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THE QUEENS OF EGYPT - Part
II
By Dr. Sameh Arab
The Voyage to the Land of Punt
Hatshepsut
The voyage to the Land of Punt was one of the most important,
and yet mysterious achievements of Hatshepsut. It is believed to
have started during her 7th regal year, immediately
after her coronation, and lasted until the 8th.
Herodotus’ later writings believed this only lasted two months.
A Scene from Hatshepsut's Temple Related to the
Punt Expedition
Punt was a legendary land, previously known as the "Land
of the God", as mentioned in the "Book of the
Dead".
"The Lands of the Gods see thee, they could write
[concerning thee]; the Deserts of Punt could count thee."
It is untrue, as Hatshepsut claimed, that her voyage was the
first in history. It has been an ancient tradition to undertake
that trip since the 4th dynasty, when a son of "Khufu"
(Cheops) did it. Other voyages were mentioned during the reign of
"Sahu-Ra" in the early 5th dynasty, when
Egyptians began trading with the Land of Punt. Another expedition
has been mentioned during the reign of "Pepi II" (6th
dynasty). The caravan leader, "Harkhuf" has written to
the 9-year old king describing a dancing dwarf he was bringing
back to Egypt.
During the reigns of "Mentu-Hotep II" and "Mentu-Hotep
III" (11th dynasty), as well as "Sesostris
I" and "Amenemhat II" (12th dynasty),
successful expeditions were dispatched to the Land of Punt. "Sesostris
III" (12th dynasty) had dug a canal joining the
Nile and the Red Sea (Suez Gulf), for ships to sail directly to
Punt.
A story narrated during the reign of "Amenemhat II"
by a ship captain who had been to a magic island in the sea far
south beyond Nubia. The sailor told the vizier (prime minister)
about a tempest which arose suddenly and drove the ship towards a
mysterious land. He suddenly heard a noise like thunder, and saw a
huge serpent with a beard. Upon hearing that the sailor was sent
by the pharaoh, the serpent let him go back, with gifts to "Amenemhat".
It told him that it was Amon-Ra’s blessing that has made this
island rich and lacking nothing. Upon hearing this amusing story,
"Amenemhat II" ordered it to be documented on a papyrus.
The story is known to historians as "The Shipwrecked
Sailor".
After the death of Hatshepsut, trade continued with Punt during
the 18th dynasty by "Thotmos III", "Amon-Hotep
III", and "Horemheb". Puntite officials were even
depicted in wall reliefs of the temple of "Ramses II" at
Abydos. The last king known to record a trading expedition to Punt
was "Ramses III" during the early 20th
dynasty.
The actual location of the Land of Punt is still mysterious. As
the trip was assumed to have been heading through the Nile then
southward through the Red sea, most historians believe it lies at
the western African coast near what is today Somalia or Ethiopia.
Such assumption is based upon the African features of the queen of
Punt (at el-Deir el-Bahary temple) and the ornaments around her
legs. The location was described as a sand coast with heights
covered by ebony and incense trees. Upon its return, the
expedition has bought back ivory, silver and gold too. Giraffes,
which are purely African animals, and monkeys were shown to live
there.
Another assumption was that the voyage was across the Nile, not
the sea. This was evidenced by the presence of 5 types of
river-fish. The Punt harbour would then be located around a small
river, which is assumed to be the Gloin river (or Elephant river)
in Somalia. Other extremists have assumed that Punt lies at the
Arabian Peninsula or Sinai. The "Narmer" Stele (1st
dynasty) showing the king fighting his enemies while bare-footed
with a boy carrying his sandals, denoted a sacred land that he
stood upon.
It is to be noted that the artist has not inscribed the usual
hieroglyphic sign for foreign lands above the name Punt. This
might point towards the fact that Punt was considered as part of
Egyptian lands.
Hatshepsut’s voyage to Punt was depicted on her temple of el-Deir
el-Bahary. Reliefs show the departure of the expedition, its
arrival at the mysterious land, the lading of the ships with the
gifts by the Puntine leader to Hatshepsut, and the preparations
for the return voyage.
