Abu Simbel: On October 22, 2026, the sun illuminated the face of Ramses II
On October 22, 2026, at daybreak, the sun's rays passed through the Great Temple of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt to illuminate the statue of Ramses II. Hundreds of visitors from several countries made the trip, some spending the night on-site so as not to miss the alignment, reports Africanews.
The phenomenon occurs only twice a year: on October 22 and February 22. Archaeologists see these as the dates of the pharaoh's birth and coronation, but sources do not agree on which corresponds to which, and several theories conflict regarding how the effect functioned at the temple's original location.
Architecture that leaves a god in the shadows
In the sanctuary, the light reaches the seated statues of the solar deities Ra-Horakhty and Amun-Ra, as well as that of Ramses II, while Ptah, associated with darkness, remains in the shadows all year round, notes the Egyptian site Egypt Independent. The temple was carved into the rock in the 13th century BCE, during the reign of Ramses II, the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, often described as the most powerful of ancient Egypt.
Dismantled and rebuilt in the 1960s
The monument visited today is not exactly where it was originally carved. In the 1960s, the filling of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge it: archaeologists dismantled and rebuilt it above the water line, according to Africanews. This relocation fuels some of the debates regarding the current precision of the alignment.
"An extraordinary day," summarized Egyptian guide Yasser Fouad, as quoted by Africanews. The influx also has an economic impact: it supports guides, hoteliers, and transporters in Aswan and Abu Simbel, more than a thousand kilometers away from the tourist circuits of Cairo.
Twice a year, Abu Simbel reminds us of one thing above all: the astronomical knowledge and expertise of the builders of the Nile Valley were not an accident, but an African scientific heritage for which the continent is responsible. The next appointment is February 22, 2027.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
