Sunlight Illuminates Ancient Egyptian Temple in Rare Phenomenon

Hundreds of tourists and locals congregated at dawn on Thursday at a temple in southern Egypt to witness a solar phenomenon that has occurred for millennia.

Twice a year, on Oct. 22 and Feb. 22, a beam of sunlight enters the inner chamber of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, illuminating the statues of the pharaoh and two gods beside him. The dates are believed to correspond with the ascension of Ramesses II to the throne and his birthday.

The illumination, a result of the temple's precise alignment with the sun, lasts approximately 20 minutes. Participants, some of whom had slept outside the temple overnight, observed the event with cameras in hand.

Colorfully dressed performers danced in front of the temple to the sounds of chimes and traditional Egyptian instruments. Inside the temple, visitors stood in near-total darkness, observing the sunbeam as it traveled about 60 meters (200 feet) into the sanctuary to light up the statues of Ramesses II, Amun-Ra, and Ra-Horakhty.

Many attendees expressed awe at the sight. Janice Souudi, who traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, described her first visit to Egypt as memorable, stating she was particularly impressed by the temple's preserved carvings, hieroglyphics, and imagery.

In the 1960s, the temple was relocated as part of a major engineering project to save it from rising waters caused by the Aswan High Dam. Efforts were made to maintain its solar alignment, ensuring the phenomenon continues over 3,000 years after the temple's construction.