The God Khnum in Temple of Esna

The God Khnum in Temple of Esna

The God of Khnum, the Ram-Headed God of Creation and the Fertility of the Nile The Temple of Esna was dedicated to the god Khanum. Construction began during the reign of King Thutmosis III of the 18th Dynasty and was completed during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods between 40 and 250 AD. The walls are covered with four rows of reliefs, beautifully decorated with lotus and palm capitals. The ruins of the Temple of Esna consist of a hall with 24 columns. Inscriptions on the walls of the temple name the names of important people involved in the construction of the Temple of Esna. On either side of the entrance to the temple, inscriptions on the walls show the Ptolemaic and Roman emperors in pharaonic attire and offering sacrifices to the god Khanum.

 temple of Esna dating to the Ptolemaic and Roman Period was dedicated to the god Khnum including Neith, Heka, Satet and Menheyet.

The temple also honors his consorts, Menhit and Nebtu, their sons Heca and the goddess Neth. The most interesting inscriptions in the temple are the inscriptions on the roof. The reliefs of birds and hieroglyphics, astronomical images, the goddess of the sky Nut, the dog star to the left of the entrance to the temple. The gods Horus and Khanum are dragging a net full of fish from the Nile. The first ancient Egyptian structure to record the connections between the zodiac signs, its hieroglyphic decorations, and its most important inscriptions were completed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Dios in 250 AD. The worship of Khnum continued from the First Dynasty to the Greek-Roman period.

On the walls, Roman emperors dressed as pharaohs make offerings to the local gods of Esna the god Khnum 

Temples were dedicated to Khnum, Neth and Heca, among other gods. Most of the surviving parts were built during the Roman period, when Khnum was a city-lord, responsible for the fertility of the land to sustain life. The god Khnum was responsible for the first falls of the Nile at Elephantine. Khnum formed a trinity with the goddesses Satis and Anuket. His religious significance also extended to Esna, located south of Thebes. The temple of Esna, symbolized by the hymns and potters, through rituals of prayer to the Egyptian gods, created humans, plants and animals, and offered sacrifices to the gods. The northern wall of the temple features images of Roman rulers in the temple.

Rite in the Temple of Thutmosis III. The ram-headed god Khnum is associated with the creation of the world, resurrection and rebirth, the fertility of the Nile, and regeneration. The temple of Esna was dedicated to Khnum, an extinct Barbary sheep. His depiction evolved into a curved horn in the New Kingdom, in the form of an extinct subspecies of sheep, Ovis platyra palaeoaegyptiacus. Khnum's image also included a crocodile head, representing his dominance over the Nile, and was crowned with an Atef, decorated with two feathers, or the white crown of Upper Egypt. Khnum was originally depicted with horizontal spiral horns. In ancient Egypt, during the annual flooding of the Nile, Khnum was named the creator and life force that animates the surrounding area. In the Nile, Khnum was often depicted as arriving at the Nile and was called Khnum-Ra, indicating his role in the Nile Falls. The wheel was created by the god of creation, Banebdjedet, and the creation was overseen by another god, the creator of the animal kingdom. Banebdjedet was a god in Lower Egypt.

The worship of Khnum centered around two riverside sites, the sacred sites of Esna and Elephantine, worshipped along with Satis and Anuget. Banebjedet was an equivalent deity in Lower Egypt. Khnum was also associated with the god Min, represented symbolically in the form of a man. The name Khnum can also be associated with the interpretation of "the beloved god", "lord of Esna and good protector", which has Semitic roots meaning "sheep". It can also be associated with Khnum, meaning "well" or "spring".

The temple of Esna dating to the Ptolemaic and Roman Period was dedicated to the god Khnum and other 

Thutmosis III, an ancient Egyptian who entered the temple of Esna, with ritual purity, inscriptions carved on the temple walls to enter the temple, wearing linen, abstaining from sexual intercourse for several days, cutting fingernails and toenails, washing hands with a naturally occurring salt called natron. Esna was often a stopover during Nile cruises. The ram-headed god Khnum, one of the Egyptian gods, was known in Upper Egypt, the creator of the human body and life force. At the Elephantine and Temples of Esna, fertility rituals were held, which were only attended by women who wished to conceive. They were held in the evening at the Temple of Esna. Women bring pottery to use in rituals and offer prayers to the statue in honor of Khnum, culminating in a celebration held on the 1st.

Thutmosis III's victory marked the rise of the Egyptian Empire, as recorded in the Chronicles of Thutmosis III, and he also established the Egyptian Navy, the first navy in the ancient world. Thutmosis III, 18th Dynasty, was one of the greatest military strategists of all time, and was a key figure during the New Kingdom. He ruled with his mother Thutmosis III. Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh in his place, and Queen Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh, ruling Egypt in both practical and notorious terms. When Thutmosis III came of age and demonstrated his potential, Queen Hatshepsut appointed him as the head of her army, and upon her death in 1458 AD.