What a special day! after an early start we drove from Luxor to see the
Temple of Hatshepsut, Egypt's longest ruling female pharaoh. The façade is so immense and impressive. Like the pyramids, it defies imagination.
Maatkare Hatshepsut or Hatchepsut (late 16th century BC – c. 1482 BC) was the fifth Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by modern Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, ruling longer than any female ruler of an indigenous dynasty.
Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Tuthmosis I and the wife of his successor Tuthmosis II, who died before she bore a son. Rather than step aside for the secondary wife who had borne him an heir, the plucky queen became co-regent of her stepson, the young Tuthmosis III. Soon she assumed absolute power.
To legitmize her powerful position, Hatshepsut had herself depicted with a pharaoh's kilt and beard. She was a prolific builder, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper and Lower Egypt. Under her reign, Egypt's trade networks began to be rebuilt, after their disruption during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.
She is believed to have ruled from 1503 to 1482 BC. Josephus writes that she reigned 21 years and 9 months. Hatshepsut is regarded variously as the earliest known queen regnant in history, as the first known female to take the title Pharaoh, and the first great woman in history, although all of these claims have been contested.
After Hatshepsut's death, Tuthmosis III became pharaoh. Perhaps fearing a challenge to his legitimacy as a successor, he immediately chiseled all images of Hatshepsut off temples, monuments and obelisks, consigning her remarkable reign to oblivion until its rediscovery by modern archaeologists.
What to See
A 100-foot causeway leads to the temple, which consists of three terraced courtyards covered in sculptural reliefs. Originally, sphinxes probably lined the path from the Nile to the base of the temple. The terraces have a severe, almost Communist appearance now, but in Hatshepsut's time they were softened and cooled by myrrh trees, green gardens, and fountains. The queen herself acquired the trees on a famous journey to the Land of Punt, which is depicted in one of the colonnades of the Middle Terrace.
Pairs of lions flanked the top and bottom of the ramp to the Middle Terrace; one of each survives today.
The right side of the terrace contains the Birth Colonnade, featuring faded reliefs of Hatshepsut's divine origins. From left: her parents Tuthmosis I and Queen Ahmosis sit with their knees touching; gods lead Ahmosis into the birth chamber; the god Khnum creates Hatshepsut and her ka (both depicted as boys) on a potter's wheel; Bes and Heqet (a frog deity) look on; goddesses nurse her; and Thoth records details of her reign.
At the end of the Birth Colonnade and down some steps is the Chapel of Anubis, with fluted columns and colorful murals. Over the niche on the right, Thutmosis III is shown offering wine to Sokaris (a sun god with a falcon's head). Hathor is on the facing wall. Other walls depict Hatshepsut (defaced after her death) and Tuthmosis making offerings to Anubis (the dog-headed god).
The left side of the terrace is occupied by the Punt Colonnade, whose faint reliefs depict Hatshepsut's journey to the Land of Punt (the birthplace of Amun) to bring back myrrh trees for her temple. The destination is believed to be in modern-day Somalia. From left: Amun commissions the journey; Egyptian boats sail from the Red Sea Coast and are welcomed by the king of Punt and his very fat wife (maybe afflicted by elephantiasis). The Egyptians offer metal axes and other goods and leave with myrrh trees, ebony, ivory, cinnamoon wood and panther skins. The last relief shows the trees being planted at the temple.
At the end of the Punt Colonnade is the Chapel of Hathor, with capitals in the shape of the goddess' face and sacred rattle (sistrum). In the first chamber, Hathor appears in bovine and human forms and suckles Hatshepsut (not defaced here) on the left wall. The next chamber has remarkably colorful reliefs of festival processions.
Inside the gated sanctuary of the Chapel of Hathor are reliefs of Hatshepsut (also preserved from destruction) worshipping the bovine Hathor on the left and a portrait of Senenmut on the right. Senenmut was the queen's favorite courtier, who fell from grace for mysterious reasons after 15 years of closeness with her and her daughter Neferure - whom he may have fathered. When this sanctuary was first discovered, it contained stacks of baskets full of wooden penises, perhaps used in fertility rituals.
