The city of Esna is home to a few of the most famous ancient Egyptian temples. Esna was one of the most prestigious cities in Ancient Egyptian civilization, during the Roman and Ptolemaic periods their influence can be strongly noted in the temples around in this area including the Temple of Esna, also known as Temple of Khnum. Khnum, the Graeco-Roman temple was built by the 18th-Dynasty pharaoh Tuthmosis III in honor of the ram-headed god Khnum.