"A Pharaonic phenomenon": celebrations of the sun perpendicular to the face of Ramesses II in Aswan

Tourists around the world are waiting for a unique astronomical phenomenon in Egypt that occurs twice a year, which is the sun perpendicular to the face of Ramesses II in the Temple of Abu Simbel in Aswan on October 22 and February 22.

If you are planning an Egypt tour, here are the 10 most important pieces of information about the phenomenon of sun perpendicularity:

1: The sun's rays are perpendicular to the Holy of Holies in Abu Simbel temples twice a year, on February 22 and October 22.

2: The sun's rays move 60 meters through the front corridor of the Temple of Ramesses II's entrance before reaching the Holy of Holies.

3: The Holy of Holies consists of a platform that includes a statue of King Ramses II sitting, a statue of the god Amun Ra, his sister Hor, and a statue of the god Ptah.

4: On that day, the sun perpendicular phenomenon takes 20 minutes and may reach 25 minutes.

5: There are two stories about the reason for the perpendicularity of the sun. The first is that the ancient Egyptians designed the temple based on the movement of astronomy to determine the start of the agricultural season and its fertilization, and the other is to start the harvest season. The second story is that these two days coincide with the day of the birth of King Ramesses II and the day of his accession to the throne.

6: The Temple of Abu Simbel sank after the High Dam was built as a result of the buildup of water behind the High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser. Between 1964 and 1968, the international organization UNESCO launched a 40 million dollars campaign in conjunction with the Egyptian government to save the artifacts from Abu Simbel and Nubia.

7: Moving the temple by dismantling the parts and statues of the temple and reassembling them in their new location at a height of 65 meters above the level of the Nile River. It is considered one of the greatest examples of archaeological engineering.

8: On August 1, 1817, the Italian explorer Giovanni Bellonzi was successful in finding the Abu Simbel temples among the sands of the south.

9: In 1874, explorer Amelia Edwards and her traveling companions observed the sun perpendicularity phenomenon and noted it in their book, "A Thousand Miles Above the Nile," which was published in 1899.

10: King Ramesses II constructed a temple for his beloved wife, Queen Nefertari, next to his large temple in Abu Simbel.

It is worth noting that the activities of the Sun Perpendicular Festival on the Statue of King Ramses II will begin today, Wednesday, on the occasion of the celebration of the phenomenon of the Sun Perpendicular to the face of the statue of King Ramses in his great temple in the tourist city of Abu Simbel, south of Aswan, under the patronage of the Minister of Culture, Dr. Nevin Al-Kilani, the Governor of Aswan Ashraf Attia, and Amr Al-Basiouni, Chairman of the General Authority for Cultural Palaces.

Visitors can explore these awe-inspiring temples during their Egypt travel packages, including Egypt Christmas tours and Egypt Easter tours, which are designed to celebrate the holiday season while exploring the country's historical sites.

It's worth mentioning that Egypt Nile cruise tours are a popular way to experience the beauty of the Nile River while having Egypt day tours to the key historical sites in Luxor and Aswan, allowing you to soak in the ancient wonders of Egypt.