Esna

Also known as Isnā, Esné

Esna (  , or ; Snē from tꜣ-snt; Latópolis or (Pólis Látōn) or (Lattōn); Latin: Lato) is a city of Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile some south of Luxor. The city was formerly part of the modern Qena Governorate, but as of 9 December 2009, it was incorporated into the new Luxor Governorate.

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Place details

Locality: إسنا
Region: الأقصر
Country: مصر
Population: 462,787
Timezone: Africa/Cairo

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Settlement.name: Esna
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_caption: From top left: Corniche of Old Esna, inside Khnum Temple, Minaret of Esna Mosque, Esna new docks, farmland near Esna
Settlement.pushpin_map: Egypt
Settlement.pushpin_label_position: bottom
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize: 200px
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location in Egypt
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Governorate
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Luxor
Settlement.unit_pref: Imperial
Settlement.area_total_km2: 399.9
Settlement.population_total: 462,787
Settlement.population_as_of: 2021
Settlement.population_density_km2: auto
Settlement.population_density_sq_mi: auto
Settlement.population_density_metro_km2: auto
Settlement.population_density_metro_sq_mi: auto

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Population: 462787
Elevation: 86
Image: Images by the Nile No 329..JPG

Show 4 more facts

Commons category: Esna
Commons gallery: إسنا
P12749: Hongcun
native label: 𓊃𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏭𓏏𓐰𓊖

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Understand

thumb|A heritage house in Esna known by the wooden balconies of 19th century In 300 BC, Esna was the capital city of the third Nome of Upper Egypt. Esna’s urban fabric still holds Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and modern layers of history. It is really an amazing experience and a fascinating imagination when you walk in the streets of the city nowadays in 2020 and you feel like your walking in history. The old 19th-century houses connected together with the 700-year-old Ottoman market adjacent to the temple, where you will see people from the local community in their authentic costumes and in their local markets. It is really interesting and attracting me seeing local people in an indigenous or a bit elementary environment how they are living their life and spending their daily life activities. Moreover, Esna enjoys a rich intangible heritage in terms of its unique social structure where the city center is subdivided into spatial domains inhabited by deeply-rooted Esna families, and its traditional crafts—all on the verge of extinction.

Get around

Taxis and tuk-tuks are available all throughout town, and offer a convenient transport from train or mini bus stations to the temple (there is not much else to see). Tuk-Tuks should not cost more than LE20.

See

thumb|Temple of the God Khnum at Esna|alt=|300x300px Old Esna Mosque – The one with the charming adobe minaret seen on the approach to the temple. Al-`Amriyya Minaret – The almost 1,000-year-old structure is of five unique minarets built by the Fāṭimid vizier Badr al-Jammali in different cities of Upper Egypt during the 11th Century A.D. It is the only remaining part of Jami’ al-`Amri. It is called Al-`Amri as a tribute to the Muslim Leader `Amr Ibn al-`Aāṣ. Esna's Coptic Churches and Monasteries – In the Coptic history, Esna is known as the “City of Martyrs” due to a series of Roman persecutions between 303 and 311 AD. Therefore, the city and its surroundings are privileged with various religious destinations mostly related to these events such as the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of Mother Dūlāji, Shrine of the Three Martyred Peasants, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Monastery of Saint Ammonius), and the Monastery of Saint Matthew the Potter Local Architecture – Esna is privileged with an abundance of architecturally significant buildings from different ears that can be rarely found in other cities of Upper Egypt. These buildings belong to the city's prominent families that still inhabit the city until today Esna Old Barrage – Constructed in 1908 to control the flow of Nile water, is an engineering masterpiece. A felucca ride would cross the barrage and offer a closer view of its articulate details and stone masonry work. Al-Qīsāriyya Market – Located directly…

Buy

Bakkūr Oil Press – Built in 1897, is still run manually by local master craftsman Nāṣir Bakkūr, producing oil made of lettuce, sesame and arugula seeds. Since the Abbasid era, 9th century A.D.), Esna is a center for the oil pressing industry, especially for its production of lettuce seeds oil.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~13 min read