To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re sharing 5 sites that celebrate the women of ancient Egypt. These UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Egypt have been well preserved, so that they appear today very much like they would have thousands of years ago.
The monuments and temples listed in this post all showcase the achievements of queens and the legacies of goddesses from ancient Egypt. It’s fascinating to read the history of these women, but it is even more incredible to see the landmarks that commemorate them in person and to be able to touch the smooth stones that are engraved with their stories and images.
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What’s The Best Way to Visit Egypt?
Egypt is a place where you’re going to want to book a guided tour. This way, not only do you have transportation to all the sites throughout the country, you also have a guide (typically a certified Egyptologist), who will explain all the incredible things you are seeing.
We did a tour of Egypt with Bucket List Travel, and it was absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. The tour began with exploring Cairo‘s top sites and the surrounding area and ended with a cruise down the Nile River. While we were in Cairo, our hotel had views of the pyramids!
We saw so many magnificent sites. Check out our post on Touring Egypt with Bucket List Travel to see why this ranks as one of our favorite trips of all time and why it’s one we plan to go on again!
All of the sites in this post can be seen on a tour with Bucket List Travel, and it’s just a fraction of everything we saw during our visit to Egypt!
When you book your trip with Bucket List Travel, mention The Stickered Suitcase to receive $100 off your tour!
UNESCO Sites That Celebrate Women of Ancient Egypt
Valley of the Queens
Located around an hour drive outside of the Luxor city center is the Valley of the Queens. This necropolis was once part of ancient Thebes and contains over 75 burial sites – many of which are for the royal queens of ancient Egypt. However, other members of the royal families are also buried here.
Despite so many burial sites being found thus far, only 4 are open to the public with the most famous of these being Nefertari’s tomb. Visitors are only allowed inside Nefertari’s tomb for 10 minutes at a time and it comes at a hefty price compared to other Egyptian sites, but many say that the vibrant paintings that cover every inch of the ceiling and walls make the price tag worth it.
Nefertari’s tomb is one of the largest in the Valley of the Queens, so it’s impossible to take in everything within the short time frame that your’e given. You might can sweet talk the guards into staying a little longer if you give them a few dollars extra or you may luck out if you visit during a quiet time. This isn’t a guarantee though.
So who was Queen Nefertari? Queen Nefertari was the favorite wife of Ramesses II, who is considered to be one of the greatest pharaohs of Egypt. Although she is not thought to have ever reigned on her own, she is regarded as one of the most influential women of ancient Egypt.
Nefertari was very well educated and was able to write and read hieroglyphics. This was rare for women of the time, and she used it to her advantage to make a few political moves herself. She communicated with neighboring royals and befriended the Hittite King and Queen of the time which is said to have contributed to the peace between the two nations.
We’ll talk more about another Nefertari site later in this post, so don’t forget her name!
The Valley of the Queens is located right next to the Valley of the Kings. Not only can it be explored as well, you can take a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings! This was one of our favorite activities we experienced on our tour with Bucket List Travel.
Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatsheput
Adjacent to the Valley of the Queens is the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatsheput. The temple is grand in size and location, with the back side of the temple being built directly into the cliffside of Deir el-Bahari, the Theban necropolis.
Queen Hatsheput chose the location of her temple knowing the effect it would have on its visitors. She wanted her legacy to be everlasting, and justly so, because Hatsheput did a lot for her country.
Her husband, Thutmose II, died after reigning for 15 years. With no children of their own to be heir, the title fell to the 3 year old son Thutmose II had with one of his other wives. Since he was still a child though, Hatsheput ruled as Regent for a few years before declaring herself a pharaoh. It is believed that this was a strategic move to strengthen their political power – two pharaohs are better than one. Hatsheput and her step-son co-ruled Egypt together for 22 years, with Hatsheput being the primary decision maker.
Hatsheput is only one of three women who became pharaoh over the 3,000 year history of ancient Egypt. Not only has she gone down in history as one of the most successful pharaoh’s (man or woman), she was the last female pharaoh for almost 14 centuries, when Cleopatra came onto the scene.
Under Hatsheput’s rule, Egypt prospered. She made smart decisions that solidified her position as a ruler and that benefited her people. Hatsheput surrounded herself with advisers she could trust. She did not war with other nations but instead focused on creating more wealth for Egypt.
