The temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari at Luxor is one of the most fascinating architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt. It has been explored and reconstructed by Polish archaeologists for several decades and the present volume is the most recent result of these activities. The author tracks the history of the sanctuary in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods when it housed a lively cult of two Ancient Egyptian `saints', the deified sages Amenhotep son of Hapu and Imhotep. The book contains the complete edition of Greek sources connected to this cult, including 320 inscriptions left by pilgrims on the walls of the temple, as well as several ostraca and votive monuments. On the basis of this material, different aspects of the cult are discussed in a synthetic part of the book. These include: the topography of the cult and its history; gods worshipped in the temple; forms of the cult; the economic side of the cult; the visitors of the temple. The study closes with a chapter devoted to Deir el-Bahari in the Late Antique period when the place was frequented by a pagan corporation of ironworkers from Hermonthis.

A fascinating look at the artistically productive reign of Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh in ancient Egypt

Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el Bahari is considered a wonderful experiment in ancient Egyptian art and architecture; as such it is a uniquely remarkable structure built in white limestone that's a sight to behold. More important, this work provides some insights into the men and a woman, avante garde in their thinking and actions at a time when females dared not rule! However, given the opportunity, Queen Hatshepsut ruled well and was involved in many remarkable adventures and building projects, chief of which was her mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari, on the west bank at Thebes that also highlights a diplomatic voyage to Punt on the East African coast. This wonderful structure, unique in many ways, was a classic in its days of active use and though time and man have taken some toll, it still radiates with magical, mystical, artistic splendor, millennia later. A three story structure when one was the norm, use of alternating columns and pillars in colonnade form, hundreds of statues of the Queen in various attitudes, art in remarkable raised and sunk reliefs, the earliest bequeathed anthropological study in history, shrines to several gods, choice of a remarkable location for its construction, employment of line and space over distance, and ramps, courts and colonnades all magnificently blended and juxtaposed against the mountain as a backdrop, have made this temple not simply the envy of the ancient world; it is a remarkable tourist attraction that leaves visitors breathless and in wonder at this classic piece of monumental architecture and salutes its architect Senmut, genuinely motivated by love of a beautiful lady. This work consists of two poems to god Amon-Ra and the temple of Deir el Bahari itself, an Overview, Introduction, two essays on Hatshepsut and Senmut and conclusions by the author. In addition, it contains published reports written more than a hundred years ago when the Swiss Egyptologist Edouard Naville excavated the temple in the 1890s. Even more, some 20 illustrations and many photographs, some old and new and others taken from the temple's "bird's eye view" on the mountain top (no longer possible), descending the mountain, as well as the ascent into the structure's ramps, colonnades, shrines, walls, courts and its wonderful artistic depictions towards the middle and upper terrace at the mountain's base where resides its "Holy of Holies" Sanctuary. The photographs are designed to "let the monuments teach" and as such, they highlight the art and architectural wonder of the temple, magnificence of the architect's creation of art and architecture that blends beauty with ancient mystical spirituality; and as such, this work is considered a significant Guidebook for students, specialists and lay people as well as for tourists. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]