Reliefs abound in this temple. Some are of Hatshepsut’s birth and her visit to Punt. Others exist of marine fauna with clear zigzag lines representing water. Still others exist of people reaching their tree houses by ladders.
Both the leader of Punt’s wife and Hatshepsut are obese in the reliefs. Corpulence in the days of ancient Egypt was quite rare.
Thutmose III ordered Hatshepsut’s name and image chiseled from the walls after her death. He built his own temple directly to the west of hers, across the Nile.
Even though Thutmose III was responsible for much of the damage and desecration of Hatshepsut’s likeness, even more damage was caused by Akhenaten, an 18th dynasty heretic who only allowed images of the Aten, the sun god.
From the third level (which is off limits to the public) a doorway leads to two chapels, one dedicated to the Royal cult, and the other dedicated to the solar cult. Here, all images of Hatshepsut that were destroyed were replaced with images of Thutmose III.
Pointing directly toward Hatshepsut’s tomb, the Sanctuary of Amon lies behind the third level courtyard.
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