Abu Simbel Sun Festival
The Festival:
The Abu Simbel Sun Festival at Aswan is one of the most astounding festivals in the world. Egypt is observed twice every year on 22nd Of February and on 22nd of October, the dates that mark the emperor’s birthday and his ascension to the throne. On these days, shafts of sunlight enter into the temple and illuminate the statues of the great king Ramses II and the two sun gods Re-Horakhte and Amen-Re seated beside the Theban god Ptah, the god of darkness.
As the temple remains in absolute darkness through out the year and receives sunlight on these two very special days, the rare phenomenon is a scene that you just cannot afford to miss. Celebrated in a big way by the locals, undoubtedly the Sun Festival at Abu Simbel is one of the most uncommon and astounding festivals in the world.
To be a part of Egypt’s Abu Simbel Sun Festival, reach the temple way before dawn, as it is packed with crowd and watch the spectacular event occur before your eyes. You may also join in the celebrations of dance, music, food and fun later in the day to have a wholesome experience at the Abu Simbel Sun Festival in Egypt.
The Temple
Abu Simbel Temple is An architectural wonder, was built by the Egyptian emperor Ramses II back in 1250 BC along the banks of the mighty river, Nile in the southern part of Egypt. Known for his genius concepts in architecture and a passion for erecting monuments and structures commemorating his victories in the battles fought, the Pharaoh built the Abu Simbel temple near the Nubia borders in Upper Egypt, during his rule from 1270 to 1213.
As the temple was meant to be dedicated to the two Egyptian sun gods, Re-Horakhte and Amen-Re; the entire building was carved out of a single sandstone in a way that the sunrays could enter the inner-most sanctum of the temple and illuminate the seated statues of king Ramses II and the two sun gods, only on two significant days of the year.
Ramses, who ruled Egypt for 66 years from 1270 to 1213 BC (about 50 years after the death of Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut) made a name for himself by battling the Hittites and the Syrians, Egypt's enemies to the north.
To celebrate his victories, Ramses erected monuments up and down the Nile with records of his achievements. He completed the hypostyle hall at Karnak (Thebes), and completed the funerary temple of his father, Seti I, at Luxor on the West Bank of the Nile.
The spectacle—which has endured more than 3,200 years of Egyptian history—draws thousands of tourists to Abu Simbel to watch this ancient tribute to a pharaoh whose name is still known up and down the Nile Valley for his military exploits and monumental building projects.
Four colossal statues of Ramses, each 66 feet (22 meters) high, guard the entrance to the temple. Rising to the pharaoh's knees are smaller statues of family members: his mother; favorite wife, Nefertari; and son, Prince Amonherkhepshef.
Inside the temple, three connected halls extend 185 feet (56 meters) into the mountain. Images of the king's life and many achievements adorn the walls. A second temple at Abu Simbel is dedicated to Nefartari, who appears to have been Ramses' favorite wife.
Monumental Move
The Abu Simbel temples do not sit in their original location. Egypt's growing need for electricity prompted the controversial construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s.The dam created Lake Nasser, and rising waters flooded a number of important archaeological sites along the banks of the Nile and displaced thousands of people who lived in the area. The rising waters threatened the temples at Abu Simbel. Members of the United Nations Education, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) orchestrated a massive construction project that moved the temple back 690 feet to its present site.
Piece by piece, craftsmen cut the temple, and the nearby temple of Nefertari into massive blocks of sandstone up to thirty tons. Both temples were carefully reassembled on a new steel and cement "mountain," safe from the water's edge.
The only result of the move is that the days of illumination have shifted by one—the illumination used to occur on February and October 21.
Sound and Light Show in Abu Simbel
The Sound and Light show at Abu Simbel will convey you to the time of the pharaohs. Enchanting you with melodious music, and bringing the ancient world to life around you, the show includes projections into the temples showing how they once looked. The program is presented in a number of languages with the provision of ear pieces. It is an experience not to be missed, one that will make your visit to Abu Simbel the memory of a lifetime.
Legend
Like other sites in Egypt, Abu Simbel survived in great condition until modern times. When Greeks visited the site in the 6th century BC, mounds of sand had grown so high that the knees of Ramses' statues were covered.
When Victorian traveler Amelia Edward visited Abu Simbel in 1873, the site was so captivating that it left her breathless: 'It was wonderful to wake every morning close under the steep bank, and, without lifting one's head from the pillow, o see that row of giant faces so close against the sky,' she said. 'They showed unearthly enough by moonlight; but no half so unearthly as in the grey of dawn. At that hour, the most solemn of the twenty-four, they wore a fixed and fatal look that was little less than appalling. As the sky warmed, this awful look was succeeded by a flush that mounted and deepened like the rising flush of life. For a moment they seemed to glow – to smile – to be transfigured. Then came a flash, as of thought itself. It was the first instantaneous flash of the risen sun. It lasted less than a second. It was gone almost before one could say that it was there. The next moment, mountain, river, and sky, were distinct in the steady light of day; and the colossi - mere colossi now - sat serene and stony in the open sunshine. Every morning I waked in time to witness that daily miracle.'
When Victorian traveler Amelia Edward visited Abu Simbel in 1873, the site was so captivating that it left her breathless: 'It was wonderful to wake every morning close under the steep bank, and, without lifting one's head from the pillow, o see that row of giant faces so close against the sky,' she said. 'They showed unearthly enough by moonlight; but no half so unearthly as in the grey of dawn. At that hour, the most solemn of the twenty-four, they wore a fixed and fatal look that was little less than appalling. As the sky warmed, this awful look was succeeded by a flush that mounted and deepened like the rising flush of life. For a moment they seemed to glow – to smile – to be transfigured. Then came a flash, as of thought itself. It was the first instantaneous flash of the risen sun. It lasted less than a second. It was gone almost before one could say that it was there. The next moment, mountain, river, and sky, were distinct in the steady light of day; and the colossi - mere colossi now - sat serene and stony in the open sunshine. Every morning I waked in time to witness that daily miracle.'
Timetable
Show | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
Day | The shows are presented in all languages (English-French-German-Italian-Spanish-Russian-Japanese-Arabic | ||
Saturday | |||
Sunday | |||
Monday | |||
Tuesday | |||
Wednesday | |||
Thursday | |||
Friday | |||
Show in winter From 1/10 To 30/4 | 7:00 | 8:00 | 9:00 |
Show in summer From 1/5 To 30/9 | 7:00 | 8:00 | 9:00 |
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