Temple of Hatshepsut

The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is without a doubt one of Egypt’s most beautiful temples, made all the more spectacular by the cliff into which it is built. Located near to the Valley of the Kings, it’s architecture is far closer to the classical Greek form than it’s counterparts.

Queen Hatshepsut was of course famous in the ancient world for simply being a woman. I say simply, but to have ruled Egypt as Pharaoh for almost 22 years was in no way as simple as all that. From the statues of her that adorn the temple’s façade, she doesn’t exactly resemble a woman, missing a few key attributes of the female form but this was due to a deliberate attempt to assert her authority rather than any anatomical irregularities.

very few temples create such a dynamic first impression

You have to travel a considerable distance from the coach park in order to get to the temple itself, but motor-trains are available to make the journey a little more bearable. There’s nothing to stop you walking however, enjoying the awe-inspiring views, but the lack of shelter at the site may mean that you’ll want to keep in the shade a little bit longer.

The large terraces of the temple are joined by a central walkway, which although looking relatively easy going, can feel quite steep in the hot sun. Some of the interiors of the temple still have much of the original paintwork and hint at how extravagant the temple must have been in antiquity.

At the entrance to the site, there is a well placed café which offers marvelous views of the temple. The café is one of the best that you will find alongside any ancient site in Egypt and is set far enough back so as to not ruin the aesthetic of the temple, but not so far that you can’t enjoy the view with your coffee.