Esna travel guide

Esna, Egypt

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Esna

Introduction

Esna is a city in Egypt, set on the west bank of the Nile roughly 55 kilometres south of Luxor. It was formerly part of the modern Qena Governorate, and since 9 December 2009 it has been incorporated into the new Luxor Governorate.

Before you go

Esna rewards those who arrive knowing what they are looking at. The city's urban fabric holds Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Islamic and modern layers, so the streets you walk today sit directly on top of a history that stretches back to its days as the capital of the third Nome of Upper Egypt. Come prepared to read the town as a palimpsest rather than a set of monuments. The centre is subdivided into spatial domains inhabited by deeply-rooted Esna families, and its traditional crafts are described as being on the verge of extinction — so the living culture is as much the point as the antiquities. Expect an Ottoman market adjacent to the temple and 19th-century houses connected to one another, with local people going about their daily lives in their own costumes and markets. Treat that everyday environment with respect; it is a working community, not a display.

Getting there

Esna sits on the Nile, and how you arrive shapes your first impression of the town. The railway station is on the east bank, which puts it on the wrong side for the temple and the main town; a handful of little cafes sit by the station, and taxis and tuk-tuks wait there, but they must cross the Nile by the 1990 Electricity Bridge downstream, since vehicles cannot use the old barrier bridge. Trains from Cairo take about ten hours to Luxor and another hour on to Esna, continuing to Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan, with ten to twelve services a day, so you should be able to avoid an early-hours arrival or departure. Buses between Luxor and Aswan also pass through Esna, stopping by the railway station on the east bank, though how often they run is not known.

Esna is a regular calling point for Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan — the boats have no choice, as a lock system between the two bridges can hold them up for hours. If you come by local minibus, you can pick one up on the west bank close to the railway station, or on the east bank on the main road where it crosses the channel near the police checkpoint, heading in the direction of Ermant; from Ermant a second minibus continues to Esna. The whole trip takes about an hour and a half, and there are also cheaper informal pick-ups.

Getting around

Esna is compact, and once you are in the town centre the main sights — the Temple of Esna, the public open space between the temple and the al-Amriyya Minaret, and the covered market street of al-Qīsāriyya Street — sit close together, so walking is the most practical way to get around. Al-Qīsāriyya Street runs parallel to the Nile, lined with shops and workshops on the ground floors of two- and three-storey buildings, and makes a natural place to wander on foot. Bear in mind that the temple is essentially the principal sight, so plan your walking around it.

The complication is that the railway station and bus stop are on the east bank, on the wrong side of the river for the temple and main town, so any arrival by rail or bus involves crossing the Nile. Trains run along the Cairo–Luxor–Esna–Edfu–Kom Ombo–Aswan corridor with several services a day, and the onward journey from Luxor takes about an hour; there is no metro or tram, as the railway is a long-distance line. Buses between Luxor and Aswan pass through, and local minibuses also run, with fares paid in cash on board and frequencies that can vary, so allow some flexibility. Taxis and tuk-tuks are available throughout town and are the convenient way from the train or minibus stations to the temple; tuk-tuks are the cheaper and more common option for short hops, and you should agree the fare before you set off. Vehicles waiting at the railway station must cross the Nile via the 1990 "Electricity Bridge" downstream, since they cannot use the old barrier bridge. Esna is also a regular calling point for Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan, but a lock system between the two bridges means vessels can be held up for hours, so your schedule is dictated by the lock rather than by you. Carry small cash, and build in time for the river crossing on arrival.

Where to stay

Esna is a small town, and its sleeping options are limited. Most travellers pass through on the way between Luxor and Aswan, and the accommodation that exists is modest and practical rather than plentiful.

Food & drink

Esna offers little in the way of a dining scene, so plan to eat where you stay or press on to larger cities for a wider choice of restaurants.

What to see and do

The Temple of Esna is the obvious starting point, but you have to look down: built in the Ptolemaic-Roman period and later buried under debris, it now sits well below the modern street, with only the hypostyle hall surviving. That hall is remarkably well preserved, with colour still visible on the columns and ceilings. A covered souk lined with hawkers connects the ticket office to the temple, so you can browse on your way in or out. Beyond the temple, the Old Esna Mosque is recognisable by its adobe minaret, seen as you approach, while the Al-`Amriyya Minaret is the last remnant of Jami’ al-`Amri and dates back to the Fāṭimid vizier Badr al-Jammali. Esna is also known in Coptic history as the "City of Martyrs", and you can visit religious sites tied to that past, including the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church of Mother Dūlāji, the Shrine of the Three Martyred Peasants, the Monastery of the Martyrs (Monastery of Saint Ammonius) and the Monastery of Saint Matthew the Potter. For a sense of the city's commercial life, head to the Al-Qīsāriyya Market just south of the Temple of Khnum, a covered market established more than a century ago and once known for fabrics, sewing tools and tailors' shops, with caravanserais formerly lining its route. Nearby, the Wakālat al-Jiddāwī, believed to have been built in the 1700s, overlooks the temple and was a major trading stop in the 18th and 19th centuries for goods such as textiles, African ivory and ostrich plumes. Esna also holds a wealth of local architecture from different eras, belonging to prominent families who still live in the city. If you want to get out on the water, a felucca ride can take you past the Esna Old Barrage, built in 1908 to control the Nile's flow, for a closer look at its stone masonry.

Three days in Esna

Day one: Arrive in Esna, a town in Qena Governorate in Upper Egypt, and get your bearings. Come by train from Luxor, Cairo, Edfu, Kom Ombo or Aswan, or by bus; taxis and other vehicles carry you into town. Expect a place shaped by many layers of history - Ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic - and by the Nile, which runs alongside it. Start at the Temple of Esna, a Ptolemaic and Roman temple, then walk Qīsāriyya Street and look up at the Amriyya Minaret, an Ottoman-era minaret. In December the weather is mild, so evenings outdoors are comfortable.

Day two: Cross the Electricity Bridge and head to Ermant, where you can see the Temple of Ermant. Back in Esna, treat yourself to a slow afternoon in the streets around the market, watching the town go about its day. If you have time, the Nile bank is the place to sit and watch the river traffic.

Day three: Use Esna as a base for the wider region. Trains and buses run to Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan, and Luxor Governorate is close by. Bear in mind that most visitors pass through Esna on the way to these places, so plan your departure around the transport you need. If you want a quieter last day, stay in town and revisit the temple and the minaret before you leave.

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