Keepers of the Tomb. I tried not to take pics of them directly.
A Taurus under the fresco of a Bull.
The ancient ruins of Luxor began on the West Bank of the Nile River. It should be noted that the "West Bank" in Luxor is not to be confused with the conflict going on in the "West Bank" of Israel. These are two separate places. Egyptians divided up the banks of the Nile River as "East Bank" and "West Bank". Because the sun rose in the east, ancient Egyptians referred to the East Bank as "Land of the Living", and therefore was the side the ancient city of Thebes (now Luxor) resided. Hence, when the sun set in the west, the West Bank was referred to as "Land of the Dead"; the burial place of the dead.
The first stop was the "Temple of Deir El-Bhari", the funeral temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepset was considered one of the most successful pharaohs in Egyptian history. She was 5th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom. She was the eldest daughter of King Thutmose I and later regent to her husband, and half brother, King Thutmose II (brother-sister marriages were common to keep the royal blood lines in the family). As regent, she was head wife, or "Great Royal Wife", over his many wives, and therefore assumed the reigns when he died. His throne should have been succeeded by his son Thutmose III, whose mother was a low ranked wife, but unfortunately he was too young. Wisely, Queen Hatshepsut had him whisked away to an isolated temple far from Thebes, so she could rule unopposed for 22 years; the longest reign of any female pharaoh. She ruled with an intensity that brought peace throughout the land, as well as commerce, growth, and wealth. She hired the best architects and sculptors of her time and prolifically commissioned hundreds of building projects in Upper and Lower Egypt that were grander and more numerous than any of her Middle Kingdom predecessors. She had so many statues produced under her reign that almost every major museum in the world have Queen Hatshepsut statuaries in their collection. As was the tradition of all pharaohs, the construction of funeral temples began at the start of their reign (because it took a lifetime to complete). Queen Hapshepsut's funeral temple of Deir El-Bhari was her greatest masterpiece. It was so elaborate, that all consequent pharaohs followed her example in having tombs as resplendent as hers. Her funeral temple was built on the site near the entrance of pharaoh burial tombs that later was to become "Valley of the Kings"; therefore, historians catalogue her tomb as the first pharaoh's tomb in the "Valley of the Kings".
The first stop was the "Temple of Deir El-Bhari", the funeral temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepset was considered one of the most successful pharaohs in Egyptian history. She was 5th pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom. She was the eldest daughter of King Thutmose I and later regent to her husband, and half brother, King Thutmose II (brother-sister marriages were common to keep the royal blood lines in the family). As regent, she was head wife, or "Great Royal Wife", over his many wives, and therefore assumed the reigns when he died. His throne should have been succeeded by his son Thutmose III, whose mother was a low ranked wife, but unfortunately he was too young. Wisely, Queen Hatshepsut had him whisked away to an isolated temple far from Thebes, so she could rule unopposed for 22 years; the longest reign of any female pharaoh. She ruled with an intensity that brought peace throughout the land, as well as commerce, growth, and wealth. She hired the best architects and sculptors of her time and prolifically commissioned hundreds of building projects in Upper and Lower Egypt that were grander and more numerous than any of her Middle Kingdom predecessors. She had so many statues produced under her reign that almost every major museum in the world have Queen Hatshepsut statuaries in their collection. As was the tradition of all pharaohs, the construction of funeral temples began at the start of their reign (because it took a lifetime to complete). Queen Hapshepsut's funeral temple of Deir El-Bhari was her greatest masterpiece. It was so elaborate, that all consequent pharaohs followed her example in having tombs as resplendent as hers. Her funeral temple was built on the site near the entrance of pharaoh burial tombs that later was to become "Valley of the Kings"; therefore, historians catalogue her tomb as the first pharaoh's tomb in the "Valley of the Kings".
