KHNUM TEMPLE
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The temple is dedicated to the god Khnum, represented with a ram's head, lord of Elephantine and part of the eponymous triad who commanded the Nile, god who created living beings on his potter's wheel. The goddesses Neith and Heket were also celebrated, the former being the mother of all gods, and the latter having participated with her in the creation of the world.
It was built during the Ptolemy period, in the 2nd century BC, and by the Roman Emperor Claudius between 41 and 54 AD. The hypostyle hall was then preceded by a second hypostyle hall, a naos, a main chapel and side chapels, with an ambulatory running all around the temple. The building is currently located 9 m below street level.
The openwork portico reveals six columns of the hypostyle hall. This structure is characteristic of Ptolemaic monuments and their Roman replicas. The scene represents Titus facing several deities. The two side doors were used by the priests
The hypostyle hall has preserved its 24 lotus-shaped columns whose scenes narrate the creation of the world orchestrated by Neith. The west wall is the oldest wall of the building and contains scenes of offerings from the periods of Septimius Severus and Caracalla. The east wall shows a scene of a massacre, while in the corner is a calendar of the festivities celebrated. Its ceiling is perfectly intact; it has astronomical elements that explain the solar race and the constellations.
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