One of Hatsheput’s most successful ventures was a trading expedition to a distant land which brought back valuable treasures. She also undertook large scale building projects that created jobs for Egyptians, most notably the Mortuary Temple of Hatsheput and two obelisks at Karnak Temple that measured 100 feet tall (more on those below!).
As pharaoh, Hatsheput commanded that depictions of her in paintings and sculpture contain male characteristics. Her imagery usually has the male pharaoh headdress, the narrow strip of beard that was common of the time, and other masculine traits. It is believed that this was a message to her people and the world that she commanded the same respect as her male counterparts.
Visitors today can see her iconic imagery throughout the three levels of the Mortuary Temple. The temple walls also contain depictions of her trade expedition and the transport of the obelisks to Karnak Temple, as well as other celebratory scenes of Hatsheput’s life.
On the middle level of Hathseput’s Temple is a shrine to the goddess Hathor. Hathor was one of the most popular goddesses in ancient Egypt and considered to be very powerful. She is considered a mother goddess from whom all others came to be. She was the goddess of fertility who aided women through childbirth and helped the dead to be reborn.
Hathor was known as the ruler of the sky and has happy associations of love, joy, music, and motherhood. In the shrine dedicated to her at the Temple of Hatsheput, some of the columns are adorned with large sculptures of Hathor’s genteel face.
Egypt is more than just ancient sites! It has amazing food! Check out our post on 12 Foods You Need to Eat in Egypt before your trip, so you don’t miss out on any traditional Egyptian food during your visit!
Karnak Temple
Directly across the Temple of Hatsheput on the other side of the Nile River is Karnak Temple. In ancient Egyptian times, this was the largest and most important religious complex in Egypt. The temple complex is still absolutely massive today and can be explored over the course of several hours – though you could make a couple of trips and still not see it all!
Karnak Temple was one of the highlights of our tour of Egypt. It is everything you imagine Egypt to be in one stunning location. It is beautifully preserved and its enormous size and grandeur will leave you in awe.
The temple complex was under constant construction for over 500 years, as it was common for pharaohs to erect statues, temples, and monuments there as a way to symbolize their legacy. For this reason, it is an invaluable historical landmark that has helped scholars to better understand the evolution of ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and Early Christian ages.
Hatsheput at Karnak
As mentioned above, one of the pharaohs who contributed to the monuments at Karnak was Hatsheput. While she originally erected two obelisks, only one of the originals remained standing until 2022 when the other obelisk was replicated and resurrected with the original top portion.
The longer standing obelisk is located right next to another one that was erected by Thutmose I (Hatsheput’s father). You can see the two standing side by side in the picture above. The one on the right that is more visible is Hatsheput’s. It is the tallest standing obelisk in Egypt!
In the picture of Hatsheput’s obelisk below, zoom in on the bottom of the obelisk to see Hatsheput’s cartouche (hieroglyphic that represents her name). It is the ovular shaped hieroglyphic with smaller symbols inside.
Did you know that there is also an Egyptian obelisk in the heart of Paris? You can see it in our Self Guided Walking Tour of Paris Along the Seine.
Sekhmet at Karnak
Sekhmet is the lion-headed goddess said to be incredibly powerful and able to cure disease. There was a surge in the number of Sekhmet statues in ancient Egypt under the reign of Ahmenhotep III, as he believed the goddess would cure him from illness and protect him from evil. Over 700 statues are thought to have been made of the goddess during his reign.
This statue of Sekhmet is said to be the only statue of the goddess that has not been moved from its original location. As such, many believe that the statue contains mystical powers. They seek out the statue when visiting Karnak and claim to feel power emanating from it.
The Sekhmet statue is in a gated area of the temple in the northern half of the Temple of Amun. The statue is in a guarded gated area so it is often missed by visitors. But the guards typically reward those who want to see the statue if they are shown kindness (AKA a gratuity).
Nefertari at Karnak
Remember Nefertari? You can see her in miniature form at Karnak Temple. There is a massive statue of Ramesses II in one of the courtyard, and nestled at his feet is a smaller version of Nefertari. His inclusion of her in the statue is symbolic of the love he had for his queen.
