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Pro
Historical, mythical
Con
Bit noisy
In a nutshell
Full of ancient history
goutammitra Says: Two barrage bridges straddle the Nile at this point: one built by the British in 1906, and the "Electricity Bridge" built in the 1990s. Navigation, particularly, Nile cruisers ferrying tourists from Luxor to Aswan 155 km further upstream, can be held up for hours while...
goutammitra Says: Our Cruise ship crossed Esna ( Isna) Lock gate before dawn. It started at around 4.00 AM and continued till 5.00 AM . We were the second ship to cross the gate, so besides ours we also watched the ship before us to cross.We were told the night before that we shall be...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: We passed through the lock at Isna in the early morning before the sunrise.Our boat had to go through a narrow and shallow lock in Isna. Facing the lock there must have been dozens of boats, each waiting for its turn.We have been told that it normally takes about 45 minutes...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: By its epigraphy, this minaret, built in 1081, is attributed to Fakhr al-Mulk Sa'd al-Dawla Sar Takin, a high-ranking Fatimid official. Not only is this epigraphy important for its unprecedented use of the word mi'dhana (the place from which the call to prayer was given),...
leffe3 Says: A veritable forest of ornate columns hit you as you walk into the Hall, ornate, carved, decorously coloured (although some are defaced by early Christians). The images on the main shafts of the columns (24 in total) are from the three main festivals of the town - the...
leffe3 Says: The scale of the Hypostyle Hall and the uneven ground runnind round it provides easy access to get incredibly close to the deeply etched reliefs. The exterior walls provide some of the best reliefs, although this is in part due to the fact that natural light makes them...
leffe3 Says: Khnum was originally the ram-headed god who created man on a potter's wheel and the guardian of the source of the Nile. He was later demoted to a mere underling to Amun-Re.Many are disappointed with the Temple of Khnum as it sits in a hole in the ground, with only the...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: Our boat has sailed off from Luxor at 17.30. According to the cruise program the following stop should be in Edfu (Idfu) which was situated on the distance of 110 kilometers from Luxor. We have been told that it would be at 9.00 in the next morning. It meant that we should...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: We saw many Egyptian ferrymen during our cruise. Traditionally river crossings have been the domain of several ferry services.The single fare (April 2007) of the so-called 'local ferry' (also known as the 'National Ferry') is 1 LE - one Egyptian Pound - per passenger for...
Passing through the Isna sluice
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: On a way to Idfu we should pass through a sluice (a lock) in Isna. Throughput of this sluice is very small. Therefore the excursion boats usually stand in a queue during several hours to pass through the sluice. There are 55 kilometers from Luxor to Isna. I think, we have...
Helpfulness
We only had an hour or two to go ashore in Esna....so what better thing to do than to go shopping!!!
The Esna souq (markets) were located only a couple of minutes walk from where we were docked, and there were plenty of shops to tempt us tourists.
I had a really great time here doing plenty of bartering and buying a few local wares.
The best thing about the market here was that it wasn't too crowded, and I didn't get hassled too much, even though I spent most of the time shopping by myself.
What to pay: Don't pay what they ask - bargain hard!!
Written Feb 12, 2005
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: We have been told this is a sugar factory. All along the Nile sugar cane is grown. In case you wonder how sugar can possibly be white... There is a joke. Well, all the black is burned away.
Your pictures may turn out grainy!
ATXtraveler Says: One of the things you will notice about Isna is that there are much fewer advancements in this town. The town is dominated by horse driven carriages, and by mules carrying grain. Here is a photo of a local farmer still utilizing the mule to pull his crop through Isna.
You are not able to go around Esna without police
vdoortje Says: Egypt is guarding her tourists very well! As a tourist you can't go anywhere on your own. Don't misunderstand! You can go where ever you like! But in some places you need police or army guidance. That is not a trouble if you know the way. Al ham du lillah/Thank God, I have...
ATXtraveler Says: One of the members of our cruise, Joan got sick while on the boat.... definitely not a place to have an asthma attack!It turns out that the healthcare systems there are not up to par with the rest of the world!
leffe3 Says: The journey between Esna and Luxor is only 50 or so kms on the Nile, but it's an extraordinary trip - the land immediately beyond the banks on both sides is fairly desolate and bleak, small villages where little has changed in hundreds (if not thousands) of years sit close...
vdoortje Says: If you want to see a genuine part of Egypt you must try and go to see this one.You will have to pay the police guard on entering the souk a baksheesh, that will allow you to entry. If you want to go further in town; ask the police man for advice and guidance. It will cost...
Sunrise over the Nile near Isna
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: Even if there wouldn’t any sights on its banks, and I wouldn’t see Pyramids and Temples, the cruise over the Nile would have a great sense for me. It is difficult to express the feeling covering you when, being on an upper deck, you understand, that the Great and Powerful...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: Early awakening at 5.00 (though Moscow time was already 7.00) has helped me to watch Isna from the main deck of our boat even still before the sunrise. The city and the Nile were in pre-dawn twilight. It was wonderful! However I could examine a dam, a sluice, a quay and a...
Kuznetsov_Sergey Says: As an excursion to Isna is not stipulated by the program of the cruise I have tried to study this city by means of Internet, having been already at home. Isna is known for the Ptolemic temple of Khnum, the god with the Ram's head. The town's Greek name was Latopolis. Its...
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You may see my 5 min VIDEO clip Dawn over the Nile near Isna with Xenia Akeynikova "Dawn Over Moscow" music. You may see my VIDEO passing by Isna with Rakhmaninov music from my personal YouTube...
Isna - Halfway point between Luxor and Aswan
When you are on one of the 5000 cruise ships that are jockeying for position on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, you will most likely make a stop in Esna. This was a delightful little town, with not...
Esna - A Nice Stop between Aswan & Luxor
Here were some kids I saw as I wandered around town. They were having a little snack and playing.
Build your own Isna page
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