Queen Hatshepsut fair travels to US

A fair item titled "Hatshepsut: from Queen to Pharaoh is due to travel to San Francisco by the middle of next month.

"This item is among five archaeological collections to be presented by Egypt in the fair held in the United States for one year," said Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities.

Several global museums will also take part in the fair displaying archaeological acquisitions dating back to Queen Hatshepsut's era.

The title of Egypt's fair "Hatshepsut: from Queen to Pharaoh" is based on the story according to which the queen was married to Tohotmus II, said Hawass.

The king took his sister as wife in order to rule legally but died soon after. Hatshepsut took over the management of the affairs of their young son Tohotmus Ill, the king's successor.

Acquiring royal titles the queen ruled with the assistance of state officials such Haposenp, the high priest to Amon in Karnak, and engineer Senmut, the young prince's caretaker who also designed the queen's temple on the west bank of the Nile.