The most powerful woman of all time, Hatshepsut, the ancient Egyptian queen who was crowned king and ruled as the Female Falcon, Maatkare. Her name means The True and Beautiful Manifestation of
the Sun's Divine Life-force. A more poetic translation is Truth is the Soul of the Sun. Before she became Pharaoh, Hatshepsut served as God's Wife of Amun, an important economic and spiritual
office 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 passionate story of love, for her beliefs, her country and two of its most
fascinating men.
