---
node: hatshepsut_temple
type: art
slug: hatshepsut_temple
title: "Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut"
lead: "The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is the terraced temple of Egypt's female pharaoh at Deir el-Bahari on the Theban west bank, built around 1479–1458 BC. Its three colonnaded terraces set against the cliffs are widely regarded as a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture."
published: 2026-07-11
updated: 2026-07-11
image_file: hatshepsut_temple.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Hatshepsut,_Deir_el-Bahari,_Luxor,_Egypt.jpg"
image_author: "Vyacheslav Argenberg"
image_license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

## Overview

The temple was built at Deir el-Bahari on the west bank at Thebes as the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh who ruled Egypt around 1479–1458 BC. Its design is attributed to Senenmut, her steward and architect.

## Description

Three colonnaded terraces linked by ramps rise against the cliff face, an architecture of long horizontal lines unlike anything built before it. Among its reliefs is the celebrated trading expedition to the land of Punt.

## History and legacy

After Hatshepsut's death, Thutmose III had many of her images and inscriptions in the temple erased. The temple is nonetheless widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian architecture, and since 1979 it has been part of the Ancient Thebes UNESCO World Heritage Site.