The story illustrates that it was planned according to direct
orders of the god Amon, in order to bring back trees and incense
necessary for divine rituals. Though the campaign was a peaceful
trading expedition for enhancing diplomatic relations and
commerce, it included a small military corps. It was formed of
five ships, each measuring 70 feet long, and with several sails.
These accommodated 210 men, including sailors and 30 rowers, and
was led by the Nubian general "Nehsi". A huge red
granite statue covered by precious stones and representing Amon
and the queen in front of him, was erected on the coastline.
EL-Deir el-Bahary Temple
Hatshepsut started building her mortuary temple in her 7th
regal year, which was not finished until the 16th or
maybe 20th. All nomes (provinces) contributed as if it
was a national project, same as when building the Great Pyramid.
The architect was "Senenmut", and after his death it was
completed by "Imhotep".
The temple was hewn in the rocks at a location which was
considered sacred during ancient times, and dedicated to the cult
of Hathor, the cow goddess. At the same site were also the tombs
of her ancestors, and the temple was built to encroach upon the
courtyard of that of "Mentu-Hotep" (11th
dynasty), which her architect Senenmut has quoted from its design
to a far extent. Hatshepsut dedicated that temple to Amon, but she
also built chapels for Hathor and Anubis within the complex. Side
chambers were set for the queen’s mortuary cult, though she was
buried at the Valley of Kings with her father "Thotmose
I" whom she moved his mummy from its original burial. Other
than the worship of Amon, the temple was dedicated to document the
legend of her divine birth, as well as her voyage to the Land of
Punt.
The temple was built of limestone, with its rear parts hewn in
a cave-like structure within the rocks. It consists of three
terraces or courtyards on different levels that rise gradually
from the valley to the sanctuary deep inside the rocks, and are
linked by ramps that divide the temple into northern and southern
halves. These vertical and horizontal lines show extreme harmony
in dimensions, balance and smoothness. Its harmony with the
surrounding environment (the mountain, desert and sky) is quite
obvious. The design combined the old architecture of the Middle
Kingdom (broken angled crownless pillars) and modernization (wider
courtyards).
Originally, the temple was linked to an old Valley Temple on
the Nile by an avenue of sphinxes with the queen’s face. At the
gateway of el-Deir el-Bahary Temple, six sphinxes stood guarding
its entrance. All those structures, including the avenue, were
later destroyed by "Thotmose III", and remnants of about
120 of those sphinxes were later found.
In front of the gateway and on both sides of the ramp in the
first courtyard, Hatshepsut planted the trees obtained from the
Land of Punt. The stumps of two trees are still preserved in front
of the gateway within enclosures. This was the first time in
history to cultivate plants in a different environment than their
original habitat.
The entrance to the temple is towards the east, leading to the
Lower Courtyard. The whole structure was enclosed within a
retaining wall of limestone, parts of which are still preserved on
the south side. Along the west side of each terrace rises a
colonnade.
The Lower Courtyard:
The Lower Courtyard was originally a garden. Four small ponds
were dug on both sides of the ramp in which papyri grew. The
remnants of those ponds could still be seen in front of the ramp
as two cavities. On both sides of the ramp, northern and southern
colonnades end by the Middle Terrace.
Each colonnade has two rows of 11 pillars. The front row
pillars are square, and are adorned at their tops by falcons,
vultures and snakes.  The rear row pillars are 16-sided uncrowned
ones. The inscriptions and reliefs on the columns are now erased,
with very few that could still be seen.
The remaining reliefs on the rear wall of the north colonnade
(on the right side of the ramp) represent the ritual hunting and
fishing in sacred ponds. A water fowl being caught by a net in a
pond could be seen.
The rear wall of the south colonnade (on the left side of the
ramp) shows later-defaced reliefs representing the obelisks
transported through the Nile from Aswan and erected at el-Karnak.
