ESNA: TEMPLE OF KHNUM

When approaching the temple, the first thing you notice is that the temple still stands on the original ground level, whereas the modern town rises 9 meters higher, on top of the remnants of the ancient town and its descendants, which have grown up around the temple over the last 2,000 years.

There is no proof of the village of Esna and its temple prior to the Middle Kingdom, but from this point on, there are source materials up to the end of ancient Egyptian history. In Graeco-Roman times, the town’s temple was one of several temples and shrines in the Esna area. These additional ecclesiastical constructions were all demolished between the Middle Ages and the twentieth century. Even the temple at Esna is only partially intact. The outside hypostyle hall (pronaos) is still standing, but the main structure (naos), which was previously located behind it, has nearly vanished. I was taken with the beauty of the pillars and frescoes that still retain much of their original pigment from 4000 years ago!