Isnā

Esna lies on the western bank of the Nile south of Luxor. In antiquity it was known as Latopolis, and its temple was dedicated to Khnum, the ram-headed creator god. The temple was built over several centuries under Ptolemaic and Roman rulers, and its decorated hall stood amid the later town. The river town also became a market for caravans arriving from the south.

By the late eighteenth century caravans from Sennar assembled at Ibrim before travelling north to Esna, their principal market in Egypt. They brought gum arabic, senna and camels as well as enslaved people, who had been seized from communities beyond the sultanate. Merchants carried textiles and manufactured goods on the return journey, connecting the Nile Valley to the lands of Sudan.