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Esna
Esna (Isna) is located about 33 miles south of Luxor. The town's Greek
name was Latopolis and here fish (lates) where thought to embody the
goddess Neith, who was sacred to the area. Esna was increasingly
important during the 18th dynasty due to Egypt's developing relationship
with the Sudan. There was a route established between Esna and Derr.
Later, the city slowly declined until it received renewed interest
during the 26th Dynasty. Later, under the Greeks and Romans, it became
the capital of the Third Nome of Upper Egypt.
We also know of an Esna
about a hundred years ago from Flaubert, who later wrote Madame Bovary,
was propositioned by a 'almeh' while aboard his boat. He went with her
to the house of Kuchuk Hanem, where she danced (not so virtuously) the
Bee. In other words, wild times could be found here. Mohammed Ali had
band almeh (meaning learned women) from Cairo, so they had gathered to
make their living in Qena, Esna and Aswan.
The main attraction is
the Temple of Khnum, which lies beneath the level of the houses in a
pit. Most of the ruins of around the Temple and the old city are yet to
be explored as they lay under these modern dwellings. This was not the
first temple here, for during the reign of Thutmose III, a temple was
built here that preceded it. There are blocks from an early Christian
church in the forecourt of the temple, foretelling of a time when Isna
was an important Christian center. Near the Temple of Khnum on the
stone quay along the corniche are carved cartouches of Emperor Marcus
Aurelius.
Edfu
Edfu (Idfu) was the Greek city of Apollinopolis Magna, and is a
religious and commercial center. Located about 33 miles south of Esna
and 65 miles north of Aswan, this is a friendly town which produces
surgar and pottery. It is also a hub of a road network. It was the
capital of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt. The main attraction
in Edfu is the Temple of Horus, which is considered to be the best
preserved cult temple in Egypt, but there is a mound of rubble to the
west of the Temple which is probably the original old city of Djeba. The
town was known as Tbot by the early Egyptians, by the Greeks as
Apollinopolis Magna and by Atbo during Coptic times. It was the capital
of the second nome (Horus) of Upper Egypt.French and Polish teams have
excavated some of the ancient city, finding Old Kingdom mastabas and
Byzantine house.
Kom Ombo
The Town of Kom Ombo is located about 41 miles south of Edfu. Kom
Ombo is the ancient site of Ombos, which is from the ancient Egyptian
word 'nubt', which means 'City of Gold'. It has been occupied since
prehistoric times. In ancient Egypt, the city was important to the
caravan routes from Nubia and various gold mines. The local industry is
primarily agriculture, including irrigated sugar cane and corn. Besides
the native Egyptians, there is a large population of Nubians who were
displaced from their land when Lake Nasser was created. It is a nice
place to visit, but is usually a day trip from Aswan.
The major attraction in
Kom Ombo is the Temple of Kom Ombo, located on a hill west of the
village. There is a wonderful view of the countryside from the Temple,
and south of here is the Roman Chapel of Hathor. It was dedicated to
the wife of Horus, and is used to store mummified crocodiles form the
nearby animal necropolis and a few sarcophagi. |
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