About Us

The Polish-Egyptian Archaeological and Conservation Expedition to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari was created in 1961 by prof. Kazimierz Michalowski, who also served as its first director.

The work is carried out on behalf of the Polish Station in Cairo, which was turned into the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw in 1990. We also cooperate very closely with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. Field seasons of the mission’s work takes place almost half of each year, employing a large group of archaeologists, Egyptologists, conservators, architects and engineers from different countries. There are different research projects conducted within the framework of studies including understanding the history of the building, its decoration and architecture.

Since the beginning, the main task of the Expedition was primarily reconstruction to repair this magnificent temple and restore it to its former glory. Thanks to the joint efforts of the members of the mission as well as cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, it has become possible to share and explore further parts of the temple.

The Expedition is funded primarily by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, by grants from the National Science Centre and the Foundation for Polish Science, as well as the sponsorship of PKN Orlen SA.

A special thank you goes out to the institutions that can ensure our presence in the temple: the Egyptian Antiquities Service and the Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt, their branches in Upper Egypt and Qurna and their directors and employees for their continuous assistance. Our work would also not be possible without our helpful inspectors, who every year cooperate with the mission. We invite you to visit both the Hatshepsut Temple and its dedicated page.

Dr Patryk Chudzik
Director of the Expedition