Deir el-Bahari (archaeological site)

Deir el-Bahari (also known as Deir el-Bahri) is an ancient Egyptian mortuary complex located on the west bank of the Nile near the city of Luxor, Egypt. The site of three mortuary temples, it is located near the famed Valley of the Kings—which is found on the other side of a mountain called el-Qurn—and the Temples of Karnak and Luxor, which are located on the opposite bank of the Nile. Deir el-Bahari means "northern monastery" in Arabic, a reference to the complex's later repurposing as a Coptic Christian monastery in the seventh century CE.

Perhaps the most famous structure located at Deir el-Bahari is the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the stepmother of Thutmose III, who became pharaoh when Hatshepsut's half-brother (and spouse) Thutmose II died in approximately 1479 BCE. As her stepson was only two years old, she became his co-regent and one of only a few female pharaohs in Egyptian history. Historians regard Hatshepsut as perhaps ancient Egypt's most powerful female pharaoh, with her temple standing as a legacy of her rule. It is one of Egypt's most visited archaeological sites.

Brief History

Deir el-Bahari was a sacred site even before its use as a funerary complex. It was called geser by the early Egyptians, meaning "sacred." It was dedicated to the goddess Hathor, who was the patron goddess of such traditionally feminine traits as motherhood, pregnancy, feminine love, and beauty. The site consists of a short half-circle-shaped plain edged by a series of massive precipices overlooking the three temples.

The earliest structure built on the site was the Temple of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, a pharaoh of the Eleventh Dynasty. Constructed in approximately 1970 BCE, it has been reduced to ruins. His mortuary complex was unlike any of his predecessors. Mentuhotep created an enclosed courtyard with a gate at the front. This courtyard led to a valley temple that once existed at the site. Mentuhotep's funerary complex is regarded as a transition between the Old Kingdom pyramids, like those found at Giza, and the New Kingdom rock-cut tombs located in the nearby Valley of the Kings.

The second structure built on the site was the Temple of Hatshepsut. Constructed over a period of approximately fifteen years, it was called Djeser-Djeseru, meaning "Sublime of Sublimes" or "Holy of Holies" in the ancient Egyptian language. The likely architect of this structure was Senenmut, who may have been Hatshepsut's consort after the death of Thutmose II. Hatshepsut's temple is the most intact structure at Deir el-Bahari and has been restored to its former glory in recent times.

Its style is believed to have been inspired by the Temple of Mentuhotep complex built five hundred years prior. The building rests against a cliff face that forms a natural amphitheater around it. It is composed of three separate levels rising 97 feet (29.5 meters) in height. The building was surrounded in antiquity by a courtyard filled with exotic shrubs and rows of sphinx statues. A large ramp leads to the second level, where a set of crouching lion statues once stood. The temple featured columned terraces filled with rows of pillars surrounding the building.

The third major structure is a smaller temple dedicated to Thutmose III. It is believed that it was destroyed in a landslide in the eleventh century BCE. The site was later converted to a cemetery.

Also located at Deir el-Bahari is a collection of mummies from the Twenty-first Dynasty that were placed in two caches. These pharaohs' remains were likely moved to Deir el-Bahari from the nearby Valley of the Kings in the eleventh century BCE to protect them from the rampant looting that was occurring there. Included among these mummies were Amenhotep I; Thutmose I, II, and III; and Ramses I and II.

Overview

The structures at Deir el-Bahari are unlike any other Egyptian mortuary temples. In form, they resemble the later architectural styles of the Greek and Roman civilizations in many ways. The repeating use of columns, squared-off rooms, long courtyards, and the inclusion of peristyle courts (a type of porch that encircled the perimeter of a building) and hypostyle halls (a building or room in which the roof is supported by columns) marked a transition in Egyptian construction techniques between the Old Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom.

Despite the desert-like conditions of the site in modern times, in antiquity Deir el-Bahari was lavishly preserved. Rows of sycamore trees lined Mentuhotep's pathways, while Hatshepsut used frankincense trees to mark the entrance of her temple—likely in deference to the goddess Hathor and a reference to her fabled trip to the Kingdom of Punt. At their height, the temples at Deir el-Bahari were important structures that were intended to serve as testaments to the power and importance of their patrons. These structures have added to archaeologists' understanding of Egyptian history and culture, particularly with regard to Hatshepsut.

Hatshepsut is viewed as the most powerful of Egypt's female pharaohs. She ruled between 1479 and 1458 BCE in the early portion of the New Kingdom era of Ancient Egypt. During her reign, she portrayed herself as a male, with imagery found in her temple showing her doing tasks usually associated with male rulers. She performed offerings to the gods, ordered the construction of new temples, and was depicted in statues as wearing the pharaoh's headdress and false beard. However, she was also shown in early statuary with feminine curves, demonstrating the delicate balance she was forced to take. By the end of her rule, she had herself portrayed solely as a man.

During her reign, she oversaw the restoration of Egypt's wealth through trade with other nations. Hatshepsut had a series of murals depicting her achievements placed in reliefs throughout her temple. Representations of her expedition to the land of Punt are among the most famous of these reliefs.

Hatsheput was among the greatest builders of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. She had hundreds of statues of herself built and added four massive granite obelisks of Amun at the Temple of Karnak. However, her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari is the most celebrated of her building projects. After her death, Thutmose III—her co-regent, stepson, nephew, and successor—had all images of Hatshepsut destroyed. This included the reliefs of her reign depicted in her temple. A later pharaoh, Akhenaten—the father of Tutankhamun—further damaged the reliefs in her temple as a result of his attempts to destroy the depiction of any god other than his patron deity, Aten.

In the twenty-first century, discoveries continued to be made at the Deir el-Bahari. In 2021, a team of Egyptian and Polish archeologists uncovered several offerings to the goddess Hathor, including ceramics, figurines, and amulets. In February 2023, newly preserved sections of the site were opened to the public, with rooms featuring wall inscriptions and decorations related to religious rituals involving Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III. 

Bibliography

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"Deir el-Bahri." Ancient Egypt and Archaeology Web Site, 17 Dec. 2023, www.ancient-egypt.co.uk/deir%20el%20bahri/index.htm. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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Szulc-Kajak, Agnieszka. “Deir el-Bahari: Extraordinary Discovery under the Hathor Chapel.” Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, 25 Nov. 2021, pcma.uw.edu.pl/en/2021/11/25/deir-el-bahari-extraordinary-discovery-under-the-chapel-of-hathor. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Sullivan, Mary Ann. "Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut." Bluffton University, www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/egypt/deirelbahri/deirelbahri.html. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

"Thebes - Temple of Hatshepsut." The University of Memphis, www.memphis.edu/egypt/resources/colortour/westbank3.php. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Tyldesley, Joyce. "Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis: A Royal Feud?" BBC, 17 Feb. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/hatshepsut‗01.shtml. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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