Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I. Women usually did not have great power. But her nephew was too young to rule, so she became pharaoh. Hatshepsut wore the traditional clothing of the male pharaohs and even wore a fake beard. This beard was a symbol of the king.
Hatshepsut was more interested in building and trade than in war. She built a great temple at Deir el-Bahri as a burial place for her father and herself. The people prospered and Egypt was at peace.
Hatshepsut expanded trade with other nations. She sent an expedition to a land called Punt. The ships brought back valuable woods, sweet-smelling resin and frankincense, ebony, and ivory.
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