Deir el-Bahri – Sacred Resting Place For The Pharaohs

A. Sutherland  – AncientPages.com – Deir el-Bahri, a sacred resting place for the pharaohs, is a mountain valley on the western bank of the Nile River, near Thebes, an archaeological site of tombs and temples.

In ancient times, Deir El-Bahri (Bahari), of which name means “Northern Monastery,” was an essential part of Theban’s royal necropolis. It is located on the West Bank of the Nile opposite the famous Karnak is a large rock formation formed by the cliff of the plateau of the Libyan desert.

Deir el-Bahari. The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut – aerial view in the early sunlight. Credit: Adobe Stock – WitR

Many prominent royal figures of ancient Egypt found a resting place in the sacred area of Deir el-Bahari. The area’s perfect geographical location, with a somewhat flat plain landscape that rises gradually westwards from the Nile, before it suddenly ends in a steep rock wall that surrounds the valley in a U-shape. At the bottom of this quiet valley, resting against the mountain wall, are the three most magnificent royal temples side by side: Mentuhotep 2‘s tomb and temple from about 1959 BC., Hatshepsut‘s the famous mortuary temple was built on three terraces with inclined ramps.

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