RC West Gate Block 65

Red Chapel

last update: 16.02.2007

West Gate - Block No. 65

Stone: red quartzite (origin - from the "Red Mountains" of Djebel Akhmar, an area near Heliopolis)

The block shows two scenes, in the left scene we see the "Daughter of Ra" Hatshepsut Khenemet-Amun (on the left) is "Seizing the Oar" for the ithyphallic Amun-Re (on the right); in the right scene the "Good Goddess" Maat-ka-Ra is embraced by Amun-Ra, " He who satisfies the heart ".

The left scene shows the "Daughter of Ra", Hatschepsut Khenemet-Amun (left) performing the ritual run "Seizing the oar (JTjt Hpt)" before the ithyphallic Amun, "Lord of the Two Lands". In her right hand she carries an oar with the blade downwards, in her left hand she holds a strange, angled instrument which unmistakably represents the sign

(Gardiner-sign Aa5). According to Hannig (Grosses Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch. Mainz 1995., S. 1101) the Gardiner-sign Aa5 may depict an instrument used to navigate / steering a ship. The inscription below her outstretched hand holding the Hpt-sign reads:
jTj Hpt which is translated by Hannig (loc. cit.) as "taking the instrument for navigation / steering [and bring it to the god]".

Amun welcomes the queen with the words (vertical inscription before Amun):
"Dd mdw jj.wj n=jj jj.wj n=j [m] Htpw zAt mrjt MAat-kA-Ra wpjt njt xt=j = Words to say: Welcome! Welcome! In peace my beloved daughter, Maat-ka-Ra, who has opened my body."

This block was mounted north of the west-east-axis of the chapel, therefore, Hatshepsut is depicted here with the Red Crown of Lower Egypt - matching to northern part of the country. On the corresponding block 301, which was mounted south of the temple axis in the eastern gate, she is depicted with the White Crown of Upper Egypt.

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