Temple of Thutmose III

Luxor West Bank - Temples

The Temple of Thutmose III - stands on a high hill at Deir el-Bahari, squeezed between the mortuary temple and the temple of Hatshepsut. The temple of Thutmose III was largely destroyed in antiquity, when it was buried by a rockfall from the mountain behind the temple. The causeway chapel, kiosk and Hathor-headed elements connected to this temple were not known until 1961/1962, during the restoration of the neighbouring temple of Hatshepsut, when many columns and wall fragments of this hidden temple were discovered.
The wall fragment is of painted limestone, 58.5 cm high. The king wears an elaborate crown, beard and broad royal collar; this was recorded during the clearance of the temple by the Polish Centre of Archaeology in 1962. It is all now in the Luxor Museum.

The site of the mortuary temple of Thutmose III lies further south of Deir el-Bahari, closer to the road, although only a few remains survive. It is currently being excavated as a joint project by the SCA and the Academy of Fine Arts in Seville, Spain.
The Deir el-Bahari temple seems to have been a cult temple named Djeser-Akhet (Sacred Place), dedicated to the god Amun and possibly used in connection with the "Festival of the Beautiful Valley" during the 18th dynasty. The remains consist mainly of a columned hall, where the column bases and some round columns are still visible. Some paving blocks before the hall are in place, along with many scattered blocks and architectural fragments bearing reliefs and texts.

The Hathor temple (now in the Museum in Cairo) was found by Naville in 1912.
On the granite door jamb of the inner chamber the name of the king was inscribed, as were several statues of Thutmose III and others, and two fragments of beautifully coloured reliefs can be seen in the Luxor Museum. The kiosk of Thutmose III stood to the east of the temple of Amun, on the causeway, and replaced an original building by Thutmose I. No remains of the kiosk survive today.