Abu Simbel Sun Festival

Abu Simbel temples are two incredible statues located in the Nubian village called Abu Simbel on the western bank of Lake Nasser. It is part of the Nubian Monuments that are actually part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 13th century, Abu Simbel temples were carved out of the mountainside and this occurred under the reign of king Ramesses II who ruled Egypt during the 19th dynasty. The two temples were dedicated to Egyptian deities including Amun, Ptah, and Re-Harakty in the greater temple, and the smaller temple as actually dedicated to the goddess Hathor.

Abu Simbel Sun Festival

Abu Simbel temples are in fact two great temples that were built for the king himself and his beloved queen Nefertari, King Rameses II built them for specific reasons:

• He built his adorable great temple to commemorate his victory after winning the Battle of Kadesh to let the whole world remember how good he was while ruling Egypt and he actually succeeded in such a matter.
• He built the smaller temple of Abu Simbel to show how deeply his love was to his beautiful wife Nefertari and that he wanted to build special monuments only for her including her memorable temple and her amazing tomb in the Valley of the Queens which is considered one of the most beautiful temples that have ever been built by a man.

The most interesting thing that occurs only twice a year at Abu Simbel great temple is Abu Simbel Sun Festival that hundreds of people come from all parts of the world to witness and here are some brief notes about Abu Simbel Sun Festival and what happens during it.

When is the Abu Simbel Sun Festival Held??

Inside the great temple of Ramesses II, people gather twice a year and to be more specific on February 22nd and October 22nd to witness the sun enlightening the inner part of the temple including the three statues of the three Egyptian deities except for the fourth statue of the god Ptah who used to be the god of darkness. Large crowds gather on the sunrise in the early morning in front of the main gate of the great temple of Abu Simbel to contemplate the vastness of the ancient Egyptian world, in addition to witnessing the innovation and intelligence that created the beautiful space. When the sun rises in the sky of Aswan, the three statues are enlightened and people start dancing, celebrating, eating, and drinking and the whole day is full of fun & excitement. While witnessing the festival, you will find some traditional dancers & singers trying to perform the best of what they can in order to show their talent and to attract more tourists. There you’ll also get the chance to try some of the best Egyptian food and meet the locals who will introduce some of the most interesting parts of the Egyptian culture and civilization. Another mesmerizing feature of the temple is that the four statues guarding the doorway to the larger of these temples are the largest sculptures that survive from the pharaonic era.

How to Experience the Amazing Abu Simbel Sun Festival?

The Sun Festival is one of the greatest celebrations that you can attend in Egypt in addition to other fascinating celebration sand festivals that you shouldn’t miss and we are specialized in creating the best holiday packages with day tours and excursions from any coastal resorts along the Red Sea, so whatever you are in Hurghada, El Gouna, Makadi Bay, Soma Bay, Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam or any destination in the Red Sea, then we can make you enjoy the best day tour and excursion with the best services, tour guides ever, also if you plan to travel to Hurghada during the sun festival, then our Hurghada holiday packages is your best choice, check them and book now.