Some of the most famous temples from ancient Egypt are located in the city of Esna in Luxor. Esna was one of the most important and famous cities in ancient Egypt. The Romans and the Ptolemies left their mark on the temples in this region, such as the Esna Temple, also called the Khnum Temple.
Where is Esna Temple?
Esna is located on the west bank of the Nile, 485 miles from Cairo. The ancient Egyptian Senate and later the Greeks of Latopolis knew Esna as the “City of Fish,” where Farkh was worshiped as a deity. Esna Temple is located in this city.
Historical information about the Temple of Esna:
King Thutmose III began building the Esna Temple, a shrine to the god Khnum, who had a ram’s head. Khnum was the god of creation. The temple was built during the Eighteenth Dynasty, but work continued during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, from 40 to 250 AD. Influential people who helped build the Temple of Esna, also known as the Temple of Khnum, are named on the temple wall.
The only thing left of the Esna Temple is a portico with 24 columns topped with beautiful lotus flowers and palm capitals. Four rows of inscriptions show the Ptolemaic and Roman emperors wearing pharaonic clothes and making offerings to the god Khnum. On either side of the entrance to the temple are rooms that priests and guards used to store items.
Emperor Trajan in a palanquin is carried by six priests wearing masks of the gods, the jackal and the falcon. They stand on either side of the door to each room. The most exciting writings in this temple are on the roof with images of stars. You can see the sky deities Nut, Dog Star, Orion’s Belt, and Alpha Draconis on the left side of the temple gate (or Star Dragon).
On the temple’s western wall, you can see the reliefs of birds and the gods of Horus, the god of victory, and Khnum, who pulls a net full of fish from the Nile. Most importantly, the last known hieroglyphs were written by Roman Emperor Deus at the bottom of this image in 250 AD.
How vital was a ritual in the ancient temples of Esna:
Once you step inside the Esna Temple, you can see how much care was put into its construction. The ancient Egyptians followed strict rules about ritual purity when they went to the Esna Temple, which they believed to be a sacred place of worship. The inscriptions on the temple walls show that people have to follow strict rules to enter the temple. For example, they had to cut their fingernails and toenails, wash their hands with baking soda, wear linen, and not touch anyone for several days.