Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The woman who became pharoah- Hatshepsut

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The woman who became pharoah

KAUSALYA SANTHANAM

Queen Hatshepsut’s life reads like a modern best seller. She ruled ancient Egypt for over 15 years.

Her story seems as threaded with love, mystery and murder as a modern best seller. Wearing the false beard that distinguished the rulers of ancient Egypt, Queen Hatshepsut (1473-1458 B.C.) held on to the position of a pharaoh for more than 15 years. Quite a feat considering it was an exclusively male preserve. We arrive at Luxor which was once called Thebes, the capital of ancient Egypt, and embark on a cruise down the Nile. But nothing will make us miss a visit to this extraordinary temple which was constructed by Hatshepsut as a funerary monument for her royal father Thuthmose I and herself. It was designed by Hatshepsut’s great architect Senmut (Was he also her lover?). This monument ensured him a place in Egyptian history along with Imhotep, the architect who designed the first pyramid 1,200 years before him.

The ancient Egyptians strongly believed that life would be perpetuated in the other world, after death. Mortuary temples were constructed by the rulers on a grand scale. We stand lost in admiration as we gaze at the massive rectangular structure which owes its presence to the queen- pharaoh.

The temple appears to spring from the hill of pale brown rock, so fabulous is the architecture, and the vision that built it. It is a most unusual building quite unlike the temples we get to see later in the rest of Egypt, in Philae and Kom Ombo. The temple is dedicated to God Amun, Goddess Hathor – who in the form of a cow was believed to receive the dead in the underworld – and God Anubis. We win brownie points from our guide by pointing out Hathor in the paintings and sculptures, not a difficult task considering the goddess is shown wearing horns.

Hathshepsut was married to Thuthmose II, her half -brother. Although it seems strange and shocking to us today, male royals in ancient Egypt consolidated their claim to the throne by generally marrying their sisters as it was believed that it was the women in the family who carried the royal blood. After the death (was it murder?) of her husband, Hatshepsut assumed power, acting not as just regent but full blown ruler in the place of her stepson and nephew, the future Thuthmose III. It is believed by many that after her death (was she murdered?), Thuthmose III erased her name and likeness from many monuments.

Towering obelisk

We learn that Hatshepsut’s reign was marked by the building of numerous monuments. In the evening at the great temple of Karnak in Luxor, we see the towering obelisk erected by Hatshepsut to worship the god Amun.

The temple of Queen Hatshepsut is located at the head of the plateau known as Deir el -Bahari. The plateau had been the site of the huge funerary complex of pharaoh Mentuhotep III, 500 years before Hatshepsut. Its ruins can be seen near her temple.

As with many ancient structures in Egypt, the temple of the queen was covered in sand which was cleared in the 1890s. The building was restored, it appears, from the fresh look of the steps leading to the terraces. A convent was once located in the temple which explains why it is so well preserved, we are told.

The building is in the form of a vast, three-tiered terrace with wide steps and ramps leading to the final one which has shrines to Hathor, and other gods. The pillars are striking and many of them are crowned by the image of the beautiful pharaoh queen, round faced and smiling. Our guide seems to think that it was a case of “photo-shop,” “because any ruler wants to be remembered as good looking more so if she is a woman.” But he is prejudiced, we discover when we later read accounts that speak of the queen’s beauty.

To reinforce her claim to be the throne, Hatshepsut claimed descent from the gods as was customary with the pharaohs of Egypt. We see pictorial depictions of her “divine” birth, and scenes of innocent childhood, as also of the expedition she sent to the “land of Punt”, thought to be Somalia.

On the hills above can be spotted various caves “where the temple priests lived and were buried.”

Later in the day, when we visit the colossi of Memnon, enormous ruined statues, located a few kms away, we can still see the temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

She was evidently not only an astute wielder of power but also a far-sighted planner who made sure that her monument on the hillside made its presence felt for miles – and through the millennia.

If only her name had not been so difficult to pronounce it might have been even more on people’s lips today, is the tongue–in–cheek comment of the youngest in our tour group, who as usual has the last word.

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