13/36.- Abu Simbel, Abu Simbel Temple, gods'
statues
61 meters inside the mountain sits the
sanctuary. Famous because on 22 February and 22
October the first sun rays of the day illuminate
the statues of Ramses II,
Amon Ra (the sun god), and
Ra-Harakhty (god of
the rising sun), leaving
Ptah (god of the
underworld and darkness) in the dark. The photo you
see was taken on March 22nd, the sun is
illuminating part of the statue of Ptah (far left),
but you can imagine what it looks like on Feb 22
and Oct 22.
When the temple was moved, experts calculated
the exact position and orientation to reconstruct
it, so that the twice-yearly event could take place
for some millenniums more.
On these two special dates a festival takes
place to celebrate the event. This festival not
only recalls the ancient Egypt religion, but
the Nubian culture. Nubians, who used to live in the area flooded by
the Aswan's High Dam, consider Abu Simbel the heart
of his lost land and meet here twice a year to
remember it.
[Next »]
|