The text started by the queen’s titles, her instructions to
build the ships and the transport of the obelisks. She also
mentioned how the men were gathered from allover Egypt in
Elephantine for this task. Twenty-seven rowing boats in three rows
were used, with other ones around for the priests who were burning
incenses and praying to bless this mission. The boats then landed
at Thebes, and the scene then shows soldiers celebrating, and
priests preparing sacrifices. The text also mentions that the
obelisks were erected in celebration of her "Sed
Festival" (30 years of coronation). It is notable that the
name of "Thotmose III" appeared within the text by
sailors who cheered for him with the queen. Hatshepsut was
depicted making offerings to Amon, but later was defaced.
On both sides of the ramp, a great serpent (representing evil)
was depicted, together with the lion that conquered it.
The Middle Courtyard:
The first ramp ascends to end in the Middle Courtyard which is
bounded also at the west end by a colonnaded terrace. Another ramp
(leading to the upper courtyard) divides it into a northern
colonnade on the right side (The Birth Colonnade) and a southern
one on the left side (The Punt Colonnade).
The Birth Colonnade
This part depicts the legend of Hatshepsut’s birth and her
coronation by Amon. The roof is supported by 22 square pillars in
two rows, all showing the same scenes on their four sides: Amon
laying his hand in blessing on the shoulder of Hatshepsut. The
figures were later obliterated.
The rear wall shows Ahmose, Hatshepsut’s mother, while
pregnant with Khnum and the midwife frog-headed Heqet (goddess of
birth). In another relief, Ahmose is seen standing opposite to the
Ibis-headed god Thot.
The north side of the colonnade opens into 4 unfinished
chambers. At the very north end, two steps lead into a vestibule
supported by 12 columns, each with 16 sides.
The Vestibule is small and almost square-shaped, leading to
the Chapel of Anubis. Its roof is painted in blue to represent the
sky, with glistening stars within.
The vestibule contains a small niche, above which "Thotmose
III" is seen offering wine to the god Sokar (god of the dead,
and guardian of the entrance to the underworld). Hatshepsut
(obliterated figure) is seen with Anubis, and on its left she is
standing in front of the symbol of Emewet (god of the dead).
Another niche shows Hatshepsut standing before Osiris, and
Nekhbet (protective goddess of Upper Egypt) and Harakhty (Horus of
the Horizon) are seen with the defaced name of Hatshepsut in
between.
At the rear wall (west) of the vestibule, three steps lead to
the Chapel of Anubis. On both sides of the entrance, Hatshepsut
was depicted making offerings to Amon on the left, and Anubis on
the right wall. Gifts are seen heaped in front of both gods.
The Chapel of Anubis consists of three chambers with
vaulted roofs. The walls of the three chambers show well-preserved
colored paintings of the queen with various gods, particularly
Anubis. "Thotmose III" is shown only once in the second
chamber with the god Sokar.
The Punt Colonnade
The Punt Colonnade lies on the left (southern) side of the
ramp, and is identical in construction to the Birth Colonnade. It
was dedicated to commemorate the voyage to the Land of Punt. Most
of its reliefs are now damaged.
The south (left) wall of the colonnade shows a coastal village
in the Land of Punt. Beehive-shaped huts that were raised upon
long pegs and entered by ladders, are seen within the shadows of
palms and incense trees. The unarmed Egyptian delegate Nehsi is
seen followed by his guards, and received by the king of Punt
followed by the queen. The queen was obese with redundant skin and
wearing ornaments around her legs. She was followed first by her
two sons and a daughter, then by 3 local officials with a saddled
donkey. The underlying text denotes their submission to the sun
god, and reverence to the "king" of Egypt.
The reliefs also showed the features of the Puntine people, who
were black Africans, as well as another race much resembling
Egyptians. The later group of inhabitants was depicted as red
colored (as the traditional color of Egyptians in ancient art),
wearing a small beard resembling those of Egyptian priests and the
short Egyptian shirts. Donkeys were depicted as the method of
transporting goods, and white dogs guarding the people’s houses.
