Political, Economic and Religious Significance of Deir El Bahri

ASSESS THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF HATSHEPSUT’S MORTUARY TEMPLE AT DEIR EL BAHRI

Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple in Deir el Bahri – Djeser-Djeseru – served significantly in asserting her religious, political and economic statements. The temple is situated opposite Karnak on the west bank of Thebes, in a natural amphitheater of limestone cliffs.  It comprises three colonnaded terraces all linked by central ramps that lead to a sanctuary. In its walls are reliefs, inscriptions and statues exposing aspects of Hatshepsut’s ideologies: primarily religious beliefs, but also political and economic declarations. Within these are promotions of religious cults, stories emphasizing her connection to the gods and kingship and recounts of expeditions. Ultimately, the location and grandeur of the temple correspondingly convey Hatshepsut’s religious, political and economic proclamations.

Djeser-Djeseru is principally a religious site, its meaningful location and inscriptions achieving Hatshepsut’s desire to honor the gods, prove her respectable religious leadership, and establish her divine descent. The religious nature of the temple is sourced from its location in the Deir el- Bahri bay, as the area had long been revered as a holy place.  Hatshepsut thus dedicated the temple to the state-god Amun, and brought there the processions of the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, an important celebration dedicated to the same god. This grand gesture was done not only to abide by the royal tradition to honor Amun, but also to support Hatshepsut’s claims that he was her father. Inscriptions in the temple describe Hatshepsut’s divine conception and birth. According to these, Amun assumed the guise of her father, Thutmose I and visited Queen Ahmose as she slept. An accompanying relief depicts Amun holding the ankh to Ahmose’s nose and mouth so she can breathe in the divine essence and conceive his godly child. Hatshepsut then extends her godly connections by focusing on the worship of other minor gods such as Anubis, Re-Horakhte and Hathor within the temple. Tyldlesly mentions, “Hatshepsut seems to have felt a particular devotion for Hathor, a devotion which may well have stemmed from her period as queen-consort”. Thus in order to consolidate her godly heritage, Hatshepsut featured Hathor as the goddess of fertility and motherhood in her Divine Birth relief. Situated in the middle terrace, the illustration depicts Hatshepsut being suckled by a Hathor-headed cow. The location of the mortuary temple emphasizes this relationship, as the mother-goddess was known to personify the western hills of the area. In essence, the mortuary temple predominantly acts as a religious site, accentuating Hatshepsut’s godly connections, and consequently establishing her as a rightful leader.