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Today, Saturday, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, inspected the Esna Temple in Luxor Governorate, accompanied by Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Central Administration of Antiquities of Upper Egypt, to find out the latest developments in the ongoing work on its restoration project and to reveal more of the frescoes and original colors in it, which were Covered with a layer of dust and soot that has accumulated over decades.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled explained that this visit comes within the framework of periodic follow-up of all ongoing restoration and development projects of archaeological sites in light of the assignments of Mr. Sherif Fathi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, in light of the great importance the political leadership attaches to the unique Egyptian antiquities, pointing out that the Ministry is working during The current period is with a number of concerned parties to put the city of Esna on the global tourism map.
Khaled also expressed his full appreciation for the effort made in the project to restore the temple and show its original colors, describing it as a great achievement, especially since the previous scientific publication of the temple, which was carried out by the French Egyptologist Serge Sonneron, did not contain a drawing or picture of the temple’s ceiling, so no one was able to Imagine the bright colors revealed by the project team, stressing that displaying the temple’s original colors will contribute greatly to increasing the tourist traffic coming to it and to the city of Esna.
The Supreme Secretary of Antiquities inspects the excavation site behind the Temple of Esna
The tour also included an inspection of the excavation site behind the temple, where the Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities works, which unveiled a number of archaeological discoveries, including the walls of a Roman bath. Excavation work is being completed to uncover and restore the rest of its parts, and to include this area within the temple’s visit program, including It is commensurate with its historical and archaeological importance.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities was keen to inspect the tourist market area, where he met with a number of owners of the tourism bazaars in the archaeological area and learned about some of the traditional handmade products that are sold in the bazaars. He also inspected the tourist marina that the governorate is developing, which contributes to increasing the number of tourists visiting the area. Long Nile cruises from Cairo to Aswan.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities indicated that coordination will be made with Aswan Governorate and all concerned parties to establish a river marina to connect the El-Kab archaeological area to the Nile tourism route from Luxor to Aswan and vice versa, passing through El-Kab.
This visit came within the framework of the role of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to preserve antiquities, restore and develop archaeological sites in various parts of the Republic and open them for visits to attract more incoming tourist traffic to the Egyptian tourist destination and promote the cultural tourism product.
