The pharaohs of the new kingdom, who loosed Egypt, all had one statement that they wanted to preserve for centuries - that they had expelled the foreign invaders of Egypt from their earth and unified a divided land. The pharaohs believed that they could not have achieved this without the help of the god Amun-Re, such was their ideology (the relationship between the god Amun and the pharaoh). The pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty retained this statement in their building programs. Once a new pharaoh came to power, they initiated a program that defined all construction activities during the pharaoh's reign. Construction projects were mainly implemented for political and religious reasons (with the exception of housing). Political and religious reasons for the construction programs include: the ideology of kingship, the dedication of the cult of Amun, the honor of the cults of the Egyptian gods, funerary monuments, the self-promotion of the pharaoh, and the protection of the borders. The construction programs remind current pharaohs and the Egyptian people of the triumphs and victories of past pharaohs. Pharaohs used building programs to show their loyalty and respect to the gods and goddess of Egypt. Some 18th dynasty pharaohs who contributed greatly to the building programs are Hatshepsut, Thutmose III and Thutmose IV. HatshepsutDuring Hatshepsut's reign, she erected a funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari, at the head of the valley below the mountain peak. The temple was built into the rock face so that the building looked like it had grown out of the rock. After Hatshepsut's death, the monument was deliberately deconstructed by Thutmose III and Akhenaten in order to attack Hatshepsut. Today, the monument is half in ruins due to bad weather. The temple has features such as an entrance pylon, first...... middle of paper...... performing rituals before the god Amun. This building program was important for the development of the cult of Amun through additions to the temple. from Amon to Karnak. The temple is not Thutmose IV's only contribution to the cult of Amun; he also built a shrine to the barque of Amun and added a golden porch in front of the 4th pylon. Thutmose IV's other construction projects include finishing the pre-existing eastern obelisk dedicated to the cult of Amun, built at Karnak Temple, by his grandfather Thutmose III. This unique obelisk is the tallest obelisk ever built in Egypt, reaching 32 meters high. Thutmose used building programs to expand the cult of Amun through additions to the Temple of Amun at Karnak. The king believed that by recording his association with the god Amun on monuments, he was represented as a god rightfully ruling the lands of Egypt..