The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, is an ancient funerary shrine close to Luxor. Built for the 18^th dynasty Pharaoh Hatshepsut, it is located beneath the cliffs at Deir el Bahari, near the Valley of the Kings. It’s considered one of the ”incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt”. The Polish Academy of Science is responsible for the study and restoration of the three levels of the temple and they have a building close by where they work. 

The relief sculpture within Hatshepsut’s temple recites the tale of the divine birth of a female pharaoh – the first of its kind. Unfortunately, many of the statues and ornamentation have been stolen or destroyed, the temple once was home to many sculptures of the Queen in different attitudes – standing, sitting, or kneeling. Many of these portraits were destroyed at the order of her stepson Thutmose III after her death.

Hatshepsut lived from 1507 to 1458 BC, she was the fifth pharaoh of the 18^th dynasty of Egypt and the second historically confirmed female pharaoh. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. She showed persistence in demanding her Godly right to rule as pharaoh even though she was a woman. When in Egypt, she became somewhat of an idol for me and an important person in history claiming the rights of women.