The Queens of Egypt

Our focus in this blog for Egypt is her Queens.  We always hear about King Tut or King Ramses or the Sun God Ra, however, let’s not forget the famous Queens of Egypt. 

Ancient Egypt spanned over 3,000 years and had over 170 pharaohs ruling, with a good number of very notable Queens in the mix. 

Queen Cleopatra VII (69-30 BCE)

This Queen has been played by a large number of actors over the years, with some very famous names amongst them, including Liz Taylor (1963), Vivien Leigh (1945), Sophia Loren (1954), Katy Perry (in a 2013 music video), Theda Bara (1917), Jeanne d’Alcy (as far back as 1899) and in 2025, Gal Gadot will be reprising the role yet again. 

Cleopatra was known for her beauty, intelligence and political acumen.  She had famous romantic relations with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, all with the purpose of forming strategic alliances to strengthen her position.  This last Ptolmiac Queen didn’t want to relinquish her rule to Ptolemy XIII, so whilst living in the Middle East, she raised an army who marched into Egypt the following year to challenge him.  Her dramatic and tragic end was that after the defeat of Mark Anthony, she committed suicide.  After her death, Egypt became a state of Rome. 

Queen Nefertiti (c. 1370-1330 BCE)

Nefertiti’s name meant “the beautiful woman has come” and she certainly lived up to her name; being renounced for her beauty.  A good number of scholars believe she may have also been worshipped as the fertility goddess.  She was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and she is said to have played a crucial role in the religious revolution which introduced monotheism in Egypt – worshipping the sun god known as Aton.  This occurred in the 18^th Dynasty. 

Whilst Nefertiti was known also for beauty, grace and power, she was moreso a patron of the arts.  There are many artistic busts and pieces depicting her image.  She supported the growth and development of new art styles and forms; artistic innovation and experimentation. 

One famous movie about her was Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile (1961), played by Jeanne Crain.  Another interesting fact is that Nefertiti is often called King Tut’s mother, although in truth, she was actually his stepmother. 

Queen Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BCE)

This Queen was one of the most successful female pharaohs.  She ruled for over 20 years and is often depicted in male pharaonic ceremonial dress.  The Queen who dressed like a man.  She was a ‘Queen of Construction’ with extensive building projects during her reign, including the temple at Deir el-Bahari.  She expanded trade networks to include trips to Punt (today known as Somalia) to obtain incense, gold and ebony.  Her reign was known for its peace and prosperity and improved economic and diplomatic situations, making her an effective ruler for her country. 

Whilst there are lesser number of movies about her, one of notability is ‘The Queen who would be King’.  Whilst she initially served as regent for Thutmose III (her stepson) but then declared herself pharaoh (aka stole the throne) and so broke traditional gender roles.

These are just some of the more famous (or infamous) queens of Egypt.  Their stories have inspired many movies, books, artworks and images of them.  Open any high school art book and you don’t have to turn too many pages to find images of an Egyptian Queen.  Egyptian Queens are on everything from postcards to plates. 

See the Queens of Egypt

If you want to do more than watch an old movie (or a new one coming out next year), then naturally, Egypt is the place to go.  There are a number of critical places you can view relics and pieces of this era, including:

• The Cairo Museum or Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.  There are a large number of artifacts relating to Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Hatshepsut and many other queens.  This museum is huge (and yes, does require a ticket) and worth several hours wandering around.  Photography is allowed within the museum with permission (from memory permission actually means, you pay an extra fee at entry).

• Deir el-Bahari is where you’ll find the mortuary temple and tomb of Hatshepsut, which is a very significant archaeological site.  It’s located at Luxor on the west bank of the Nile River.  On a side point, a trip down the Nile is well worth the adventure; often done via a cruise or sailing.  Have a look at the Nile River on Google Maps (or Google Earth), you’ll see that the land on either side of the Nile is quite lush and green, but only for a short distance on either side, then you see the arid and dry land that is normally Egypt.  So cruising the Nile is actually quite picturesque. 

• The Valley of the Queens is the primary burial site for many of the royal women of ancient Egypt.  It’s positioned also on the west bank of the Nile, near Luxor.  It boasts the tombs of over 75 queens, princesses, and female nobles from the 18th to 20th Dynasties.  One notable tomb was that of Queen Nefertari (wife of Ramesses II).  This tomb is considered one of the best preserved. 

• The Giza pyramid complex (where you find the famous Pyramids of Giza), you’ll find several Queens’ tombs, including Queen Hetepheres I – Mother of Pharaoh Khufu as well as  Queen Meritites I – Wife of Pharaoh Khufu; plus Queen Henutsen – Wife of Pharaoh Khafre.

Naturally, when visiting any of the tombs, museums or significant sites, be sure to dress appropriately.  This means often no tight or revealing clothing, wearing headscarves and appropriate behaviour.  Plus, some of the tombs forbade photography all-together inside the tombs.  If you try to snap a shot, expect your phone or camera to be taken by an official and the photo erased.  But hey, just keep an eye out for signage; they do make it very clear.   

Travel in Style & Comfort

Of course, with all the tours by Luxury Women’s Tours, we do all the work.  With our Egypt tours, no different from any of our tours, we organise almost everything for you.  Sure, you do need to organise your own passport and pack your bags, but we do all the heavy lifting, so to speak. 

Another great thing about having an experienced person managing your trip is that not only do we curate a fabulous trip for you, finding you the best places to stay, what to visit and help you get around in comfort, we also attract other like-minded ladies too.  If you take a friend – great, but if not, don’t stress because we’ll make it easy for you to join us as part of our very special group.  There are no nasty surprises, although if something does arise, well, your trip host is there with you, in person, to ensure the situation is managed as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

We’re always prepared for every situation!  Yes, you will need a Visa to travel to Egypt; which you can apply for online or we can assist you with that.  Plus, our group sizes are capped (this tour is capped at 12) so you get very personalised service and care.  That’s why our tours are so popular, fun and enjoyed by so many ladies who want to travel with comfort, style and ease. If this tour, or any of our other tours from all over the world, interest you, just reach out via  Contact us page.  on our website.

You can view our Queens of The Nile Tour HERE