photo taken in Luxor, Egypt in 2018.
A bus ride away from the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, carved in the mountains, lies the Valley of the Queens. Once decorated with vividly colored designs and hieroglyphics, the mammoth monument is now mostly a sandstone color that easily blends in with its mountainous background. I was very interested in this temple as I wrote a paper on Queen Hatshepsut for one of my history classes and found her fascinating! This queen, turned ruler intrigued me. What must it have been like to rule such an accomplished nation while only standing 4 foot 9? She did it, but not without criticism. Her own step-son eventually gained the throne and openly rebelled against her and her successful reign. He was eventually able to wipe a majority of evidence of her from Egypt, including from her temple! Fortunately for us, though there were changes to the temple, Hatshepsut’s legacy survived. Amun Ra must be proud!