The only female Pharoah (ruler) of Egypt in ancient times.
On the second day, we visited the Temple of Hatshepsut, who was the ONLY female ruler of Egypt in ancient times. She was the daughter of Thutmosis I, sister and wife of Thutmosis II and stepmother of Thutmosis III. Although she ruled for 18 years, she was hated by her stepson Thutmosis III so much so that many of the carvings of her in other temples were etched away so as not to show her face.
The temple with thousands of tourists even early in the morning
This temple is really a maginficent sight from afar as the building structure is cut INTO a mountain,with the rock face forming the inner chambers as well as the supporting columns. This tourist site was the location of a tragic terrorist attack in 1999 when Islamic terrorists attacked this same temple and killed 61 people, 55 tourists and 6 Egyptians. The act left the Egyptian people so enraged that they went on a manhunt, taking the law i their own hands and finding and bludgeoning the terrorists to death. Fortunately, the attack is but a memory and the site is still a very popular place to visit for tourists, BUT, there is strong police presence in all the tourist attractions in Egypt nowadays.
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