Philae Temple Complex
One of the sites that celebrate the women of ancient Egypt that is further south on the Nile River is the Philae Temple Complex in Aswan.
The first known temple on the site dates back to 380-362 BC. It was dedicated to the goddess Isis and her husband, Osiris. Isis was considered by ancient Egyptians to be the protector of Egypt, while Osiris was the god of the dead and the afterlife.
Over the course of over 3000 years, various additions and changes were made to Philae Temple Complex, but temples and monuments dedicated to Isis and Osiris were an ongoing theme. The Philae Temple is typically just referred to as the Temple of Isis, because Ptolemy II made one of the bigger changes to the complex with the addition of a temple dedicated to Isis as a symbol of love for his wife. The temple complex became a massive center of worship for ancient Egyptians seeking the healing powers of Isis as well as her protection.
Festivals were also held here in honor of Isis at which priests would bestow blessings on Egyptians. The complex became a major hub and place of worship for the Egyptians until the spread of Christianity throughout the region made the site dwindle in popularity as a religious site.
It has remained a popular site for tourists to visit though. Not only is its location on the water absolutely beautiful, it is a wonderful place to see some of the canon stories of Egyptian mythology that cover the temple’s walls.
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel made headlines in the 1960s when it was announced that the massive mountainside temples would be moved to higher ground so they wouldn’t be at risk of being swept away in the Nile River. It was a mammoth task that took 8 years and hundreds of workers.
Usually when pictures are shown of Abu Simbel, they are of the Great Temple built by Ramesses II and dedicated to himself. While it is incredible inside and out, this post is all about sites that celebrate the women of ancient Egypt. So, we’ll be mostly skipping it other than to call out that while your eyes may be drawn to the 4 colossal statues of Ramesses II when gazing at its entrance, look toward his feet. Here you will find miniature statues of the family members of Ramesses II, including his mother, Nefertari, and his first 6 daughters.
What some might not know is that there is a smaller (but still very impressive) temple right next to that of Ramesses II that is dedicated to the Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.
The entrance of the Temple of Nefertari is flanked by statues of Ramesses II and Nefertari. While most depictions of kings and queens together show the king being much larger than the queen, this is one of the rare occurrences in Egyptian art where the king and queen are of equal size.
The inside of the temple is filled with illustrations celebrating the life of Nefertari and paying homage to the goddess Hathor. After seeing thousands of hieroglyphics mostly depicting men during our trip, it was fascinating to be surrounded by these ancient illustrations of women.
The images above depict Nefertari receiving blessings from the goddess Hathor and standing alone on the backside of a Hathoric column. The bottom left photo is one of several columns that feature the face of the goddess Hathor. The bottom right is an illustration of Nefertari offering lotus flowers to Hathor, who sometimes appears in the form of a cow as a symbol of her maternal characteristics.
We hope you enjoyed learning about these UNESCO sites that celebrate the women of ancient Egypt! Tell us in the comments below if you learned something new from this post!
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Great guide on Egypt! It‘s been on my bucket list recently and this really comes in handy.
We’re glad you found it helpful! Egypt is such an incredible place. We think everyone should visit at least once!
How interesting to look at the UNESCO sites that celebrate the women of Ancient Egypt. I remember being amazed at how many women were highlighted when we visited. We saw most of the sights you highlighted. Great to learn a little more about some of these women.
Amazing captures, it brought me instantly in Egypt. Great murals inside the tomb..
Great post and good tips about how to visit Egypt for the best experience. I’ve had my eye on it for awhile.
Egypt is high on my list (history buff in me). I cant wait to finally get there. Is it good for families to visit?
Egypt is a great family destination depending on the ages of your children and their experiences traveling or living in similar areas of the world. It potentially could be a little overstimulating going through the markets for younger children, just because they can be extremely busy and loud, and vendors may approach you trying to sell their items. We recommend traveling with your own toilet paper or wipes, as a lot of restrooms at the historical sites have an attendant that will give you a few squares (with the expectancy that you will also provide them a small gratuity). One of the benefits of doing a guided tour though is that you’ll have a local with you at all times who can help you get any necessities you may need for your kids AND they’ll make the history/importance of the places easy for people of all ages to understand!