Abu Simbel:Aswan The sun illuminated the face of the statue of King Ramses II at his Great Temple in Abu Simbel, south of Aswan, on Thursday, October 22, 2026, during a rare astronomical phenomenon that occurs twice a year, on February 22 and October 22.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the phenomenon lasted 22 minutes, from 655 a.m. to 717 a.m., and was witnessed by around 6,000 Egyptians and foreign tourists. Millions more followed the event through television broadcasts and international media, with large screens at the temple displaying the spectacle.
The event was attended by Aswan Governor Amr Lashin and officials from the ministries of culture, tourism, and antiquities. Ahmed Massoud, director of Abu Simbel Antiquities, explained that this phenomenon has been occurring for nearly 33 centuries. At sunrise, sunlight travels through the temple's halls and corridors for more than 60 meters to reach the sanctuary, illuminating the statues of Ramses II and the gods Amun and Ra-Horakhty, while leaving the statue of Ptah, associated with darkness, in shadow.
The occurrence reflects the ancient Egyptians' astronomical and architectural expertise and their belief in the relationship between Ramses II and Ra, the sun god. Preparations for the event included mechanical and chemical cleaning and routine maintenance at the temples of Ramses II and Nefertari, as well as early ticket-office openings to facilitate visitor access.
Aswan Governor Amr Lashin noted that around 10 flights carrying approximately 3,000 tourists had arrived at Abu Simbel International Airport since Wednesday. Authorities also implemented security and crowd-management measures to ensure smooth visitor movement.
In conjunction with the solar phenomenon, the General Authority for Cultural Palaces launched the Aswan Culture and Arts Festival. The festival featured seven folk-art troupes from Aswan, Toshka, Port Said, Sohag, Sharqia, Matrouh, and New Valley. Performances were held at cultural venues across Aswan and culminated at the tourist market stage in Abu Simbel early Thursday.