Birds, monkeys, leopards and hippopotamus are also seen, as well
as giraffes which are typical African animals, to live in Punt.
Nehsi is then shown in front of his tent with a banquet offered to
his guests, and observing the gifts presented.
The right side wall shows the departure of the convoy with the
ships laden with merchandise and monkeys hanging on the masts. The
west (rear) wall shows on the left side the arrival of the ships
at Luxor. It is worth mention that only the departure and arrival
of ships were depicted without documenting details of passing
through any land, which has raised suspicion of a direct route
through the Nile. Above, Puntines and Egyptians are seen with
gifts to the queen. The queen is then shown with her guarding
spirit dedicating the gifts to Amon. Gold is being weighed, with
Seshet (the goddess of scribes) recording, while Horus was
operating the scale. Thoth is also seen measuring the amount of
incense, with seven trees in a tub. Hatshepsut is then shown with
Amon but the inscription in between was obliterated. "Thotmose
III" is seen offering an incense to the barque of Amon. The
text shows one of Hatshepsut’s forgeries, when it mentions that
Amon praised her as the first pharaoh to reach this land. It also
mentioned that all remote voyages there were only rumors and
legends.
The north (right) wall of the colonnade shows the queen seated
under a canopy - with her spirit behind – in front of numerous
dignitaries. She announced that the trees were to be planted in
her temple, as her father Amon has ordered.
 The Temple of Hathor
The south side of the Punt Colonnade opens into the Temple of
Hathor, which originally was entered from its east side by steps.
The temple is now ruined, but originally was formed of two
colonnades on different levels. Both colonnades contained 16-sided
columns and either square ones with Hathor capitals (lower
colonnade) or rounded Hathor columns with some preserved reliefs
(upper colonnade).
The Upper Courtyard:
The upper courtyard of the temple is badly ruined. Its original
roof was supported by 16-sided columns, and several colossal
statues of the queen, that were reshaped later, by "Thotmose
III," into pillars. The court opens by a giant granite gate
at the end of the ramp from the middle courtyard. Immediately
behind that gate, once stood a hypostyle hall which is was totally
ruined by Coptic monks during the Roman persecution period. On the
north side of the courtyard is a chapel, with its entrance opening
at the northeast corner of the Upper Courtyard.
The Chapel
The Upper Courtyard open into a Vestibule, with three
16-sided columns supporting its roof. Opposite the entrance is a
niche with reliefs of the queen, and on the rear wall she is seen
in the presence of Amon. On the side walls, she is seen seated to
a table with a priest in front of her.
The vestibule leads to an Open Court (west side), with
an alter in its middle raised over 10 steps. The alter was
dedicated to Ra-Harakhty (Ra associated with Horus). A niche at
the rear wall shows the queen making offerings. The north wall of
the court opens into the two-chambered chapel, with most of
its reliefs chiseled away later.
The side walls of the first chamber show the queen making
offerings to Amon and the gods of the dead (Osiris, Anubis, Sokar
and Emewet). She was also shown with her father "Thotmose
I" in front of the sign of the god Emewet at the rear wall of
that chamber.
The second chamber shows "Thotmose I" and his mother
"Senseneb" making offerings to Anubis. Hatshepsut and
her mother "Ahmose" are seen on the left side wall
making offerings to Amon. This was a further bypassing of the
memory of "Thotmose II", and more of reverence to
Hatshepsut’s own father. The skies at night with its stars are
represented on the roof.
The Mortuary Chapel of Hatshepsut
The Mortuary Chapel of the queen is located on the south side
of the Upper Courtyard. It is a well-preserved vaulted chamber,
with its rear wall having a doorway that leads into the realm of
the afterlife. On both sides of the entrance are reliefs showing
sacrificed animals being slaughtered. The side walls of the chapel
show priests burning incenses, performing rituals and offering
gifts to Hatshepsut, who is seated in the front.
