Hatshepsut supported major building projects

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Hatshepsut supported major building projects,
including the great temple at Deir el-Bahri

A brief introduction to Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother, Thutmose II, around the age of 12. Upon his death, she began acting as regent for her stepson, the infant Thutmose III, but later took on the full powers of a pharaoh, becoming co-ruler of Egypt around 1473 B.C.

Did you know?

Hatshepsut was only the third woman to become pharaoh in 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, and the first to attain the full power of the position. 
As pharaoh—the sixth of the 18th dynasty— Hatshepsut extended Egyptian trade and oversaw ambitious building projects, most notably the Temple of Deir el-Bahri, located in western Thebes, where she would be buried. Depicted (at her own orders) as a male in many contemporary images and sculptures, Hatshepsut remained largely unknown to scholars until the 19th century. She is one of the few and most famous female pharaohs of Egypt.

Oversaw the construction of a number of magnificent buildings and artworks

The fact that ancient Egyptians revered the pharaohs as gods meant that it was not uncommon for pharaohs to embark on ambitious building projects. In the case of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh is often hailed as one of the great builders of her era.
She sanctioned the construction of two 100-foot-tall obelisks at the Great Temple Complex at Karnak. Those obelisks, both having a combined weight of about 900 tons, held the record of being the tallest in the world. It has been said that many of her massive building projects were purposely sited around Thebes, ancient Egypt’s religious hub. This was part of her efforts to equate herself as close as possible to the various Egyptian deities. This was one of the reasons why she built several shrines in honor of Egyptian deities like Hathor, Anubis, Re, and Amun.

The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahri

The highlight of Hatshepsut’s building projects was her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri, a structure designed to reassure her people that she was a god, just like any other male pharaoh before her.
The Temple of Hatshepsut is not only a memorial temple that honors Queen Hatshepsut, it is also one of the greatest Egyptian architectural achievements. Designed by Senenmut (Hatshepsut’s steward and architect), this mortuary temple closely resembles the classical Greek architecture of 1,000 years later.

Located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor (ancient Thebes), Hatshepsut’s temple is part of the Theban Necropolis. It took 15 years to complete. The site was chosen because of its prime location. The ancient Egyptians considered this valley to be sacred for its connection to the funerary goddess Hathor.Built in a half circle of cliffs, this memorial temple marks the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. Djeser Djeseru (holy of holiest) is the name of the main building of the temple of Hatshepsut.

Its length of about two and a half football fields and the limestone cliffs in the area make the temple a living testament to Hatshepsut’s accomplishments. The temple also contains more than 100 statues of her, some of them showing her as sphinx guarding the entrances.

Djeser-Djeseru consists of three large terraces connected by long ramps, which once would have been flanked by lush gardens. The terraces are supported by colonnades of square piers, creating a sense of symmetry and balance. The temple rises 30 meters (97 feet) high and is built directly into the cliffs, emphasizing its grandeur and scale.

The reliefs and inscriptions within Hatshepsut’s temple recount key events of her reign, including her divine birth, which legitimized her rule, and her famous expedition to the land of Punt, an exotic region believed to be located along the Red Sea. The expedition brought valuable goods such as gold, incense, and exotic animals back to Egypt, enhancing Hatshepsut’s reputation as a capable and prosperous ruler. These reliefs are among the best-preserved examples of ancient Egyptian art and provide valuable insights into the political and religious ideology of Hatshepsut’s reign.

References

https://www.history.com/articles/hatshepsut
https://www.worldhistory.org/art ... mple-of-hatshepsut/
https://worldhistoryedu.com/hatshepsut-greatest-accomplishments/
https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/temple-of-hatshepsut.html
https://worldhistoryedu.com/deir ... ry-and-major-facts/