This is the story of Hatshepsut, the ancient Egyptian princess and queen who was crowned king, and for more than twenty years ruled on the Horus Throne of the Living as the Female Falcon. The name Hatshepsut chose for herself can be read as "Maat is the Ka of Re" which translated means "The True and Beautiful Manifestation of the Sun’s Divine Life-force." A more poetic but still accurate rendition is "Truth is the Soul of the Sun."
Before becoming Pharaoh, Hatshepsut served as God’s Wife of Amun, an important economic and spiritual office created by her grandfather that holds the key to her mysterious and unprecedented power. Maatkare was not only a charismatic political leader, she was a mystic who inspired the wholehearted devotion of brilliant men. One of them was Senmut, a commoner she elevated to unparalleled heights of authority. But her most influential advocate was Hapuseneb, the High Priest of Amun and the Governor of the South. Hapuseneb served under three pharaohs and yet only Maatkare is represented in his tomb. Hatshepsut’s life is a profound story of love — for her country, two of its most fascinating men, and for Amun-Re, also called the Hidden One, King of the gods.
