Lukas´s Photos and Graphic Art: Ancient Egyptian Capital of Waset (Part 2)

Another beautiful example of Egyptian art and architecture is the the Mortuary temple of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, called by the Ancient Egyptians Djeser-Djeseru "the Holy of Holies". This impressive monument is situated against the stone cliffs of Deir el-Bahri in western Waset and thus if you want to see it, you have to cross the river Nile, deep into the land of the dead. Like the nearby Valley of Kings, the Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is located at the foot of the Theban massif. This whole area is dominated by a pyramidal peak known as el-Qurn. The Ancient Egyptians called this peak Ta Dehenet and because the sun does set over this hill, it was believed to be the passage into the afterlife.

Mortuary temple was a place were food and other objects necessary for afterlife were offered to the dead Pharaoh on a daily basis.The Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut took 15 years to construct and it was probably never finished. To place a mortuary temple against the rock face of Deir el-Bahri wasn´t a new idea and you can find another earlier mortuary temple of Pharaoh Mentuhotep in the immediate vicinity of Djeser-Djeseru.

The Colossi of Memnon are all that remains of the gigantic mortuary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. This was the largest mortuary temple ever built by the Ancient Egyptians. Unfortunately it had been built on the Nile floodplain and thus like many other such sites in the Nile Valley and Delta, it literally sunk into mud and much of its stone was reused in other building projects. Nevertheless the remaining Colossi, each 18 m in height and weighting more than 700 tons, indicate the true scale of Amenhotep III´s mortuary temple.

Surrounded by desert on both sides, the Nile Valley and Delta were the cradle of Egyptian civilization. Abundance of food allowed the Ancient Egyptians to develop a sophisticated form of religion and to construct giant monuments to worship their deities.

The whole area surrounding el-Qurn is very dry, thus plenty of drinking water is a must.

Pyramid-like peak of El-Qurn.

The Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut along with the smaller mortuary temple of Pharaoh Mentuhotep

In order to erase Hatshepsut´s name from the recorded history, virtually all of her depictions have been destroyed and none of the remaining sculptures, like this statue of Horus, feature Hatshepsut herself.