Abu Simbel Temple on 22 October 2008
Sun Festival of King Ramses II Celebration only Happens Twice a Year
Nov 11, 2008
When King Ramses II carved the great Sun Temple into the mountainside, he angled it so that twice a year on his birthday and his ascension date, the inner sanctum of the Temple would be lit by direct sunlight. Every year on 21 February and 21 October, the sun would cast light on three god statues in the inner sanctum: Amun-Ra, Ra-Herakhte and Ramses. The fourth god Ptah of darkness would never be lit. However, under threat of erosion by Lake Nasser, both temples (King Ramses II and Nefertari) were relocated to a hill higher up the Lake Nasser shoreline. For this reason the Sun Festival now takes place one day later – on 22 February and 22 October each year.
Early Rising
This is a first-hand account of the events of 22 October 2008. Tourists arrived in big groups to Abu Simbel, mostly by coach. These tourists started by leaving their Nile River cruise boats at 12:30 midnight, reached the convoys at the outer parameters of Aswan, and carried on their coach journey altogether three hours each way. Egypt guides distributed breakfast boxes to the tourists, and many left them on the bus once arrived at the Temple.
Cameras at the Ready
The Sun Festival is all about watching the sunrise, so many tourists brought their cameras with them. The crowd on 22 October 2008 was huge and teeming with international tourists, from French to Japanese. These temples were beautiful, and it was exciting to be part of this ancient event. At 5:30am, tourists started queuing outside Pharaoh King Ramses II’s Sun Temple. Sunrise was supposed to be 5:45am. The restless took trips into Nefertari Temple to walk off their excitement. Nefertari Temple, known as the Small Temple, also has four huge colossi flanking its front, two of the king and queen, and two more of the king wearing Upper and Lower Egypt crowns. A smoggy morning (like most Egyptian mornings) hinted at the sun’s late arrival.
Singing and Dancing
At 6am the sun finally made an entrance, at first a red burning dot on the horizon. Crowds cheered, and cameras flashed all around. A group of Egyptian men slapped their tambourines, dancing and singing. Clothed in all white, they sang while the sun made its slow climb. At the end of the event there were more musicians and whirling dervish dancers by the cafeteria to keep up the celebratory spirits.
Colours of the Temple
Luckily for everyone the sun was not in a hurry. Curiously the colours of the Sun Temple changed as the sun rose. First the temple was a soft rosy blush colour, then an angry red, a strong clear yellow, brilliant white and slowly reverted to a dusky orange. These varying colours captured on photos were extremely vivid. When sunlight hit the inner sanctum, guards quickly directed the queue of tourists into the temple. Photography inside was not permitted. The first chamber, the Hypostyle Hall also housed huge statues of the king. Once inside tourists could move about easily, and made a beeline to the inner sanctum where the four statues meditated.
Inner Sanctum
The heads of these three statues were bathed softly by natural sunlight. As the sun continued ascending, its light’s edges were unclear so sadly artificial lights were turned on, which made it difficult to see which was natural. Crowds dispersed quickly, making the long walk back to their coaches, while admiring sparkling Lake Nasser. Worthwhile going on a cruise for, as the Lake is not populated by many boats and the Abu Simbel Temples are a sight to behold.
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