Sacred Sands: The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Nestled against the sheer limestone cliffs of Deir el-Bahari on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is an ancient architectural masterpiece. Known in antiquity as Djeser-Djeseru ("Holy of Holies"), it was built during the 18th Dynasty (c. 1479–1458 BCE) to commemorate the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt's few female rulers.