Half Day Tour Luxor to Esna: Khnum Temple and CaravanSerai

Sign up for a trip to Esna - off the beaten track. Visit one of the oldest trade centers in Upper Egypt. The Temple of Khnum, a well-preserved jewel and example of Ptolemaic architecture. Only the pronaos (portico), dedicated to Khnum (God of the source of the Nile and creator of the human bodies) and his wife Menhit (Lioness Goddess of war and massacres), has been excavated; the rest of the temple rests underneath the city of Esna. 24 magnificent columns hold the temple ceiling with exceptionally well-carved palm and lotus floral capitals. The ceiling itself is adorned with the Ancient Egyptian interpretation of the constellations, moon phases and astronomical figures. A special feature: there is an ongoing restoration and cleaning project of the temple and it is wonderful to see the professionals at work during your visit. The temple was later used as warehouse to store ivory, cotton and ostrich feathers.

The 200 year old CaravanSerai stands next to the temple. All located in the middle of the Al-Qīsāriyya Market, trading center since medieval times. The recently restored Wakalat al-Geddawi is a bi-level building that used to function as a caravanserai during the 18th century. The Inn housed merchants, their camels and goods after a long desert journey. It served as well as a center for trade and storage.