This Wednesday morning, in a rare astronomical phenomenon that has persisted for almost 33 centuries, the sun perfectly aligned with the face of King Ramses II at his Great Temple in the tourist city of Abu Simbel, south of Aswan. The phenomenon took place between 6:54 and 7:16 in the morning and lasted for 22 minutes. Dr. Fahmy Al-Amin, Director General of the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman Antiquities in Aswan, told the Middle East News Agency (MENA) that the historically recorded phenomenon, which occurs twice a year on the 22nd of February and the 22nd of October, was witnessed by several local leaders and officials, including Engineer Amr Lasheen, Deputy Governor of Aswan; representatives from the Ministries of Antiquities, Tourism, and Culture; around 4,000 Egyptian and foreign visitors; and millions more via television, global satellite channels, and media platforms. The phenomenon was also displayed on large screens in the temple courtyard. Dr. Ahmed Massoud, Chief Inspector of Abu Simbel Antiquities, explained that the alignment occurred with the first rays of sunlight at the start of the day. The sunlight penetrated the walls and halls of Ramses II&rsquo;s temple, which rises more than 60 meters, reaching the sanctuary and creating a flood of light on the statue of Pharaoh Ramses II. The sunlight then multiplied, forming a beam that illuminated the faces of other statues in the sanctuary&mdash;the gods Amun and Ra-Horakhty, revered by ancient Egyptians. However, the sun did not reach the statue of the god Ptah, who was considered the &ldquo;god of darkness&rdquo; by the ancients. Massoud emphasized that this astronomical miracle reflected the ancient Egyptians&rsquo; belief in a connection between King Ramses II and the sun god Ra. Relatedly, today marked the end of the Folk Arts Festival, which was coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and celebrated the sun's alignment with Ramses II's statue at Abu Simbel from the 17th to 22nd of February, under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Ismail Kamal, Governor of Aswan. Eight folk art troupes from Aswan, Luxor, Mallawi, Sohag, Kafr El-Sheikh, Port Said, Arish, and Anfoushi performed at different cultural locations throughout the governorate this year, with the performances ending in the courtyard of the Abu Simbel temple. In order to host Egyptian tourists and groups of tourists in full splendor during the festivities, Dr. Ismail Kamal, the governor of Aswan, gave all pertinent authorities instructions to increase readiness levels and adorn Abu Simbel. This astronomical alignment, which occurs twice a year, showcases the brilliance of ancient Egyptian innovation, combining art, science, astronomy, and engineering within the temple built by King Ramses II thousands of years ago.
Photo Credit: Middle East News Agency's official page
&nbsp;

On Air Now

Non-Stop Music

You May like

Schedule

Non-Stop Music