Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari)
Three colonnaded terraces stacked against a golden cliff — the most architecturally ambitious temple in Egypt.
Terraced mortuary temple of Hatshepsut cut into cliffs
What to expect at Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari)
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as pharaoh for about twenty-two years in the mid-15th century BC, and her mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari is her masterpiece. Designed by her steward Senenmut, it rises in three colonnaded terraces from the desert floor into the cliffs, aligned with Karnak across the Nile so that on the winter solstice the sun's first rays penetrate its innermost sanctuary. After her death her successor Thutmose III methodically defaced her images, so many reliefs show a chiselled void where her name once was — a strangely powerful reminder of what erasure looks like.
You enter from a long ramp up from the lower terrace to the middle, where the north colonnade shows Hatshepsut's divine birth and the south colonnade records her famous trading expedition to the Land of Punt, with reliefs of giraffes, incense trees and the queen of Punt herself. The upper terrace, once closed and now reopened, holds the sanctuary of Amun, cut into the living rock. Side chapels honour Hathor (with cow-eared columns) and Anubis. The temple's ochre and orange tones glow best in early light.
Come at 6:00 opening. By 9:00 the temple is baking hot with no shade whatsoever, and packed with cruise groups. There is a small electric shuttle from the car park to the ramp ($1). Combine easily with Valley of the Kings just over the ridge — the ancient workers walked between them via a track that hikers can still follow. Bring water, sunscreen and a hat; there is genuinely no shade until you reach the upper terrace colonnades.
Questions about Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari)
$10 standard adult ticket. Included in both the standard and premium Luxor Pass.
No free days for foreign visitors. Egyptians and Arab nationals pay a lower rate.
About 90 minutes to 2 hours including all three terraces and side chapels.
Open daily year-round including Fridays. Occasional early closures on very hot summer afternoons.
No, walk-up tickets at the visitor centre. Arrive at 6:00 to avoid heat and crowds.
Only by West Bank taxi or tour. About 10 minutes from Valley of the Kings, 15 from the ferry landing.
Hotels near Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari)
Every hotel we cover in West Bank
- Shahhat House 5★ · 2.2 km away
- House of peace 3.1 km away
- Gateway to the Stars restaurant & camping 3.1 km away
- Tonys Flat 3.3 km away
- Gold Ibis Hotel 3★ · 4.3/5 · 4.7 km away
- Luxo Bankr West 7.2 km away
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