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Two barrage bridges straddle the Nile at this
point: one built by the British in 1906, and the "Electricity
Bridge" built by the Italians in the 1990s. Navigation –
particularly, Nile cruisers ferrying tourists from Luxor to
Aswan, 155 km further upstream – can be held up for hours
while vessels negotiate their way through the lock system.
The two main points of interest in Esna are its
lively tourist-oriented souk, which fills a couple of streets
leading inland from the corniche. The other is a small
Ptolomaic-era temple dedicated to the god Khnum. Construction
work on this temple began under Ptolemy VII and continued
under the Romans (Claudius and Marcus Aurelius, in particular,
left major marks on the structure). The temple, which has only
been partially excavated, is set at a depth of some 10 metres
lower than the surrounding city streets.
The Temple of Khnum in Esna
 The main attraction is the temple of Khnum
which lies on a lower level than the surrounding buildings.
Most of the ruins around the temple and the old city are yet
to be explored as they lay burried beneath buildings of later
times. Khnum was not the first temple here; during the reign
of Thutmose III an earlier temple was built on this site.
Stone blocks from an early Christian church in the forecourt
of the temple show that Esna once was an important Christian
center. Carved cartouches of Emperor Marcus Aurelius were
found on stones of the quay near the Temple of Khnum. All that
remains of the temple is the great hypostyle hall.
Building of the temple began under Ptolemy VI
but was completed by the Roman emperor Claudius. The
rectangular hall opens to the west. The roof is still intact,
supported by 24 columns decorated with a series of text
recording hymns to Khnum and relating the annual sacred
festivals of Esna with scenes illustrating the surrounding
countryside.
To know more about the fascinating world
of ancient Egypt, come and visit the land of pharaohs
Bookmark now with
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