Dynasty:

Queen Hatshepsut was an 18th Dynasty queen, her reign was the longest of all the female pharaohs.

History:

Hatshepsut was the daughter of the Pharaoh Tuthmosis I and Queen Ahmose, both of royal lineage.

Hatshepsut was married to her own half-brother, Tuthmosis II, with whom she reigned for some 14 years. Realizing his sister-wife's ambitious nature, Tuthmosis II declared his son by the harem girl Isis to be his heir, but when the young Tuthmosis III came to the throne, Hatshepsut became regent and promptly usurped his position as ruler.

To support her cause she claimed the God Amon -Ra spoke, saying "Welcome my sweet daughter, my favorite, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Maatkare,Hatshepsut. Thou art the King, taking possession of the Two Lands."

She dressed as a king, even wearing a false beard and the Egyptian people seem to have accepted this unprecedented behavior.

Hatshepsut accomplished what no woman had before her. She ruled the most powerful, advanced civilization in the world. She remained in power for twenty years during which time the Egyptian economy flourished. She expanded trade relations.

During her reign, the Egyptians sent trading missions to Punt, a region of East Africa that was rich in gold, resins, ebony, blackwood, ivory and wild animals, including monkeys and baboons. They also went in search of slaves. The best-documented mission was sent during the reign of Hatshepsut. Scenes from these expeditions are illustrated on her funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari , near the Valley of the Kings.

Monuments:

She built magnificent temples as well as restoring many of the old ones, most notably the great mortuary temple at Deir al-Bahari.The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. It was built from the rock itself, it consists of three terraces. There is a leading ramp to ascend from one terrace to another. There are many scenes depicted her with God Amon-Re who was the chief god in the 18th Dynasty.