Tourists among the stone pillars and structure of Queen Hatshepsut temple in Deir El Bahri in Egypt

The mortuary temple of Queen Hathshepsut in Deir El Bahri near Luxor is one of the most visited monuments in Egypt. It is preserved in fairly good order, and you can see a large number of tourists over there (even though it was the site of the killing of 58 foreign tourists a decade back). In this photo, you can see tourists among the statues and pillars of the mortuary temple.
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View of the stone cliffs right above Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir El Bahri, near Luxor

Another amazing item about the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir El Bahri is the structure of the stone cliffs that over-shadow the temple and are part of the beautiful image of the temple. You can see how these limestone cliffs have a shape and structure of their own, and look chiseled and carved on their own.
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Row of standing pillars, but without a roof, at the Hatshepsut mortuary temple near Luxor in Egypt

For a structure that was built in the 14th century BC, it is pretty remarkable how much of the structure is still standing. In this photo, you can see a part of the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut that is no longer in perfect condition - the roof has come down, but the pillars are still standing.
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View of some of the standing pillars and the building of the Queen Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir El Bahri in Egypt

The mortuary temple of the lady Pharaoh, Hatshepsut, in Deir El Bahri near Luxor, is a magnificent structure, which retains a large chunk of its grandeur even after so many centuries. In this photo, you can see some sections of the structure, including standing pillars, with covered roofs.
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People descending the ramp at the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir El Bahri

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshesput in Deir El Bahri near Luxor is a magnificent structure, spread over many levels and reachable by a ramp running through the middle. It means that tourists have to walk a fair bit, but then for visiting such a place, one would be able to walk to enjoy.

Rocks and other signs of restoration at the lower sections of the Hatshepsut temple near Luxor in Egypt

A photo of the lower section of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir El Bahri near Luxor. This is the mortuary temple of the female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and is very famous. At the lower section of the temple, you can see a lot of work happening on construction material that will be ultimately used in the temple.

Typical pose of Pharaoh with arms folded, a statue in the Queen Hatshepsut temple in Deir El Bahri

This is a typical pose that one sees in a large number of temples dedicated to Pharaohs in Egypt, the pose of a Pharaoh with arms folded. In the case of the Queen Hathsepsut temple, the pose could also be used to hide the fact that she was a female Pharaoh.

The painting of a pharaoh on the walls of the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Deir el Bahari in Egypt

This is a painting that seems to be very common in many of the temples to be found all over Egypt. A painting of a pharaoh (or a god) leading is a prominent photo.

View of the scene in front of Queen Hatshepsut temple near Luxo - you can see tourists all over

Most of the photos that I have posted of the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshesput show the size of the temple. This photo shows the open space in front of the temple, and it looks fairly huge, and with a large number of tourists.

Inside the Queen Hatshepsut temple in Deir el Bahari, and with a lot of tourists along as well

In this photo, you can see an example of some of the architecture of the temple where the roof has come down and is not visible anymore. The pillars are still standing, and in this photo, you can see a huge number of tourists in this limited space.
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A photo of the front section of a level of Queen Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir el Bahari, near Luxor in Egypt

Another photo of the front section of the multi-level Queen Hatshepsut temple in Deir el Bahari, near Luxor in Egypt. The structure shows places in the wall where statues are meant to be kept, so one can assume that over a period of time, decay or maybe looting caused these statues to disappear.
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Showing some of the collapse of the structure of Queen Hatshepsut temple over the centuries due to regular wear and tear

These are old structures, with the Queen Hatshepsut temple supposed to have been constructed in the 14-15th century BC, which makes it more than 3500 years old. Maintenance and restoration activities have only happened for the previous 10's of years, so it is logical to assume that some of the structure would have collapsed in this time frame, and you can see an example in this photo.
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Photo depicting color painting inside the Queen Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir el Bahari near Luxor

This is a photo showing a color carving inside the Queen Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Deir el Bahari near Luxor in Egypt. So many hundreds of centuries after it was made, and even after a terrorist attack in 1998 which killed 58 tourists, you can still see how the carvings retains its color.
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Remains of 2 statues inside the walls at the Queen Hatshepsut temple in Deir el Bahari in Egypt

This is a photo of the remains of 2 statues that were placed in alcoves in the front portion of a level at the Queen Hatshepsut temple in Egypt, at Deir el Bahari. These would have been statues of the Pharaoh, and in many cases, such statues were defaced due to wear or tear, or when a successor wanted to erase the memory of this Pharaoh.
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Carvings on the walls (or pillar) inside the Hatshepsut temple depicting the life of the female pharaoh

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut (the first female Pharaoh) is very impressive, a massive structure that remains in fairly good condition. In this photo, you can see a painting (with some sections having got removed) that show the life of the Queen (although I cannot describe the painting, since I do not know the ancient Egyptian language).
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A side view of the entrance to the inner chamber inside the Hatshepsut temple near Luxor

The structure of the Queen Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Egypt is very impressive. The structure remains in fairly good condition, and you can see a number of statues and carvings in pretty good condition.
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Photo showing person on top of a ladder, right next to a pillar, inside the Hatshepsut mortuary temple

There is always a lot of restoration work happening at ancient sites, such as inside the Hatshepsut mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari, near Luxor. In this photo, you can see a worker perched on the top of a step ladder, right next to a pillar, apparently doing some restoration work on either the upper portion of the wall, or on the ceiling.
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View from outside of the inner sanctum of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Egypt

