The Temple of Khnum at Esna
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Temple of Khnum at Esna
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When:
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Daily
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Where:
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Temple of Khnum at Esna
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| Costs: |
E£15
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| Opening Hours: |
7am-5pm
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Located about 50 kilometres south of Luxor in the small town of Esna, the Temple of Khnum was one of the last to be built by the ancient Egyptians.
Discovered in the 19th century, the construction resembles a pharaonic fort buried 10 metres below the ground. To minimise destruction to the modern constructions built above it, only a portion was excavated, revealing mainly the later modifications of a much older structure, which was originally dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum.
Today visitors can see columns, decorations and inscriptions depicting the customs of several Roman Emperors, but some remains of the former structure, like the ceiling of the hypostyle, show Egyptian astronomical figures.
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