Archaeologists have summed up the 10-year study of an unusual cemetery, which was founded in the times of unrest in Egypt – the so-called Third Intermediate Period, when the power in Egypt was taken over by the kings who came from Libya, and then from the Nubian kingdom of Kush, which is today’s Sudan. The latter were described as “black pharaohs”.
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| Tomb shafts VIII, IX and X in the temple of Hatshepsut [Credit: Maciej Jawornicki] |
Even before the year 900 BC, Hatshepsut temple was destroyed by a great cataclysm. Probably as a result of an earthquake, hundreds of tons of debris fell on the sanctuary from the surrounding hills. The famous temples of Karnak and Luxor located on the east bank of the Nile also sustained serious damage.
“Members of the royal family – XXIII and XXV dynasty – took advantage of the situation. They consciously decided to build tombs on the upper terrace of the ruins of the Temple of Hatshepsut” – told PAP Dr. Zbigniew Szafrański, leader of the Polish-Egyptian restoration and archaeological mission in the temple of the famous queen. According to the researcher, even after its destruction the temple considered a sacred place.
