Historical and biological study of the marine creatures depicted at El Deir el-Bahari temple

Document Type : Original Article

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Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels – University of Sadat City

Abstract

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in El Deir el-Bahari, west of Luxor; is documenting the commercial expedition to the land of Punt. The carvings on the southern wall of the middle colonnade give detailed information about the expedition itself and the indigenous fauna, including the aquatic life which is depicted in the strips of water beneath the ships. A considerable number of marine species are depicted based on the observation of the expedition participants who sketched these creatures after they had been caught. These details are the earliest portrayals of the Red Sea/Indian Ocean fish; an important and extremely rare documentation in the history of ancient Egypt. This study provides insight into the historical and a biological background of a selected number of these depicted marine species.

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