Deir el-Bahari
Deir el-Bahri · Djeser-Djeseru · Northern Monastery
Middle to New Kingdom (2055–1435 BCE)·Ancient Egyptian·🇪🇬 Luxor Governorate (Theban West Bank), Egypt
Wikipedia contributors · CC (see file page)
About
About Deir el-Bahari
Three terraced mortuary masterpieces stacking chronologically in Theban bay cliff: Mentuhotep II's 2055 BCE terrace (first Theban terraced temple), Hatshepsut's Djeser-Djeseru 1470 BCE (Senenmut architect) three colonnaded terraces 90×80 m with Hathor shrine, Anubis portico and Punt reliefs showing myrrh terraces and Queen of Punt Itt, and Thutmose III's small shrine. Deir el-Bahari cachette DB320 yielded 40 royal mummies (Ramesses II, Seti I). Built by Hatshepsut female pharaoh as legitimation paralleling Mentuhotep reunification. Polish-Spanish reconstruction since 1961. Libyan causeway guard chapels.
Why it mattersEarliest terraced temple plus female pharaoh self-legitimation paradigm and DB320 cache chief royal-mummy archive.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Hatshepsut terrace quarried Punt myrrh still in pots — botanical residue
- 02Accident vs usurpation behind Thutmose III defacement of Hatshepsut images
Theories
- 01Senenmut architectural imitation of Mentuhotep (Arnold)
- 02Punt expedition reality (Kitchen)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Mentuhotep II 2055 BCE; Hatshepsut 1479–1458 BCE; Thutmose III c.1435 BCE
- Period
- Middle to New Kingdom (2055–1435 BCE)
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Builders
- Mentuhotep II; Senenmut for Hatshepsut
- Purpose
- Mortuary cult terraces legitimating reunification and female kingship
- Rediscovered
- 1858 Mariette; 1881 cachette discovery
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
Mentuhotep II 2055 BCE; Hatshepsut 1479–1458 BCE; Thutmose III c.1435 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1375 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
25.7381° N · 32.6064° E · 115 m · 3 mapped features
Gallery