Related Articles
Nevine al-Aref – Ahram Online
An Egyptian-German archaeological mission has uncovered original reliefs and inscriptions on the walls and ceilings of the Temple of Esna near Luxor, where ongoing restoration works.
The mission uncovered a distinguished relief at the top of the entrance gate of the temple. The relief depicts 46 eagles standing in two rows, with some bearing the heads of the Upper Egypt goddess Nekhbet, and others bearing the head of the Lower Egypt goddess Wadget.
“This is the first time to find this relief. It was not seen or mentioned in the works published by the French Egyptologist Serge Soniron, who documented the temple’s reliefs in 1963 and 1975”, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Hisham al-Leithy, the head of the Central Department for Egyptian Documentation Centre and the Egyptian side head of the mission from, explained; “the uncovered reliefs and inscriptions at the Esna temple were hidden beneath dust and accumulation of salts and bird deposits over more than 2000 years”.
“This discovery made it important for us to begin a restoration projects, funded by the American Research Centre in Cairo, to protect the temple and uncover its decorations”, al-Leithy added.
The mission uncovered a Roman engraving in red ink at the Western side of the temple. The Roman inscription dates back to the era of the Roman Emperor Domitian, 81-96 CE, who might have completed the construction of the temple.
The Temple of Esna was dedicated to the ram god Khnum and his divine consorts. Construction works began in the Roman era during the reign of Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD). Decorations of the temple were completed during the reign of Emperor Decius (249-251 AD).
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Temple of Esna suffered from urban encroachment, which limited access to the site only through one of the houses built around it. The temple was used as a cotton storage facility during the reign of Mohamed Ali Pasha (1805-1840 AD).
