A Great Piece of Architecture

Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple (Deir el-Bahri)
Architect: Senenmut

www.bluffton.edu 

Located on the western bank of the Nile, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple is regarded as one of the greatest royal mortuary temples. Corresponding with the classical theban form, the building plan consists of three layered colonnaded terraces that reach 30 metres, with two ramps which were once adorned with gardens of foreign plants as indicated by the reliefs on the temple walls. Taking 15 years to construct, the temple was strategically located in a sacred valley linked to the feminine goddess of the funeral world and was also in line with the Temple of Amun. In addition the construction stood in a straight line from the Queen's tomb that had been ordered to be excavated on the other side of the mountain in the Valley of the Kings.