importance later, but always appear in a secondary role
here. The southern part of the upper terrace dedicated to the royal cult consists of a vestibule from which one gains
admittance to two chapels dedicated to the cult of Hatshepsut and that of Tuthmosis I.
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- Moving towards the West along the
axis of the Temple, one comes across the rock sanctuary of Amun excavated into the mountain slope and destined to
receive the sacred boat during the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. This sanctuary, which also served as the place for
celebrating the cults of Tuthmosis I and Tuthmosis II (Aa-Kheper-En-Re, ruled 18trh Dynasty 1492-1479 BC), was expanded
during the Ptolemaic era and dedicated to the cult of two great deified architects: Amenophis, son of Hapu, the Overseer
of Works of Amenophis III, and Imhotep, the designer of the stepped pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, at a later date
associated with Asclepius, the god of medicine; during that period, the third terrace became, in fact, a sanatorium
frequented by sick people hoping to be cured. Other transformations were effected later, in the seventh century AD, when
the place became the "Monastery of the North" from which the current name of the site originated.
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- The Temple of
Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri suffered much damage and mutilation during the reign of Tuthmosis III, who at great expense
had her name very carefully cut out and who usurped the images of his aunt without, however, seriously damaging the
bas-reliefs; this process went on with even greater frenzy during the reign of Amenophis IV / Akhenaten (Nefer-Kheper-urawaen-Re,
ruled 18th Dynasty 1352-1336 BC). In the course of that period dominated by heresy, numerous images of gods in the old
Egyptian pantheon were destroyed, especially those connected with Amun, the main god in Thebes and great adversary of
the unique god Aten. Other destructions were added during the Nineteenth Dynasty, particularly during the reign of
Ramesses II (User-Maat-Re Setep-En-Re, ruled 19th Dynasty 1279-1213 BC) who ordered the destruction of the Osirian
colossi which decorated the portico of the upper terrace. And finally, the Copts, after they came into possession of the
place to build their monastery, completed the destruction by cutting out the faces of the surviving pagan gods.
The finest bas-reliefs of the temple of Hatshepsut are undoubtedly those that illustrate the famous naval expedition to
the mysterious Land of Punt sent by the Queen, probably in the 8th year of her reign; they are situated in the southern
portico of the second (intermediate) terrace. These polychrome reliefs accompanied by a text describe in detail the
voyage to the shores of the Red Sea - called "Great Green" in the text, the arrival at punt of the Egyptian vessels, the
indigenous pile dwellings, the plants and animals of the region, the sacrifices and presents offered to the King and °
Queen of Punt, the loading on board the vessels of important raw materials much needed by the Egyptians: cinnamon,
aromatic wood, gold, resin, furs, but first of all antyu and senetjer (identified as myrrh and incense) as
mentioned in the text describing the scene: "The vessels were loaded with large quantities of the wonders of the Land of
Punt, with all the precious woods of the Land of God, heaps of gum of myrrh and living myrrh trees, with ebony wood and
pure ivory, with the green gold of Amu, with aromatic wood called tyshepses and khesyt, with
fragrances, incense, antimony, with baboons, monkeys and dogs, with skins of panthers of the South, with the natives and
their sons..." -
- After showing the return of the expedition to Thebes and the weighing of the imported goods, the
bas-reliefs come to an end on the northern part of the portico by representing the arrival of the god Amun at Deir
el-Bahri on the occasion of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley, to whom the Queen delivers a long speech stressing the
valour of her enterprise that had made it possible to find the way to Punt in order to comply with the god's wish; they
further feature the speech by Amun, the Lord of Karnak, who, having praised the Queen for all her actions and for the
success of the expedition goes on to say that he was glad, since the precious goods from Punt confirmed he had created
that land "to amuse his heart" and that he had provided for the final success of the difficult expedition, so that he
could benefit from "all the good and beautiful things from the Land of God", satisfied that Hatshepsut had thus
respected his will and honoured her divine father.
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- It is known that 31 myrrh trees arrived in Egypt in good condition
and were planted in Amun's garden at the Temple of Karnak, although different climatic conditions probably prevented
them from taking root, which later induced Tuthmosis III and still later Ramesses III to organize new expeditions to
Punt.
But where was the mysterious Land of Punt? The texts with the comments on various depicted scenes do not contain a hint
about this; in any case, it is known that ever since the time of the Old Kingdom the Egyptians organized more or less
regular expeditions to the Land of Punt, primarily with a view to importing incense and myrrh, the raw materials that
could not be found elsewhere and were required for celebrating religious cults, in the course of which these substances
were burnt in honour of the gods; they also found various use in the field of medicine, as evidenced by various papyri,
such as Ebers or Harris 716. In particular, myrrh was principally used as a balsam, while incense, besides being burnt
in special burners for its characteristic fragrance, was used in combination with other substances, such as honey,
myrrh, wax, beer or fruit, for the treatment of numerous disorders from rheumatic pains to stomach-ache, and from liver
disorders to problems of blood circulation and headaches. -
- As to the real geographical location of the Land of Punt,
numerous hypotheses have been advanced and, although there is no reliable proof, it is logical to assume that Punt,
which the ancient Egyptians called the "Land of God" was situated on the shores of the Red Sea. And indeed, knowing the
relatively modest navigational skills of the ancient Egyptians, who were engaged in river navigation much more than in
sea voyages, and comparing the average speed of the ships in that age which amounted to about 3-4 knots) to the time
required for completing the expedition (about 30 to 40 days for the voyage along the coast using the dominant northerly
winds and about three months for the return voyage on oars against the wind), it appears evident that the Land of Punt
could not lie farther than Cape Guardafui, the southernmost point of the Red Sea. Besides, at these latitudes, on both
the African and the Arabian coasts, the plants from which both myrrh and incense are produced, the Boswellia and the
Commiphora, indeed grow. These were the two most important products of the Land of Punt; also, the examination of
various archeological objects brought from Punt demonstrates their African origin without the shadow of a doubt. Thus,
it would be logical to assert that the Land of Punt was situated in the area of the Horn of Africa, more precisely, on
the coasts of Ethiopia and northern Somalia.
