The Great Temple's Solar Alignment— Abu Simbel

-

The interior of the Great Temple of Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt.
It's not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
…but when it is, it's pretty spectacular. This tiny lakeside settlement's Great Temple of Ramesses II was positioned on the orders of that powerful pharaoh so the inner sanctum (in this picture, that's the small room at the very back) is lit by the sun only twice a year. On February 22 and October 22 (thought to be Ramesses' coronation and birth dates, respectively), the first light of dawn illuminates the sanctuary and three statues within: one of Ramesses, one of the sun god Ra, and one of the chief god Amun. A fourth statue depicting the underworld figure Ptah is permanently shrouded in shadow.

The temple is one of a pair resting on the man-made Lake Nasser's shores, the other honouring the pharaoh's wife Nefertari. When the Nile was dammed to create the lake in the 1960s, the whole complex was painstakingly moved to higher ground. While it's unclear if the relocation slightly altered the original timing of the Great Temple's solar alignment, tourists still descend in droves on the site every six months to witness the luminous event.

(© Nick Brundle Photography/Getty Image)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Little Hiding Wapusks (White Bears)

-
Image
Polar Bear Cubs Looking out of the Den, Wapusk National Park, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada "World Wildlife Day" tomorrow.  "Polar Bear Children Hiding in the Snow Cave", Manitoba, Canada Tomorrow, March 3, is "World Wildlife Day."  Enacted by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the Washington Treaty being adopted on March 3, 1973.  It is a day to raise awareness of various wildlife living in the natural environment ... This is  Wapusk   National Park in Manitoba, Canada.  "Wapusk" is an indigenous language that means "polar bears", and there are so many polar bears that it is called the "capital of polar bears."  They hunt on ice floes, but in recent years the effects of global warming have reduced ice floes and are threatening extinction. ( © Robert Harding / Alam)
Read more

Hinamatsuri— The Girl's Day

-
Image
Today is “Hina Festival”. “Hina Doll” It is a spring festival originally transmitted from China as "Kami". I t is called "peach festival" because it is performed at the time when peach blossoms bloom ... Originally, before the Heian period (almost 1,000 years back), it was performed regardless of gender in the same way as the Dango festival, but it gradually became a girl's festival. The custom of this day is to display dolls on a red carpet. The dolls with dresses of Emperor and Empress are placed at the top and the ladies with ministers are in lower rows of the shelf. It is said that the ebb and flow of the evil to the dolls and the doll play of the girls were linked. The Japanese are a bit superstitious here. They believe that if you're a girl and fail to take the dolls out of the shelf right after the festival, no one is going to marry you for a long period of time.  So hurry up girls!  Put the dolls away! ( © yoshi0511 / Shutterstoc)
Read more

The Colossal Splendour Of Conwy Castle

-
Image
Conwy Castle illuminated at night, Conwy Happy St David's Day! We’re celebrating St David’s Day here on the north coast of Wales in the spectacular walled town of Conwy. For more than seven centuries, Conwy Castle has towered over its narrow streets, against the mountainous skyline of Snowdonia. In its heyday it would have been white – lime render can still be seen on the walls – but even in its darker state it makes quite the impression, soaring out of a natural rock formation at the mouth of the River Conwy. Climb its battlements and you will be treated to sweeping views of the mountains, the sea, Conwy itself and the castle’s roofless Great Hall. You’re never too far from a castle in Wales – there are around 600 of them, many of which will be flying the Welsh flag on St David’s Day. Other ways to celebrate Wales’s patron saint include wearing a daffodil or a leek, the country's national emblems, taking part in parades, concerts or simply feasting on Welsh cakes,
Read more