Celebrate Abu Simbel Temple Sun Festival in Egypt

The huge statues of the King Ramses the great The 3,200-year-old astronomical ceremony happens twice a year – every February 22 and October 22 – at dawn at Abu Simbel temple on the bank of Lake Nasser in southern Egypt. Abu Simbel temple is hailed as one of the most impressive of Egypt’s ancient monuments and is well-known for its four colossal statues of Ramses II, the sun Gods Re-Horakhte and Amon-Re, and the Theban god of darkness Ptah, the only one who is not lit by the solar alignment.

Step into the heart of ancient Egypt's grandeur as the colossal statues of Ramses II in the Temple of Abu Simbel come to life in a stunning solar alignment. Join us on a journey through time and culture as we delve into the enchanting celebration of the Abu Simbel Sun Festival, an event that illuminates the profound connection between the sky and this magnificent archaeological marvel. You will discover the secrets of Abu Simbel, as well as the ancient Egyptian greatness in the art of architecture, engineering, and astronomy. It is truly an amazing visit. You cannot miss this opportunity during your Egypt trip.

History of the Temples of Abu Simbel

The temples of Abu Simbel were built by the great King Ramses II in the 19th dynasty, New kingdom The golden era of ancient Egypt to demonstrate his political control and divine backing to the ancient Nubians tribes who always used to rebel against any new Pharaoh so Ramses II wanted to show his power for these Nubian tribes he built these two temples in southern border of Egypt.

The two temples of Abu Simbel hewn into the sand stone mountain built between 1290 and 1224 BC. And the two temples of Abu Simbel were discovered in the early 1800s,by a Swiss explorer called John Lewis. In your Egypt travel packages you can know and discover more.

except the crown of the statues which is about 24 M high,The two temples now one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites and they had to be relocated in the 1960 s to make way for Lake Nasser, the artificial reservoir of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.

The Phenmenal Solar Alignment of Abu Simbel

Ramses II built his temple at Abu Simbel so that the internal chamber would light up two times a year: once on the anniversary of his ascension to his throne (in February, around the 22nd), and once on his birthday (in October, around the 22nd). Every year on Abu Simbel temple Sun Festival, crowds gather before sunrise to observe the stream of light gradually sneaking through the stone and enlightening the statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun in the central chamber. Only the statue of God Ptah – the god of darkness – remains in the shade even on these two special days of the year.

The Small Temple of queen Nefrtari her name means the most beautiful one of them, she was the minor wife of king Ramses the great and she was the only one who had a temple by her name.

Nefrtari temple stands nearby the great temple of Ramses at a height of 12 meters and 28 meters long. This temple is also adorned by colossi across the front facade, three on either side of the doorway, depicting Rameses and his queen Nefertari at a height 10 meters. The prestige of the queen is apparent in that, usually, a female is represented on a much smaller scale than the Pharaoh while, at Abu Simbel, Nefertari is rendered the same size as Ramesses. The Small Temple is also notable in that it is the second time in ancient Egyptian history that a ruler dedicated a temple to his wife The walls of this temple are dedicated to images of Rameses and Nefertari making offerings to the gods and to depictions of the goddess Hathor.

Want to experience the Abu Simbel Temple Sun Festival ?

So you have 2 chances every year to witness Ramses Sun Rise and enjoy this incredible festival in Egypt. The dates are February 22nd October 22nd so to can experience the Sun festival of Abu Simble you should arrange your travel date to be in Egypt at least 2 days before the starting dates of the festival and your tour operator will arrange your visit to the temples.