An aerial view of the funerary temple of Hatshepsut, one of the very few female pharaohs. As can be clearly seen in the picture above, the funerary temple is located beneath the cliffs of Deir el Bahari on the west bank of the River Nile. It is of note that the temple's design is very different from the earlier megalithic geometry of the Old Kingdom temples, it has a very rectangular design even down to the square pillars which traditionally would have been round. The rectangular design may be a time saving necessity to allow such a large and impressive structure to be created in the relatively short time required. Close-up pictures of Hatshepsut's funerary temple can be found here. Ancient Egyptian Picture Gallery Index |