Hatshepsut

Hello! My name is Hatshepsut. I would like to tell you my story. I was born a very long time ago, around the year 1507 BCE, in a beautiful land called Egypt. My father was the mighty Pharaoh Thutmose I, the king of all of Egypt! As a princess, I loved watching the tall boats sail on the great Nile River and learning all about my amazing home. It was a wonderful place to grow up.

When I grew up, I married a prince named Thutmose II, and he became the next pharaoh. But when he passed away, his son, my stepson Thutmose III, was just a little boy. I helped him rule at first, starting around 1479 BCE. A few years later, I did something that was very surprising—I became pharaoh myself! To show everyone that I could be a strong leader just like a king, I wore the same special clothes as the male pharaohs. I even wore a false beard to look the part.

I did not want to spend my time fighting wars. Instead, I wanted to make Egypt a wonderful and peaceful place to live. I sent big ships on a trading adventure to a faraway place called the Land of Punt. They came back with amazing treasures like sweet-smelling incense and even live trees that we could plant in Egypt! I also loved to build beautiful things. I built grand temples for the gods. My most special temple was at a place called Deir el-Bahri, which was carved right into the side of a tall cliff.

I ruled as pharaoh for over 20 years, and it was a time of great peace. I lived a long and full life, passing away around 1458 BCE. For a while, my story was forgotten by many people. But much, much later, explorers and historians learned to read the ancient pictures on my temple walls. They discovered the story of the princess who became one of Egypt's greatest leaders. Today, people visit my amazing buildings and remember me as a strong and peaceful pharaoh.