The rear wall of the Upper Courtyard has several niches. The
larger ones once contained statues of the queen, and the smaller
ones show reliefs with representations of Hatshepsut and "Thotmose
III" in the presence of various gods. In the center of that
wall is the entrance to the Sanctuary.
At the north end (right side) of the wall behind the Chapel is
the Hall of Amon, with its partially preserved roof
decorated with stars on blue background representing the sky. The
left hand wall of the hall shows the queen in the presence of Amon
and Amon-Min (god of virility), while the right hand one shows
"Thotmose III" in equivalent presentations. Originally
Hatshepsut was depicted with Amon on the rear wall, but was later
replaced with "Thotmose III". All figure of the deities
were later defaced by "Akhen-Aton".
On the left hand side of the western wall (south end of the
Upper Courtyard) and adjacent to the Mortuary Temple; is a small
chamber with a well-preserved roof. Its right side wall originally
showed Hatshepsut in the presence of Amon-Ra, with her guardian
spirit behind. An offering table later replaced the queen’s
figure. That of "Thotmose II" on the left side wall also
replaced her figure while offering the sacred oil to Amon. On the
rear wall, the figure of "Thotmose I" replaced that of
Hatshepsut, and is seen with "Thotmose III" making
offerings to Amon.
The Sanctuary
A granite gate in the middle of the rear wall of the Upper
Courtyard of the temple opens into a small passage leading to the
Sanctuary, which is hewn inside the rocks. The sanctuary
originally contained only two chambers with vaulted roofs and
niches, but a third one was later added by "Eugretes II"
(146 – 117 BC). This was dedicated to Imhotep and Amon-Hotep
whom the Ptolomies much venerated. The three chambers are badly
damaged.
Some reliefs could still be identified in the first chamber; in
which Hatshepsut, "Thotmose III" and princess "Nefru-Ra"
are seen making offerings to the barque of Amon. Behind them are
seen "Thotmose I" and Queen "Ahmose" (Hatshepsut’s
parents) with her small sister "Bit-Nefru". The scene is
better preserved on the right side wall, but on the left one, only
"Thotmose III" and "Nefru-Ra" can be
identified.
Architecture
Among the outstanding monuments Hatshepsut has erected were the
famous granite obelisks. "Thotmose I" started to erect
two obelisks at el-Karnak (each measuring 57 meters, according to
Herodotus), but one was left on the ground without any
inscriptions, while the other included the names of "Thotmose
I" and "Thotmose III". As the reign of "Thotmose
II" lasted less than the 30 years to celebrate the festival
of "Sed", and probably due to Hatshepsut’s – his
wife – reverence to her father’s memory, the obelisk was left
untouched, and came later to inscribe on it, beside two other ones
which she were cut during her reign. On the one left from "Thotmose
I", she related this obelisk to herself, in an unusual
fashion. The text is almost an oath that the granite was cut in
her 15th year, and lasted seven months. It is obvious
that her aim was assert that her reign has followed her father’s,
totally neglecting "Thotmose II". The transport of this
obelisk from Aswan and its erection were depicted in the Lower
Colonnade of el-Deir el-Bahary Temple, but were subjected to much
defacement. Both obelisks at el-Karnak are believed to have been
coated with gold.
It is very difficult to decide what has Hatshepsut built at el-Karnak
because of the massive destruction her monuments have during her
successors’ reigns. Beyond the 4th Pylon was a ruined
temple dating to the Middle Kingdom, which included a sanctuary.
The sanctuary was renewed with some colored reliefs made on the
northern wall. Two doors were opened in the northern and southern
walls, each leading to six chambers for storage, and a warehouse
for incenses. A huge alter was placed, ands a small temple was
built with her name engraved hidden between its stones. She
depicted herself kneeling in the presence of Amon, who was
touching her during her coronation. "Thotmose III" came
later to build the 5th Pylon and his temple at that
place.