On the top terrace is the Djeser-Djeseru ("Splendor of Splendors"), a colonnaded structure built into a cliff face that rises sharply above it. From a distance, the temple looks like the Egyptian hieroglyphic for Nun, a four-step pyramid representing the primordial mound from which Amun was born. The Upper Terrace is reached via a ramp flanked with vultures' heads. This terrace has only recently opened to visitors after years of excavations and restorations by Polish and Egyptian archaeologists. From there is a fine view of the Nile Valley.
The Sanctuary of Hatshepsut is on the left; it bears reliefs of priests and offerings. On the other side is the Sanctuary of the Sun, an open court with a central altar. In the center in the far back is the Sanctuary of Amun, dug into the cliff and aligned so that it points towards Hatshepsut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In the time of the Ptolemies, this was extended and dedicated to Imhotep and Amenhotep.
The Colossi of Memnon.
On our way to visit the Valley of the Kings after our visit to the Temple of Hapshepsut, the first monuments that we encountered, before we got to the valley, were the two gigantic statues known as the Colossi of Memnon. The Greeks gave them their name, after the Trojan hero Agha Memnon, who was killed by Achilles.
These two, gigantic Statues of Amenhotep III were originally situated in front of his Mortuary temple, which was destroyed for unknown reasons! The two colossi are made of sandstone, which during ancient times was brought from Gabal El Silselah. Each colossus, including the pedestal and the crown, is about 21m tall and represents King Amenhotep III seating on his throne, wearing the Nemes, or royal headdress, with the divine cobra protecting his forehead. On the sides of the colossi there is a representation of the Nile god Hapi, bending together the lotus and the papyrus plants, symbolizing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Parts of the northern statue cracked and fell during an earthquake in 27 BC.
This site became a popular resort in the Roman Period. Many famous Romans, and other travelers, wrote verses and poems about these massive statues, and they also left epigrams on the stones.
They reason that they became famous during the Roman period is that they were said to have sung! Some theories attribute this phenomenon to the expansion of the stone, when the sun warmed it during the day, and then the natural contraction in the cool of the evening.
Another theory suggested that the reason was due to the wind reverberating through the cracks. Unfortunately the restoration, which took place during the reign of the Roman Emperor Septemius Severus (193-212 A.D), made the sound stop forever! Yes, sadly, they no longer sing! Although damaged, you still get awe struck looking at these magnificent stastues.
The Valley of the Kings
Our next stop was the valley of the Kings where we visited four of the royal tombs that of Ramasses 3,4, and 9 and that of King Tutankhamen.
The Valley of the Kings was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs, and is located on the west bank at Luxor. The only entrance to this place was a long narrow winding path. This was a secret place, where sentries were placed at the entrance of the Valley, as well as along the top of the hills, in the hopes of discouraging tomb robbers, who had in the past plundered all royal tombs, including the treasures of the Pyramids! Some thefts were probably carefully planned, but others were spur of the moment, as when an earlier tomb was accidentally discovered while cutting a new one and workmen took advantage of the opportunity. This may have happened when KV 46 was found during the cutting of KV 4 or KV 3 nearby. The tombs in the Valley range from a simple pit (e.g. KV 54), to a tomb with over 121 chambers and corridors (KV 5)
John Gardiner Wilkinson first established the present numbering system, in 1827, as part of his preparation of a map of Thebes. Wilkinson painted the numbers 1 through 21 at the entrances of the tombs that were then visible. The numbers were assigned geographically, from the entrance to the Valley southward. Since Wilkinson's day, tomb numbers have been assigned in chronological order of discovery, KV 62 (Tutankhamen) being the most recent. There are two main wings to the Valley of the Kings, west and east! You will find that eastern side has the majority of the tombs, the western part having very few, but including the tombs of Amenhotep III and Ay.
The earliest known tomb of the New Kingdom within the Valley of the Kings, is that of Tuthmoses I, who started to use the valley as a royal burial site. It is located in a desolate part of the valley, which is supposed to add greater protection as it was small enough to be closely guarded. The good quality of the stones gave the ancient Egyptians the chance to cut many tombs close to each other.
