THURSDAY, AUGUST 5 — ESNA

• Up and out very early to visit the Temple of Khnum
• Late morning back to the ship
• Just before lunch, cruise on to Edfu
• Overnight Edfu

Esna (slide show) is home to the recently restored Temple of Khnum, the Egyptian god who fashioned mankind from clay. Best known for its hall with massive floral capitals on its pillars, the temple has an astronomical ceiling with a highly detailed zodiac illustration. This site is from the Greco-Roman era in Egypt, when the Ptolemies ruled, right before the country was absorbed into the Roman Empire.