Character Catalog

Hatshepsut's most iconic monument, this three-terraced temple is considered one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian architecture; its walls tell in images the story of her divine origin and her accomplishments.

Carved from pink Aswan granite and covered in electrum, these obelisks reached 29 meters in height; one of them still stands today, bearing witness to the power of Hatshepsut's reign.

An unprecedented diplomatic and commercial mission that brought back to Egypt myrrh trees, ebony, ivory, and rare animals; its account in bas-reliefs constitutes one of the earliest travel narratives in human history.

A red quartzite chapel built as a resting place for the sacred barque of Amun during processions, adorned with scenes celebrating the co-regency and royal rites; dismantled under Thutmose III, it was reconstructed in the 20th century.

A rock-cut temple carved into the cliff face and dedicated to the goddess Pakhet; the façade inscription proclaims Hatshepsut's legitimacy and her role as restorer of temples following Hyksos domination.

I am his daughter, according to his own proclamation, she who wears the white diadem... He chose me as king of the Two Lands, as ruler of all the living.

Loading of the ships in great abundance with the wonders of the land of Punt: all the beautiful aromatic plants of the Divine Land, heaps of myrrh resin, fresh myrrh trees, along with ebony and pure ivory.

The living god, Maât-Ka-Rê, beloved of Amun, sent an expedition to the turquoise mines in order to bring to her father Amun the precious stones of the Divine Land.

I gave him two great obelisks covered with electrum so that my memory would be eternal in his house... I did not sleep on account of it.

Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, an architectural masterpiece with superimposed colonnaded terraces built into the cliff face; its bas-reliefs depict the expedition to Punt and the queen's divine birth.

Great religious complex dedicated to Amun where Hatshepsut erected her two famous giant obelisks and built the Red Chapel; it was the spiritual and political center of her reign.

Royal necropolis where Hatshepsut's tomb (KV20) was carved, the oldest royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings, shared with her father Thutmose I.

Religious and political capital of Egypt under the 18th Dynasty, center of the cult of Amun and Hatshepsut's main residence during her reign.

Mining site and temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor where inscriptions were found attesting to expeditions organized under Hatshepsut's reign to extract turquoise and copper.

Mythical trading territory, probably the present-day Eritrean-Somali region, destination of the famous maritime expedition commanded by Hatshepsut around 1470 BC to bring back incense, ebony, and exotic animals.

A headdress symbolizing sovereignty over Upper and Lower Egypt, worn by Hatshepsut like any male pharaoh to assert her absolute legitimacy over the Two Lands.

An exclusively masculine attribute of pharaohs, which Hatshepsut had herself depicted wearing in statues and bas-reliefs in order to embody the royal function independently of her biological sex.

A symbol of pastoral power and divine kingship, always held in Hatshepsut's left hand in her official representations, accompanied by the nekhekh flail.

Hatshepsut had living myrrh trees brought back from Punt and replanted on the terraces of her temple at Deir el-Bahari; this was one of the first documented plant transplantations in history.

An oval ring containing Hatshepsut's coronation name, Maât-Ka-Rê ('Truth is the soul of Ra'), engraved on her obelisks, stelae, and monuments for eternity.

Hatshepsut had several way-stations built along the processional route of the Opet Festival to house the sacred barque carrying the statue of the god Amun, thereby strengthening her divine connection with him.

A natural alloy of gold and silver used to coat the tips of her giant obelisks at Karnak, reflecting sunlight like a beacon visible throughout the Theban region.