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Our side of the Nile, the west side, includes an enormous necropolis. As you get closer to the Theban Hills you'll find tombs and memorial temples everywhere. This is the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, one of the very few female pharaohs. She successfully presided over a prosperous Egypt for two decades (1478-1458 BC) and during that time she commissioned hundreds of grandiose building projects, including this one to herself, which stands near the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. This is not where she is buried. This is just a little place to go and pay your respects.

Pharaohs were always aggrandizing themselves and lauding their exploits and conquests through art, architecture and writings - Hatshepsut was no exception. Imagine this roadway leading up to her temple lined with sphinxes, each one portraying her face. She has been described as the most accomplished pharaoh at promoting her own accomplishments.