Her
lover, the architect Senemut, constructed a death temple in her honour at
Dayr al-Bahri, close to 
the
Valleys of the Queens and Kings. The temple has the three courtyards that
are so typical of Egyptian temples: one for the people, one for the nobles
and one for the pharaoh. Still it is unique. Senemut constructed the courtyards
as terraces, a revolutionary thought for that time. Each courtyard is emphasized
by a row of columns.Situated
in the mountain landscape it gives a feel of greatness like few other temples.
The Egyptians, living during this period, probably felt the same way as
we did when we for the first time saw photos of the lunar landing. No one
had ever seen anything like that before.Sadly,
Hatshepsut's temple became the scene of action when the Islamic organization
Al-Gamaa Al Islamiya in cold blood killed 60 tourists on Nov 18, 1997.
First published: Monday 20th May, 1996.
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