This is a view of the inner part of the temple as visible from outside; this is the Hatshepsut mortuary temple located near Luxor, and near the Valley of the Kings. Queen Hatshepsut was the first known lady to rule over a large kingdom, and she claimed divinity, being the daughter of a god, so that there would be fewer questions about her right to rule.
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Scaffolding depicting restoration work being carried out inside the Queen Hatshepsut temple in Egypt

Like many ancient monuments, there is always the need to do some kind of repair or restoration work (it could even be work to ensure that the carvings and paint remain and do not suffer the increased wear and tear with more tourists arriving); in this photo, along with the photographer at work, you can also see the scaffolding that has been erected for some kind of restoration effort.
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View of paintings on the walls (the ceiling is bare though) inside the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Egypt

The walls of Egyptian temples are typically very well decorated with carvings and paintings. In this photo, taken of the upper part of the walls and ceilings inside the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, you can see a number of paintings, on which the paint is still apparent after many thousands of years (maybe the dry weather has played a role in ensuring that the paint has not gone away).
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A side view of the entrance to the inner part of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple

This is a side view of the entrance to the inner sanctum of Hatshepsut mortuary's temple. You can see the pillars to the front of the temple, along with the statue located at one side of the front entrance. At many places, you can see carvings (or in some cases, the remains of carvings) depicting various scenes related to the queen and to the gods.
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A professional involved in photographing some of the inscriptions on the walls inside the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Egypt

Typically, most conservation experts are horrified at the prospect of vast hordes of tourists using the flashes of their cameras, especially when this relates to a lot of color hundreds or thousands of years old. However, in this case, you can see a professional at work, evidently either hired by the Egyptian authorities, or with their support; trying to get a good photo of the paintings / carvings on the wall.
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A look inside one of the corridors of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, with very little damage after so many years

I have always found the view of long corridors with pillars fascinating, especially when it involves a location which is ancient. Thus, in the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut near Luxor, when I saw this particular corridor (cordoned off, preventing me from entering it), I snapped off a photo as quickly as I could. Also, even though this was February, it was hot, and I was trying to remove sweat and also take a photo.
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Apparent depiction of the pharaoh at one of the levels of the mortuary temple, attempting to hide the fact that the pharaoh was female

The mortuary temples built by the Pharaohs were massive and magnificent structures, meant to showcase their power, and to ensure that they were remembered after they had passed away. In the case of the Pharaoh Hatshepsut, there was a problem. The Pharaoh was female, probably the first instance of a lady ruling for any length of time. The statues of the Pharaoh thus added a beard and dulled any depiction of the human female anatomy for these statues.
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Many pillars at the lower section of the Hatshepsut temple, along with the ruins of some of the pillars, and a view of part of the ceiling

The main structure of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple remains whole even after several millenia, but there are some signs of collapse and ruins. This is a photo of pillars in the side section of the temple, along with a part of the ceiling, as well as the cordoned off ruins of some of the building. At some point, there may be an attempt to restore the fallen down pillars and sections of the structure.
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Carvings on the walls of the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, near Luxor

Most ancient Egyptian monuments have a lot of carvings on their walls and pillars, with scenes depicting the various gods. Typically, since the pharaohs ruled by claiming divinity, the scenes also showed the pharaoh with the gods, or in many cases, the pharaoh being blessed by the god, or being granted the kingdom by the gods, and so on. In this photo, you can see some carvings on the walls of the temple, although with the passage of time, some of these carvings have got weathered away.
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Inscriptions on the sides of the limestone cliffs next to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple near Luxor

Actually, these are not inscriptions or carvings, but cuts in the stone cliff. This is a section of the cliff next to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, so could be that the stone was cut from the bottom of the cliff, or it was naturally eroded away, and as a result, the stone section showed this jagged and irregular cut. It looked good, and seems to have come out decently well on the photo.

The jagged nature of the limestone cliffs next to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, near Luxor

The next photo (when it comes out) will show a more detailed view of the jagged nature of the base of the limestone cliff. In this photo, you can see as to how the whole structure of the cliff seems so beaten down, so weathered. This type of stone gets more easily broken down by the weather, and was also fairly suitable for building the large chambers which served as the final resting places for many pharaohs.
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The high cliffs next to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple in Egypt

The famous mortuary temple built as the mortuary temple of the queen pharaoh, Hatshepsut, is located in a very interesting location. It is literally built into some huge limestone cliffs. In this photo, you can see only a portion of the temple, instead, you can see a larger section of the high cliff and the commanding position it has with respect to the temple.
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Rear view of statue of Falcon God Horus at the mortuary temple of female pharaoh Hatshepsut near Luxor

A photo of a statue of the famous God Horus at the entrance to the mortuary temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut near Luxor. The temple is a very famous temple, and remains in fairly good condition, although it is also infamous for being the spot where more than 50 tourists were massacred in 1997 by Islamic terrorists. The God Horus is being described as the son of Isis and Osiris.
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Jeep on the desert next to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, near Luxor in Egypt

There is a fine road that leads to the Hatshepsut mortuary temple, near Lexus, but the region surrounding the road still is deserted, pretty much like a desert. In this photo, you can see one of the few vehicles that are useful for traveling on such a terrain, namely a jeep. For people from the Egyptian department maintaining these sites, or people doing excavation or restoration, the jeep is a very useful vehicle.