Most of the tombs were found already plundered! A few, like the tomb of Tutankhamen (KV 62) or that of Yuya and Thuyu (KV 46), contained thousands of precious artifacts. Some tombs have been accessible since antiquity, as Greek and Latin graffiti will attest. Some were used as dwellings, or as churches during the Greco-Roman and Byzantine Periods. Most of them have been discovered in the past two hundred years.
Some tombs, like KV 5, had been "lost," and their locations only recently rediscovered. The very well known Egyptologist, Kent Weeks, who is still working in the valley, on many projects, among them the Theban mapping project, spent more than 6 years exploring and trying to uncover the secrets of this massive tomb. KV5 is the largest tomb ever found in the valley! Re-excavated in 1995, it contains at least 121 chambers and corridors! Mr. Weeks believes that it was built for the children of Ramses II. On your way to the inner side of the valley,You can see KV5’s entrance location (currently closed to the public)
Since 1922, and Howard Carter’s discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen (KV 62), there had been no new tombs discovered in the valley until, on February 9, 2006, the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt announced the discovery of a new tomb. Designated the number KV63, it was discovered by a joint effort between the University of Memphis (USA) and the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. This is one of the smaller tombs that have been found, consisting of a vertical shaft with an adjacent chamber at the bottom. Some artefacts have been found, but as this is an ongoing project, the details are still to be released
Presently, there are several archaeological projects currently at work in the Valley of the Kings.
Tomb Building - Tools
Before the actual creation of the tombs is discussed, it is important that the tools, which the workers used, are examined, as well as the actual work crews. Though they are over three thousand years old, many of these tools have survived and in many cases are similar to tools used in construction today.
The first of these tools are the mallet and chisel, a pair of which were discovered and are now in the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. The mallet is made from acacia wood and is well used, the chisel also being well used and constructed of bronze. Though they were not found in either Deir El-Medina or the Valley of the Kings, they have been dated to the 18th-20th Dynasties and so it can be safely assumed that they are the same type of tool that the tomb makers would have used. Many different types of chisel were used during tomb construction, from pointed tips to flat, broad tips, depending on the type of cut required.
Boning rods were an integral part of ensuring that horizontal surfaces were kept as straight as possible. A set of these were found with the two items above, and are also in the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. Two workers would hold the boning rods with one of them also holding an identical piece of wood in his other hand. As he moves the piece of wood along the string, any protruding pieces of rock will be seen and can be cut away.
A vast assortment of other tools were used by the tomb makers; triangular level and plumb bobs, plumbs, squares, square levels, and drills, each with their very own specific piece of work to do. Measurement was made by cubits, though whether they were “small cubits” or “Royal cubits” is not always clear (A cubit was a forearm length divided into 6 palms or 24 fingers. The Royal cubit was divided into 7 palms or 28 fingers which corresponds with 20.9 inches per Royal cubit, 3 inches per palm, and ¾ inch per finger)
Pounders were usually made from dolerite, though gneiss or granodiorite could also be used, and tended to be shaped between round and oval, varying in size and weight. Often showing signs of battering and chipping, they were generally used for less precise work.
Polishers tended to be round, oval or flat with a smooth surface. They were produced from a variety of rock, including sandstone, flint, chert or basalt. Used for the final finishing of surfaces they often show signs of polish or abrasion from constant use.
Tomb Building - Work Crews
The workers in the Valley of the Kings were all housed at Deir El-Medina, though they would often spend nights in the small enclave of huts built about halfway between the village and their workplace and some workers may even have spent their nights in one of the small huts which were scattered throughout the valley. Each workman had his own task to perform, whether they were stonemasons, draughtsmen, chisel-bearers, carpenters, artists or any one of the other trades which was represented within this community. From an ancient papyrus (Papyrus Salt 124) we know that work crews were separated into two different gangs, a right side and a left side, with a chief workman in charge of each “side”.
During the Ramesside Period the workmen were known as the "Servants in the Place of Truth" and also the “Men of the Gang”, a name which had come from the Egyptian military and navy referring to the Egyptian term “ist” which means gang or crew. The size of these gangs ranged from thirty to about one hundred and twenty, depending on the tomb being cut.
