While all that remains of the temple is the Great Hbp tyle Hall, surrounding ruins of the ancient complex and city have yet to be excavated due to the modern housing built on the site. The temple sits atop the ruins of earlier temple(s) Ptolemy VI originally began this building project, but n Temple of Khnum was a later addition built by e Roman emperor Claudius in the 1st century. The rectangular hall opens to the west. Thu ‘sot is still intact, supported by 24 columns decorated with a series of text recording hymns to Khn n and relating the annual sacred festivals of lsnd ,ith scenes illustrating the surrounding countryside.

 

The sacred festivals are the creation of if universe by Neith, the raising of the sky and his victory over the human rebels, They texts were done between the Greco-Roman period and the rule of Decius in 250 AD, but never finished. There are 16 different palrmd plant capitals on the columns, still with some good color. Looking up, one might almost feel .s though he or she were gazing up in a fore - The columns also record other nearby temp, including one at Kern Mer 7 1/2 miles south of Isna which has been excavated.

 

The West sll of the Temple of Khnum is all that remain of the original Ptolemaic temple and has relies of Ptolemy VI and Philometor and Euer gres II. In the forecourt of the temple are blocks from an early Christian church.

 

Then also is an inscription found on the back of a block from Emperor Decius decreeing that Christians will suffer death if they do not sacrifice to the pagan gods.