Adjacent to Amon’s Temple, Hatshepsut has built another
temple facing the east, so that the sun would shine throwing its
lights even into the sanctuary. The temple included two sitting
statues for herself (south side) and for "Thotmose III"
(north side), with numerous marble ones showing her sitting in the
presence of Amon. The two granite obelisks were placed in that
temple. Later, "Akhen-Aton" (Amon-Hotep IV") came
to build his own temple over her’s. Both temples are now ruined.
The old town of Armant (23 Km south of Luxor) was the southern
boundary of Thebes, which was known as "The Upper Egyptian
On" (to differentiate it from "Heliopolis-On" of
the north). Hatshepsut built a temple there dedicated to the war
god "Munt". The temple carried her name as well as
"Thotmose III", who later renewed it and included a
stele over which he recorded the start of his reign.
On the west bank opposite Thebes at "Medinet Habu"
(City of Habu), was a small unfinished temple of "Amon-Hotep
I" dedicated to commemorate the glories of the Middle
Kingdom. This was continued by "Thotmose I", "Thotmose
II" then finalized by Hatshepsut. The temple is raised over
seven small steps, with five adjacent chambers deeply hewn, and a
separate one forming a sanctuary. On the walls of the sanctuary,
Hatshepsut depicted her titles in seven forms. At el-Qurna, she
also built a pier and a citadel. She was depicted on a stele there
with "Thotmose III" who was wearing the White Crown of
Upper Egypt.
Architecture outside Thebes:
Outside Thebes (Luxor), Hatshepsut decided to reconstruct the
temples that were devastated by the Hyksos. At el-Qouseya (330 Km
south of Cairo), and in the ancient capital of the 14th
nome (city of "Kis" - now el-Weseia), Hatshepsut renewed
the Temple of Hathor, the cow goddess. At el-Ashmunein, capital of
the 15th nome (296 Km south of Cairo), she renewed the
temple of Amnemhat II, which was dedicated to glorify the Ibis or
baboon headed Thot, the moon god and god of writing and learning.
The temple was built at the site of the ancient "Sacred city
of Khmunu" or the "City of Deities", the center of
Thot’s cult. According to the ancient mythology, it was believed
that on a primal hill, Thot has created eight primal frog gods who
in turn engendered the egg from which the sun grew. Hatshepsut
enforced the gates of the temple by marble and golden shutter
leaves, renewed its furniture, and erected an alter made of gold
and silver, as well as a golden statue of Amon. The festivals were
revived, and the rituals performed by the local priests were
re-organized in dedication to the sacred ennead as well as the
gods Khnum and Heqet.
At Kom-Ombo (97 Km south of Luxor), Hatshepsut renewed also the
Temple of "Amon-Hotep I", which was dedicated to the
crocodile god Sobek, the Nile god. In that temple set over cliffs
overlooking the Nile, she depicted herself during her early reign
with "Thotmose III", each wearing one of the Egyptian
crowns. She also renewed the temples of the 11th and 12th
dynasties kings at el-Cab (38 Km south of Luxor). All are now
destroyed, with only few stones found carrying her name.
Two other temples were hewn in the rocks. The temple known as
"Speos Artemidos" (The Gretto of Artemis) or "Istabl
Antar" (Antar’s stable) was built so high on the cliffs
near Beni-Hassan (270 Km south of Cairo). This included a
vestibule and a narrow passage leading to a sanctuary, and on its
façade she made a long dedication recording the annals of her
supremacy forever. The importance of this temple lies in her trial
to ascribe the expulsion of the Hyksos to herself. In the original
design, she made no mention of "Thotmose III", but
later, he and "Seti I" added their names and defaced her’s.
The other temple known as "Batn el-Baqara" was hewn
in the same valley during her joint reign with her brother and
husband "Thotmose II", and was dedicated also to "Pakhet".
It included only a small niche (160 x 98 cm), and on the façade,
Hatshepsut and "Thotmose III" were depicted making
offerings to the gods Pakhet, Khnum, Hathor and Harakhty. Though
it seems that "Thotmose III" was more dignified there,
he came later to deface her image and names. Princess "Nefru-Ra"
was also shown following her mother, and the titles were
dignifying her as "The god’s hand". The temple was
later occupied by Coptic monks during the early centuries AD
during the Roman persecution.
