Esna is a town locted in the region of Upper Egypt, on the west bank of the river Nile, 55 km north of Edfu and about 60 km south of Luxor. The town is a part of Luxor governorate. The town of Esna occupies an area of 110 km2, with an estimated population of about 450,000.
The town is an important commercial center for the surrounding villages and governorates as it contains a number of markets.
Esna is characterized by a very hot and dry climate during the most part of the year due to its desert climate, but things get better in winter.
Histroy
Esna, is the place of the major temple “Khnumm” that was built during the reign of Thutmose III, the temple was dedicated to the ram-god Khnum that was worshipped throughout this area.
Esna was also a famous city during the times of Al-Mustansir Biallah, the Fatimid ruler, as it was during this time a great famine scorched Egypt, and even then Esna was described as having many green gardens and buildings, with waters that didn’t ebb and with rich agriculture that helped the country in facing the crisis.
The modern town of Esna is famous for its “Electricity Bridge” built in the 1990s, also the barrage bridges that were built on the Nile River by the British in 1906. Esna is usually a nice stop on Nile cruise tours passing by.
Places to Visit
The temple of Khnumm (also known as Esna Temple) is a no brainer; the temple has an amazing structure of red sandstone, The remains of the Temple contains a hall of 24 pillars beautifully decorated with lotus floral capitals and palm capitals.
The walls are beautifully covered with four rows of reliefs, showing Roman and Ptolemaic Emperors dressed in ancient Egyptian Costumes, offering sacrifices to the god Khnum. There are chambers on both sides of the temple entrance that were used by the keepers and priests of the temple as storerooms.
Dababiya Reserve is considered one of the tourist attractions in the city of Esna, especially for desert tourism enthusiasts, as there are many highlands.
What to eat?
Esna is a part of the city of Luxor, so, you can find a lot of good restaurants serving different variety of food from the Egyptian cousin and the International cousin as well, but we recommend trying the traditional Egyptian food.
For breakfast, its typical Egyptian dishes such as Fool (Fava beans) with tahini, fried eggs, eggplant and French fries, and of course the famous Balady bread.
For launch/ Dinner, the traditional theme continues, Must-try items include stuffed pigeon, moloukhiya soup and Mahashi. On the other hand and as a result of the city’s location alongside the Nile River, fish is also served on many restaurants.
What to do at night?
Usually the visit to Esna is a one day trip, but if you get the chance to stay in the city, you can check the local markets or maybe take a walk along the Nile.