The event occurs twice a year, when the temple’s inner sanctums are perfectly aligned with the sun’s rays.
Celebrated since the time of ancient Egypt, over 3,200 years ago, Abu Simbel Sun Festival takes place twice a year, in February and October at the spectacular temple of Ramses II in the south of Egypt. The temple is reachable both by road and air; flight timings are such that tourists can spend two hours here. These enormous rock-cut temples, constructed by the greatest of the pharaohs, Ramses II, marked the southern border of the Egyptian Empire with Nubia at the height of its power. The event occurs twice a year, when the temple’s inner sanctums are perfectly aligned with the sun’s rays. The clever craftsmanship is such that the light, which streams in reflects only on the statues of Ra (the Sun God), Amun (God of the Air), and Pharaoh Ramses II.