Some colored pottery found in a mine at Sinai included the
image of Hatshepsut. It seems that the scribe was confused, as he
wrote the name "Maat-Ka-Ra Thotmose" as one and the same
pharaoh.
Hatshepsut’s death and burial
Hatshepsut decided to be buried with her father "Thotmose
I" in the Valley of Kings. A tunnel was dug behind the huge
cliffs of el-Deir el-Bahary Temple, to the east side of the Valley
of Kings. Thus the mortuary rituals performed for her Ka after her
death, would be immediately above her tomb, allowing the Ka to
ascend each morning and witness the sunrise. The tunnel is about
700 feet long, and was dug 300 feet under ground level, with some
rightwards deviation to avoid the rocky bed.
In an exaggerated reverence to her father, Hatshepsut made
another sarcophagus for him to be included in her burial chamber.
His mummy was moved from its original tomb to be buried with her.
Some of his mortuary furniture was found, including a marble
vessel bearing the name of "The Royal Wife Hatshepsut".
This was her title during the life of her husband "Thotmose
II" when her father was buried, and she was never called so
when her own tomb was built. Two other vessels were found, one
harboring the names of her father and mother, and the other those
of "Thotmose I’ and "II". Such act was a further
instigation to "Thotmose III", as it showed her reign to
be immediately following her father’s. "Thotmse II"
would thus look like a usurper, beside her intentional ignoring of
the later, and depicting her parents in the chapel at the Upper
Courtyard of the temple.
The tomb that was later looted, and a sarcophagus bearing her
name was found at el-Deir el-Bahary in AD 1881, but proved to
belong to another princess of the 21st dynasty. A chest
containing the four canopic jars and two unidentified female
bodies were also found, but no evidence could prove that these
were hers’.
The last mention of Hatshepsut was on her 17th regal
year, when she died on the 10th day of the 6th
month of the 22nd year (early February). The
circumstances of her death remain uncertain, but seem to be
natural. "Thotmose III" arranged for her funerary
ceremonies, as he was shown at Karnak wearing the White Crown,
with two statues of the embalmed queen wearing the Red Crown, and
acquiring the traditional Osirian position.
"Thotmose III" started to appear alone as a sole
pharaoh. Immediately he recorded his authority on a relief
dedicated to "Monto", the war god, in boasting of his
physical power, and how he could kill 7 lions and capture 12 wild
bulls all alone. The exaggeration seems to be camouflaging his
previous submission during Hatshepsut’s life. Soon after he
retrieved kingship, "Thotmose III" started leading 17
campaigns in Gaza, Palestine, Syria and Nubia, which restored
Egypt’s domination over the Near East. Some years after
Hatshepsut’s death, he started mutilating her inscriptions and
surrounded her obelisk by a wall. This did not take place
immediately after the queen’s death, as it seems "Thotmose
III" had to wait for the death of some remaining officials
who were loyal to her. Hatshepsut’s name never appeared in any
later annals.
The defacement of Hatshepsut’s monuments
Few years after Hatshepsut’s death, "Thotmose III"
started his revenge. He started to erase her name, which was so
crucial for an ancient Egyptian and constituted an integral part
of existence during afterlife. "Thotmose III" started by
chiseling the names off the inscriptions, and replaced them by his
own, those of "Thotmose I or II" or were left vacant. He
aimed to give an impression of the continuity of the three
pharaohs’ reign uninterrupted by Hatshepsut. This was followed
by defacing her reliefs. Her statues were smashed, burned and
soaked in water, particularly those of the "Ka". The
eyes and nose of the statues were smashed so the deceased queen
could not see or breathe in her afterlife, and uraeus (royal cobra
placed on the forehead) was smashed too, to deprive her any power.