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The Beautiful Feast of the Valley
In the time of Hatshepsut, the chapel of Amun situated on the upper terrace of the Temple of Deir el Bahri was the
final destination of the holy procession in the course of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley which, together with the
"Festival of Opet", was the main event in the liturgical calendar of Thebes. The Festival of the Valley described in the
bas-reliefs of the upper terrace was the most ancient of all the various religious celebrations and took place during
the second month of the shemu season, that is, during the tenth month of the solar year which, in the age of the
New Kingdom, coincided with the beginning of summer. This recurrent festivity called pa heb nefer en painet, or
the "Beautiful Feast of the Desert Valley" originated in the time of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep, and its name is an allusion
to the Temple that this King had ordered built for himself in a valley situated to the south of Deir el-Bahri and known
until this day as Nebhepetre Valley.
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- The Beautiful Feast of the Valley was, in essence, a "celebration of the dead" in
the course of which, as happens today, family members of the deceased visited the tombs of their buried relatives, spent
some time there, ate, and received friends who paid their respects. On these occasions, the god Amun accompanied by
leading inhabitants of Thebes took part in a large procession on the west bank to visit the gods of the West and the
deified dead Kings: the priests of the Temple of Karnak then put up a tabernacle containing the holy image of the god on
an imitation boat which was carried on their shoulders by the participants up to the jetty where it was placed on board
the magnificent ship Userhet, or the "Powerful Prow", which was towed by the King's boat and was followed by the
boats of Mut and Khonsu, the other two gods that, together with Amun, formed the Theban Triad.
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- This squadron of boats
crossed the Nile and, reaching the west bank, the procession marched towards the Temple of Millions of Years of the
King, making its way through the acclaiming crowd of people offering ritual sacrifices of food and bunches of flowers
which, on contact with the divine image, became impregnated with the very essence of the deity and were later deposited
on the tombs in the necropolis where they ensured the spiritual revival of the deceased. The imitation boat of Amun was
first carried to the interior of the Temple, to its hypostyle hall, then the priests carried the god's tabernacle to a
nearby chapel containing also the ritual image of the Pharaoh, which magically transformed itself into the sacred image
of the god, and left it there for the whole night. On the next day, the procession around the sacred image began anew
and included the entire necropolis, making stops in the Temples of Millions of Years of the Deceased Kings, to guarantee
in this way, through assimilation, the eternal nature of this royal cult.
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- The final destination of the procession was
the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri, in the sacred Valley of Hathor. Here Amun's tabernacle was deposited in the
most sacred part of the Temple, the Chapel of Amun, situated on the upper terrace, where it stayed amidst bunches of
flowers before it was transported back to Karnak at the end of the celebrations.
- The Secret tomb of Senenmut, TT353
Just before the entrance to the lower terrace of the Temple of Hatshepsut, at the northern side, there is a small
but deep hollow opening, remnant of an ancient clay mine at the end of which is the entrance to the unfinished tomb of
Senenmut, the "Chief Stewart of Amun", an extraordinary and enigmatic personality who played one of the most important
roles during the period of Hatshepsut's co-regency, and primarily since the seventh year of her reign. Senenmut, who, by
that time had already had a great and impressive tomb built for himself in the necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, near
the hill top (TT71), now in a state of complete ruin, later apparently wished to be buried closer to his beloved Queen,
with whom, certain historians hypothesize, he might have had intimate relations, though they cannot point to any
evidence in support of such an assumption.
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- His tomb at Deir el-Bahri was excavated deeply into the rock in such a way
that the whole complex was situated in exact correspondence with the first terrace. The long and steep descending
corridor enters into a very small room on whose walls there are quotes from the Book of the Dead, and which is decorated
with the most ancient astronomical ceiling known in Egypt, with the reproduction of the twelve months of the lunar
calendar, as well as of the stars and constellations of the northern hemisphere. Starting from there, another descending
corridor leads to another room and finally to the burial chamber. By studying the astronomical ceiling it was possible
to fix the exact positions of Jupiter and Mars at the time, and by complex mathematical and astronomical calculations to
arrive at the year 1463 BC, or the 17th year of Hatshepsut's reign.
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- The date and circumstances of Senenmut's death
remain a mystery; nor do we know anything about what happened to him after Hatshepsut's death which occurred in about
the 21st year and the assumption by Tuthmosis III of full powers; nevertheless, it is known for certain that he fell
into disgrace, and his secret tomb was probably abandoned precisely during this period.
- Sources:
- The Complete Temples in Ancient Egypt; Thames & Hudson; Richard Wilkinson
- Guide to the Valley of the Kings; Gaddis & Sons; Alberto Siliotti
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