Ramesses at the border
Near the Sudanese border, Ramesses II cut two temples into a sandstone cliff: one for himself and the gods, one for his queen Nefertari. Four seated colossi, each twenty meters high, faced travelers coming north up the Nile.
The message was clear: this was the power of Egypt, and it began here.
The sun festival
Twice a year, around 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun travels sixty meters into the temple and lights the statues in the sanctuary, leaving only Ptah, god of the underworld, in shadow.
The whole temple was moved sixty-five meters higher in the 1960s to escape Lake Nasser, and the alignment still works, one day off from the original.
People cry when the light reaches the gods. It has done that for three thousand years.
Practical notes
Abu Simbel is about three hours by road from Aswan, or a short flight.
- Stay the night to see the temples empty at dawn and lit after dark.
- On festival days arrive hours early; the crowd gathers well before sunrise.
