аÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

10 Interesting Facts About Hatshepsut

One of the most powerful black queens in history was Queen Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh of Egypt. At the age of 12, Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II and took the kingdom. After Thutmose II’s death, Hatshepsut was compelled to assume the role of pharaoh.. She increased Egyptian trade throughout her reign and managed large-scale construction projects, including the Temple of Deir el-Bahri in western Thebes, where she was buried. We’ll examine the 10 Fascinating Facts About Hatshepsut in this article.

1. Hatshepsut Was The First Female Pharaoh

Statue of Hatshepsut. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Queens Sobekneferu and Nitocris may have presided over a wealthy era before Hatshepsut, but she was the first female pharaoh to do so. She also had more authority than her female predecessors. According to historical accounts, Hatshepsut reigned for around 21 years. Hatshepsut was one of the very few female pharaohs in the tens of thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history since only sons were allowed to succeed their fathers in those days. Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II to help him succeed her father King Thutmose I after he died without having any sons. She was born in 1504 B.C.

2. She ruled As A Man For More Than 20 Years

Hatshepsut forced her way to be the pharaoh, governed for more than 20 years like a man would, and had a male appearance and artificial beard when she was shown in monuments and paintings. Hatshepsut exhibits a lion’s mane and a pharaoh’s beard as a sphinx. She did, however, appear in other photos while wearing a woman’s clothing.

3. She Brought Her Country Abundant Wealth And Creative Talent

One of Egypt’s best pharaohs, Hatshepsut, offered her nation great wealth and creative brilliance. She assisted one of Egypt’s most successful trading trips, which brought back gold, ebony, and incense from an area called as Punt (perhaps the contemporary African country of Eritrea). She will forever be remembered for this great milestone at a time when were not recognized.

4. She Is Identified With The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahri

Temple of Hatshepsut. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Due to its design and adornment, the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir El-Bahri is one of Egypt’s most well-known temples. It was built of limestone rather than sandstone, in contrast to most other funeral temples of the New Kingdom period. At Deir al-Bahari on the west bank of Luxor is where the well-known temple of Hatshepsut, the powerful queen who ascended to power and governed Egypt from around 1473 to 1458 BC, is located. Three man-made terraces that gradually slope up toward the steep cliff face make up this amazingly spectacular structure. This temple stands out as one of the icons of Egyptian  civilization and coming from the reign of a woman just shows how great this queen was.

5. She Was A Strong Advocate For Health Issues

Sphinx of Hatshepshut, Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. , , via Wikimedia Commons

During the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Hatshepsut built a Red Sea fleet to facilitate commerce between the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and points south as far as Punt in order to ship funeral provisions to Karnak in exchange for Nubian gold. Hatshepsut personally planned the most well-known ancient Egyptian expedition that sailed to Punt. The trip brought back giraffes, animal skins, unusual animal skins, ivory, frankincense, and myrrh in addition to returning alive. The riches convinced Egyptologists that Punt was close to Ethiopia.

6.She Was One Of Ancient Egypt’s Busiest Builders

The top of a statue depicting a prostrate Hatshepsut the Great. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Hatshepsut’s reign was marked by great prosperity and social peace. She was in charge of several significant construction projects, including the Red Chapel, the Speos Artemidos, the Karnak Temple Complex, and, most importantly, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. She was one of the most active builders in ancient Egypt. Her foreign policy was based on trade, not confrontation.

7. She Presented Herself As A Divine Daughter From Heaven

A well-known collection of reliefs at Hatshepsut’s temple in Deir el-Bahari in the Valley of the Kings shows her celestial birth and coronation. In such miraculous birth stories, the pharaoh’s power is established as a legitimate and god-granted element of the divine order of the universe—to Hatshepsut’s relief, the principal god Amun—pregnancies the pharaoh’s mother. She presented herself as a celestial daughter of the gods in an effort to allay any residual doubts about the validity of her pharaonic rule.

8. Hatshepsut Dish Is The First To Have A Raised Relief Surface

The Hatshepsut dish from The Dinner Party is the first to feature a raised relief surface. It symbolizes the authority Hatshepsut exercised over Egypt as the most well-known female ruler of the nation. It also displays Egyptian low relief, a popular and prominent carving technique used throughout the Dynastic era. Figures with low relief protrude a little from the surface to give them contour and clarity. This place setting, according to Chicago, exemplifies the transition from the flat plates in The Dinner Party to the three-dimensional ones. In keeping with that custom, the middle of the plate has a very small, almost imperceptible elevation. The plate’s blue and red tones are reminiscent of the colors that are widely employed in Egyptian tomb paintings and reliefs. 

9. Her Rule Was Kept A Secret For Many Years

For a long time, Hatshepsut’s revolutionary rule was kept a secret. In an effort to erase Hatshepsut from history before his own death, Thutmose III destroyed her monuments and deleted her name from the list of kings. When archaeologists began deciphering the hieroglyphics at Deir el Bahri in 1822 and later found her tomb in 1903, Hatshepsut’s reputation as Egypt’s cruel female pharaoh was restored.

10. She Befriended Her Chief Steward

It’s amazing how many titles he obtained, like “Great Treasurer of the Queen” and “Chief Steward of the King’s Daughter.” Senenmut was Queen Hatshepsut’s dependable advisor, and, devoted friend. He also served as Neferure, Hatshepsut’s daughter and only child, as her instructor.