Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany has announced that an additional LE600,000 will be added to the compensation for expropriation of houses behind Khanoum temple in Isna city, south of Luxor.
The total amount to be paid in compensations is now estimated at around LE 3.1 million.
The minister declared the news at the end of his tour of Luxor on Saturday, before he travels to Aswan. Accompanied by several ministry officials, the minister surveyed the temple in advance of its planned restoration, and heard experts present the challenges involved in restoring the ancient place of worship.
During the visit, the minister also listened to the complaints of local bazaar owners, who would like the temple to be incorporated into the tourism plan for the area. He said he will meet with the Luxor governor and tourism minister to resolve the problem.
Dedicated to the ram-headed creator god, the Graeco-Roman Temple of Khnum was built during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius, according to Egypt Tourism Authoriity's official website.
All that remains of the temple is the hypostyle hall, a roof supported by 24 columns ornately decorated with scenes of the countryside and hymns to Khnum. The temple displays a blend of Graeco-Roman and ancient Egyptian engravings, with Roman floral and celestial scenes carved alongside hieroglyphs depicting temple rituals. The temple was excavated in the 1840s.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
