Ancient site · Luxor
Esna Temple
The temple of the creator god Khnum in the heart of Esna, south of Luxor, where a Roman-era columned hall survives with an astronomical ceiling and richly painted reliefs.
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The story
Building began in the Ptolemaic period for Khnum, the ram-headed creator god, who shared the cult with the goddess Neith and other deities. Only the columned hall, or pronaos, still stands; it was added under Roman rule, most likely in the time of Emperor Claudius. Its walls and columns went on being decorated until the reign of Decius in the third century AD, and they carry hymns and ritual texts that rank among the latest extensive hieroglyphic inscriptions known from ancient Egypt. The rest of the temple has vanished or lies beneath the modern town. In recent years an Egyptian-German team has cleaned and restored the hall, bringing back the colours of the astronomical ceiling and revealing about two hundred previously unknown ink inscriptions.
Good to know
- The hall's roof rests on 18 interior columns, each topped by a differently designed plant-form capital.
- The ceiling is decorated with astronomical scenes of stars, constellations and the phases of the moon.
- The joint Egyptian-German restoration uncovered about 200 previously unknown ink inscriptions.
- The hall lies below the level of Esna's modern streets, surrounded by the town's houses.
Visiting tips
Esna lies on the Nile route between Luxor and Edfu, and some cruises stop here near the Esna Lock. A visit is usually brief, as the hall is the only part of the temple that survives. Please check opening hours and ticket prices before visiting, as they can change.