Work in the tombs depended on the length of time it took an oil filled lamp to burn and die, which was usually about four hours. This meant that the working day was divided into two shifts of four hours each, with a break for lunch and/or rest in between. The lamps were often in the shape of a bowl with a central jar made from one piece of clay. The central jar holds the twisted wick used in oil lamps, which was probably made out of linen coated with oil or animal fat to last longer and to provide light. Forget the illumination of tombs by reflected light off polished surfaces, as seen in the movie “The Mummy”, as experiments have shown that this does not work. Also, the theory that says that the tombs would soon run out of air is a non-starter due to the tombs always being open; they were never closed until the Pharaoh was interred.
Scribes accounted for everything that went on in the valley, from the issuing of oil for the lamps to the visit of the vizier, as well as keeping an inventory of tools issued and returned, and these reports were periodically sent to the vizier so he would know what progress was being made. One particular scribe, Qenherkhepeshef, collected a library of reports and other important documents, and it is through him that many facts about life in Deir El-Medina, and the Valley of the Kings, is known. He, and his descendants, amassed a huge collection of papyri which included religious texts, official letters, poetry, stories, and magical and medical texts. They were discovered by French archaeologists at Deir El-Medina in 1928.
Tomb Building - Cutting and Construction
Once the King, vizier, architects and chief stonemasons had decided on a suitable site, work on cutting the tomb could commence. The workmen would be issued with the required tools, with this transaction being recorded by the scribe, who would also record its return. Large spike-like chisels would be hit with a mallet to break the rock, debris being removed by workers using leather or wicker baskets: limestone is a relatively soft stone and so work would have progressed at a reasonable pace, unless flint became an obstacle. The entrance doorway was shaped as soon as the workers had cut a space large enough for this operation to be conducted. Once sufficient depth into the mountain was achieved, a red line was painted on the ceiling to ensure that the stone cutters could follow a straight path, as well as it being used as a central point for measurements to be taken from, which could be used to make certain that all the walls were parallel to one another, angles of corners were correct and doorways were perpendicular. These red lines can still be seen inside some of the tombs today. The cutting of a tomb was a matter of great skill as the tombs had to run straight, unless a bend or corner was planned, and any aids which builders of external constructions could not be employed here.
Once work was progressing inside the passageway, smaller chisels were used to shape the corridors, leaving a rough surface for the pounders and polishers to finish. Because many tombs were finished at varying stages of completion, due to the death of the Pharaoh, it is easy to see how these workmen did their tasks. The rock was cut out in small blocks, leaving steps that would allow the stone cutters to work at a greater height without the need for scaffolding. Beyond the stepped portion the cutters continued to dig deeper into the mountain, shaping the ceiling as they dug deeper. Quite often niches were cut, and finished, at the same time as the corridor to save the following workers from having to use scaffolding.
In larger rooms pillars were created to support the ceiling. These were left rough at first, but axial lines were painted on them to assist in the final cutting and smoothing. These rooms also allowed for many workers to complete their tasks at the same time. The burial chamber of Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra (KV42) revealed that plasters and painters were performing their tasks at the same time as the finishers and smoothers, due to the painted walls and yet the unfinished pillar and ceiling. This could be due to the sudden death of Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra, and the seventy days in which they had to complete their work, but it does show that the workers would all work together if, and when, required.
When finishing the corridors one thing that had to be ensured was that the walls were not only parallel, but also perpendicular, and the tomb of Thutmose IV (KV43) has left the answer to how this was performed. Thutmose IV was an 18th Dynasty Pharaoh and the archaeological evidence shows that the work patterns, techniques and strategies that the work crews used, throughout the history of the Valley of the Kings and at Akhetaten, changed very little during this period. This tomb shows how plaster blobs were fixed to the walls to serve as plumb line pins.
Once the cutting crew had levelled the surfaces, getting the rock smoothed down to a smooth finish, the work of the cutting crew was complete. These finished surfaces could be extremely smooth allowing for careful studies to be made of the chisel marks left on the walls of tombs in order to determine the sizes and shapes of the implements.
Tomb Collisions
As mentioned earlier, some tomb collisions did occur, which would have surely been avoided had some type of map been available to later workers. During the New Kingdom only three tombs accidentally encroached upon others, and it is surprising that this did not happen more often, especially when one considers how many tombs are in the valley.
