Festival scene, Hathor Chapel, Tomb of Hatshepsut, Luxor (Thebes), Egpyt.The Hathor Chapel is part of the Tomb of Hatshepsut complex. It has been revealed through archeological excavations and reconstructions beginning in the 1890s.

The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (c.1478/72-1458 B.C.E.) dates from the New Kingdom. It nestles at the foot of the cliffs in a natural “bay” on the West Bank of Luxor. This area had long been sacred to the goddess Hathor and was the site of an earlier mortuary temple/tomb of King Nebhepetre-Mentuhotep (c.2008-1957 B.C.E.) of the Middle Kingdom. After the introduction of Christianity, Hatshepsut’s temple was used as a monastery, hence its modern name, Deir el-Bahri, Arabic for “Northern Monastery.”

Hatshepsut (meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies) was a female pharaoh who had herself represented pictorially as a male. She served as co-regent with her nephew Thutmose III (c.1479-1425 B.C.E.).

The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is the branch of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, protection and regulation of all antiquities and archaeological excavations in Egypt.

The SCA is responsible for defining the boundaries around archaeological sites and is also the only agent permitted to restore or preserve Egyptian monuments. Foreign archaeologists working in Egypt are required to report all discoveries and finds to the SCA.

The Polish National Academy of Sciences is responsible for the study and restoration of the three levels of the temple. As of spring 1995, the first two levels were almost complete, and the top level was still under reconstruction.