The project, conducted by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in partnership with the University of Tübingen, started six years ago.

It focuses on documenting, restoring, and preserving the temple's intricate artwork.

Through careful cleaning, the team has revealed the vibrant original colours of the temple's astronomical ceiling and interior columns, which had been hidden under soot, dirt, and dust layers for centuries.

Cleaning the inscriptions on the southern inner wall and part of the western rear wall uncovered for the first time detailed depictions of royal garments, crowns, and thrones of the gods.

These visuals provide insights into the design and symbolism of the attire worn by ancient rulers, enhancing the understanding of the temple’s rich iconography.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy commended the ongoing restoration efforts, noting that several inscriptions have been uncovered for the first time offering fresh perspectives on one of Egypt's most significant ancient temples.

Moreover, he affirmed the ministry's dedication to supporting the project, which not only preserves Egypt’s heritage but also boosts cultural tourism.

“One of the key discoveries during the restoration was a scene depicting the priests of Esna carrying the sacred boat of the god Khnum in a ceremonial procession,” said SCA Secretary-General Mohamed Ismail Khaled.

Khaled explained that this sacred event showed the city residents a rare glimpse of the god’s shrine, manifesting the religious rituals practised at the temple during the Ptolemaic era.

Meanwhile, Hisham El-Leithy, head of the Egyptian team of the mission, said the revealed details are part of the temple's offering scenes.

El-Leithy pointed out that, despite many hieroglyphic texts and symbols being hidden for centuries, the restoration has unveiled important features, including throne decorations, which carry significant meanings.

“One newly uncovered image depicts the king’s apron decorated with papyrus and lily symbols, signifying his rule over both Lower and Upper Egypt,” he revealed.

Additionally, Christian Leitz, the German head of the mission, shared his enthusiasm about the team's progress in restoring the temple's original colours.

He also stated that additional work is planned to clean the temple's six front columns.

Since the Esna Temple restoration began in 2018, impressive milestones have been achieved, including restoring the ceiling paintings illustrating ancient constellations and the goddess Nut and recovering 18 of the 24 interior columns.

This latest phase of restoration aims to preserve one of Egypt’s most important cultural landmarks and shed light on aspects of ancient Egyptian life, engaging scholars and visitors alike.