The Abu Simbel Sun Festival

The Abu Simbel Sun Festival is a twice yearly event that marks the birthday and coronation of King Ramses II. The true impact of the festival is the moment the rising sun's rays enter the inner chamber and bathe four of the five statues in the beautiful morning sun. The fifth statue, the god of darkness, remains magically in the shadows.

The Abu Simbel Sun temple was built to commemorate King Ramses II victory in the battle of Kadesh. A true feat of architectural and construction brilliance the 13th Century temple was built on the banks of Lake Nasser and designed so that as the sunrises on his birth and coronation days the rays enter directly into the inner sanctum. So brilliant were the ancient Egyptians that when the temple was moved in the early 60s to make way for the rising waters of Lake Nasser, modern-day engineers and architects couldn't match their precision. The sun now enters a day late! It’s still pretty amazing though.