What "Thotmose III" failed to destroy, he remolded
and related to himself. At el-Karnak after destroying her statue
sitting beside Amon, the design of the god’s figure did not make
any sense. Amon was made to stand instead of sitting, and the base
of the smashed queen’s statue was replaced by drawings. On top
of one obelisk, the queen was kneeling on her knees, with Amon
performing her coronation. Removal of the queen’s figure
rendered the god’s hand stretched for no reason, and hence a
wand was placed in it. When he could not deface the inscriptions
on another obelisk, he simply surrounded it by a high fence. At
the top which could not be hidden, he replaced her name and figure
with his. In one temple when he failed to coat with gold to hide
her name, "Thotmose III" dismantled it. He also usurped
the golden gates of her temples and utilized the stones of a
temple to tile his orchard. This was disclosed when the name of
the queen was later found in its base.
Senenmut
The story of Hatshepsut is never complete without "Senenmut".
During the early co-regency, she had full support of "Hapuseneb",
the High Priest of Amon and other officials, whom she allowed to
build their tombs within the rocks above her temple at el-Deir
el-Bahary.
"Senenmut" was the most powerful and loyal man in her
court, who was a descendant of a family known to be loyal to the
Thotmosid house. He himself has worked with her father as an
overseer of the royal palace, and accompanied him in his military
campaigns. As soon as her father died, Senenmut wasted no time to
gain Hatshepsut’s confidence. He was given many authorities, as
Hatshepsut’s adviser, overseer of the "She-Horus
House", all royal properties as well as some temples. In
addition, Senenmut was a talent architecture, and has left his
fingerprints at her mortuary temple. The Louvre Museum in Paris
displays his statue carrying his architectural tools.
The relation between him and the queen was so unique and vague.
Some scholars believe in a secret intimate relationship, and some
even suspect that he was the actual father of her daughter "Nefru-Ra".
Several statues at Cairo Museum show him with the princess. One of
which shows her sitting on his lap with his chin touching her
head. The princess is shown with a ponytail and her finger in her
mouth. Another statue shows him hiding the princess with his arms
and knees, and another statue at Chicago Museum show Senenmut
standing, while the princess was seated on his arm, and touching
his shoulder. Moreover, the tomb of Senenmut’s parents show his
mother with a scarab ring given to her by Hathor, and among her
furniture was a sarcophagus bearing the name of the princess.
Among the authorities of Senemut was the "Overseer of
Private Chambers", including the queen’s own bedroom and
bathroom.
So many statues of Senenmut were built by Hatshepsut at Thebes
and Karnak. His name was also inscribed with the queen’s at the
Temple of Hathor in el-Deir el-Bahary. However, the most unusual
privilege was his figure that he depicted in small niches of this
temple, which were hidden behind the doors. Once the doors were
closed at night, his figures would appear worshipping her and Amon
in the darkness of the temple, an act that no other architect in
history has ever dared to do. He was also permitted an
unprecedented honor, which was his burial within the courtyard of
the queen’s temple. in this tomb, her images were depicted
everywhere, with Senenmut in a worshipping position. A cartouche
of "Maat-Ka-Ra" (Hatshepsut) was also placed over the
symbol off gold.
An unfinished tomb above el-Deir el-Bahary was found with some
graffiti. One of these shows a drawing of Senenmut, and on another
wall there is a sketch showing a female Pharaoh in passive
submission to a male figure. It was unverified if this was a
contemporary comment on their relationship, a later satire, or
simply a fantasy.
Suddenly in the 16th regal year of Hatshepsut,
Senenmut was replaced two officials, a vizier (prime minister) and
an overseer of the royal palace. It is uncertain whether he
resigned after the death of "Nefru-Ra" or was deposed.
Few months later, he disappeared from all documents, and it is not
confirmed if he died naturally, or was assassinated by "Thotmose
III" associates. From then onwards, "Thotmose III"
started to acquire more authorities. In either case, Senenmut was
buried in dignifying necessary for a noble who and his family have
served the Thosmosid House since Queen "Ahmose",
Hatshepsut’s mother.
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