In ancient Egypt, the Pharoahs were closely tied to the religious order. They were believed to have descended from the gods. They were needed to maintain ma'at, or the order of the universe, both by maintaining harmony in civil life through their government, but also by leading the nation in religious rituals to sustain the gods, so that they in turn could maintain the cosmic harmony. Finally, their deaths led to their apotheosis, and often temples were built to worship the dead pharoahs. One such is Deir el Bahari (here in LEGO form by HP Mohnroth), built to honor Hatshepsut, who ruled for 22 years in the fifteenth century BC. Interestingly the mortuary temple was officially desecrated, with many of the statues removed. I guess godhood isn't all it may appear if your rivals survive you and get to write the history books.
BTW, this was built for the Architecture Building Contest over on Eurobricks, which has a fast-approaching deadline (this Saturday) if you're interested in coming up with a last-minute entry.