The tomb of Siptah (KV47) broke into the tomb of Tia’a (KV32) and the design of the tomb was immediately altered, the intended burial chamber becoming another corridor. The ancient Egyptians simply repaired this accidental intrusion with large stone slabs.
Setnakhte’s workers (KV11) broke into the tomb of Amenmeses (KV10) and abandoned work in this tomb. Ramesses III took over KV11, the workers changing its direction without further problems.
Whilst cutting KV9 for Ramesses VI, the workers collided with KV12 (an unknown occupant) and had to change their design to finish this tomb. This collision was repaired with a simple stone patch.
Other Tombs
From the many tombs at Deir El-Medina it can be seen that the workers also created tombs apart from those in the Valley of the Kings. Many Egyptologists state that the tombs in the Valley of the Queens were also constructed by these workers, which is understandable when one sees the tomb of Nefertari and the great work produced there. It is also quite feasible to believe that the nearby Tombs of the Nobles were also created by the same artisans.
“It is one of the ironies of history that we know more about the humble workmen who cut the New Kingdom royal tombs than we do about the god-kings for whom the tombs were made”.
Luxor Temple
After our evening meal we walked to the Luxor Temple to have a magical experience wandering through the flood lit temple at night. This was an amazing end to a special day.
Luxor Temple, or The Temple of Luxor, is among the most beautiful Temples in Egypt. It was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. This was to differentiate between this Temple and Karnak Temple, which was the northern house of Amon Ra.
Amenhotep III built Luxor Temple. The architect and overseer of the works of construction was the genius Amenhotep, son of Habu. The Temple run close and parallel to the river Nile from north to south. It was constructed on the site of a small Temple of Amon, built by kings of the 12th dynasty. At the time of Amenhotep III the Temple was only 190m in length and 55m in width. Basically, Luxor Temple was consecrated to Amon Ra in his fertility aspect.
Ramses II, with the help of his architect Pak-in Khonso, added the front part and completed the Temple. He also added the present large forecourt, and a Pylon at the (northern) front of the Temple. Kings Merenpetah, Seti I, Ramses III, Ramses IV and Ramses VI built many more small additions. Alexander the Great rebuilt the Sanctuary.
During the Christian era, the inner section was converted to a church. The Muslims built a Mosque in the 10th century, which is known as the Mosque of Abou El-Hagag.
King Nektanebo built the Sphinx Avenue in front of the Temple that leads to the entrance. In front of the Great Pylon of Ramses II, there once were 2 obelisks. Only one of them remains standing! The other was transported, in 1819, to La Place de le Concorde in Paris, as a gift to King Philip Louis of France by Mohamed Ali (who ruled Egypt 1805-1850 A.D), after he was given a French clock, which has never worked properly - even to this day!
There were 6 standing statues in front of the Pylon, only one of them, on the western side, is still in place.
Flanking the gate of the first pylon, which is 24m high, there are two seated colossi representing King Ramses II, seated on his throne, with all the royal features. Both towers of this pylon were once decorated with relief's depicting the Battle of Kadesh, fought between the armies of Egypt and the Hittites, in present day Syria. The 1st open court has double rows of 32 papyrus bud columns.
To the right side of the open court there is an old triple shrine made by Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III, dedicated to the sacred boats of the "Triad of Thebes". To the left is the Mosque of Abou El-Hagag.
The open court of Ramses II leads to the Colonnade, which was built by Amenhotep III, and decorated by Tutankhamen and later, Horemheb; Seti I, Ramses II, and Seti II all recorded their names there. It consists of two pairs of large open papyrus columns, which are arranged to make a long processional avenue. The walls of this colonnade are decorated by scenes of the Opt Festival, special ceremonies for the visit of the "Triad of Karnak" to the Temple of Luxor. This feast lasted for about 24 days, including the return to the Karnak Temple.
At the end of this special day we boarded our ship, Ms Sunray, for our Nile cruise. the ship is well appointed and comfortable and our group were the only passengers aboard. We received super service and had the run of the ship, however, it was sad for the staff whose livelihood depends on tourism.
