Temple of Khnum
In the town of Esna, the great hypostyle hall of the Temple of Khnum stands well below the level of the modern streets. Dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum, the temple is known for its carved columns and astronomical ceiling.
The god who shaped people on his wheel
Khnum was worshiped as a creator god who shaped human beings on a potter’s wheel. At Esna he was honored alongside the goddess Neith. In Greek times the town was known as Latopolis, after the Nile perch that was held sacred here.
A Roman hall with a Ptolemaic past
The surviving hall was built in the Roman period and joined onto an older temple of Ptolemaic date, of which only the rear wall remains. Its carved columns carry a rich variety of plant capitals, and its walls show Roman emperors in the traditional role of pharaoh. Its inscriptions are among the latest temple texts written in hieroglyphs in Egypt.
Here Roman emperors still appear in the robes of pharaohs, making offerings to a god with the head of a ram.
The astronomical ceiling and its recovered colors
The ceiling of the hall is decorated with astronomical scenes, including signs of the zodiac. Recent restoration by an Egyptian-German team has removed centuries of soot and dirt, bringing back colors that had long been hidden.
- Dedicated to
- Khnum
- Greek name
- Latopolis
- Preserved
- Hypostyle hall
- Period
- Ptolemaic, Roman
