Archaeologists have uncovered portions of the foundation wall of Pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut’s valley temple in Luxor, along with the nearby tomb of Queen Teti Sheri, the grandmother of Ahmose I, the first Pharaoh of Egypt’s golden New Kingdom era.
The discovery of over 1,000 decorated stone blocks at the site was announced on Wednesday by Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities, who has been leading the excavations since 2022.
Queen Hatshepsut, who reigned during the 18th dynasty and died around 1458 B.C., was one of the few women to rule Egypt. Her valley temple was intentionally demolished centuries later.
Hawass described the discovery, saying, “This is the first time we have found 1,500 decorated blocks with some of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen in my life, full of color.”
A limestone tablet discovered at the site bore the name of Hatshepsut’s architect, Senmut, who oversaw the construction of the temple.
Queen Teti Sheri’s tomb, located nearby, was the grandmother of Ahmose I, who freed Egypt from the Hyksos invaders. She died in the ninth year of Ahmose’s reign, a century before Hatshepsut’s time.
Her simple tomb, carved in rock, was located at the end of a mudbrick vaulted chapel with red wall drawings painted on a layer of white mortar.
