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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1460 BCE, reconstructed 1997

Red Chapel of Hatshepsut

c. 1460 BCE, reconstructed 1997

A quartzite barque shrine built by Hatshepsut at Karnak, carrying an oracle text proclaiming her king; later dismantled by Thutmose III.

This shrine, built on her orders, preserves the oracle text used to declare Hatshepsut king.

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A reconstructed small sandstone temple with a dark granite base and a doorway set in a projecting frame on the left, under a clear blue sky. Stepped platform at the front, a columned structure partly visible at right.
Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, reconstructed 1997, Karnak Open Air Museum, Egypt.

About this source

What it is

The Red Chapel, or Chapelle Rouge, was a barque shrine built at Karnak to house the sacred boat of the god Amun. Hatshepsut began building it, and after her death her successor Thutmose III finished its decoration. It was later torn down and its blocks reused elsewhere, but in 1997 it was reconstructed from the surviving pieces. It now stands at the Karnak Open Air Museum.

Why it matters

The chapel held texts describing an oracle in which Amun declared Hatshepsut king, a key part of how she justified ruling as pharaoh. Its later dismantling, connected to Thutmose III, is part of the evidence that her memory was later suppressed. The building shows both how she built her authority through religion and how later rulers tried to erase it.

Look closer

  • Why might a ruler want a god's own words recorded on a temple wall?
  • What does it mean that the decoration was finished by her successor rather than by Hatshepsut herself?
  • Why might later pharaohs want to take apart a monument instead of just leaving it?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hatshepsut on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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View of the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a tiered stone building with long colonnades and ramps set against towering tan limestone cliffs under a clear blue sky. Small figures and a low shelter are visible in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Senenmut and/or Hapuseneb (attributed) · c. 1479–1458 BCE

Photograph of a carved sandstone relief panel at Karnak. Columns of hieroglyphs divide the panel. On the left, a figure in a tall crown strides with one arm raised. On the right, a standing figure in a kilt faces left. Blue sky and a palm tree appear at the edge.Photograph

Secondary source

Hatshepsut Dancing Before Min, Karnak Relief

Carole Reeves · 1989

Painted relief on a temple wall showing men carrying a tree in a basket with a pole, between stylized incense trees and a palm, in orange, red and cream colors, with hieroglyphs above and a wave-pattern band below.Sculpture

Primary source

Punt Expedition Reliefs

Royal workshops of Hatshepsut · c. 1470 BCE

Photograph of a dark grey stone sculpture of a head, mounted on a red rectangular pedestal against a white background. The head has a tall, smooth-topped headdress, carved eyes, nose and mouth, and a worn surface. Catalogue label MM 11423 appears at lower right.Sculpture

Primary source

Sculpture Head Probably of Hatshepsut

Photograph of a seated limestone statue of a figure wearing a royal headcloth with a pleated nemes and a false beard-less face, hands resting on the lap, seated on a block with hieroglyphic inscriptions on its side.Sculpture

Primary source

Seated Statue of Hatshepsut

c. 1466 BCE

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