Published 19th Feb. 2026
Written by Cara Burdon
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Set just a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Aswan, Abu Simbel is the kind of place that reminds us why we travel: to be awed, humbled and feel part of a world far bigger than ourselves. As if this historic temple complex wasn’t spectacular enough, it also happens to be the site of a biannual Sun Festival – and, luckily for us, our Egypt expert Cara has given us the lowdown on this jaw-dropping phenomenon. Ready to learn more? Read on for our guide to the Abu Simbel Sun Festival…
Completed around 1244 BCE, Abu Simbel’s two immense rockcut temples sit above the waters of Lake Nasser. To this day, they remain one of Egypt’s most evocative heritage sites, forming part of the UNESCO-protected Nubian Monuments.
As you stand in front of the main temple, you can’t help but feel small – four gigantic statues of Ramesses II stand tall at its entrance, as if guarding ancient Egypt’s turbulent and mysterious history. Even if you’ve seen the photos, nothing prepares you for their scale or presence. The smaller (but no less mighty) temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified by Nefertari, Ramesses’s favourite wife.
Image by Jerome Galland.
So what does the Sun Festival actually entail? Twice a year – on the 22nd of February and the 22nd of October – Abu Simbel is the stage for one of ancient Egypt’s most captivating cosmic tricks. As the sun rises, a beam of light travels through the temple and floods the sanctuary inside, illuminating the statues of Ramesses and the gods while keeping Ptah, the god of darkness and death, in shadow.
Travellers from all around the world gather at dawn on these dates, coffee in hand, to mark the Abu Simbel Sun Festival and wait for the exact, cathartic moment when the chamber starts to glow.
Some suggest that these dates mark Ramesses’s birthday and coronation, respectively, though nothing is confirmed – like much of ancient Egypt’s history, Abu Simbel leaves a lot shrouded in mystery.
Witnessing the sanctuary ignite with sunlight is a moment that stays with you long after you leave. This feeling was documented by British writer and explorer, Amelia Edwards, who described the phenomenon in her 1874 novel A Thousand Miles up the Nile, describing how a ‘long, level beam...pierces the inner darkness like an arrow.’
Abu Simbel’s recent history is as dramatic as its ancient past. In the 1960s, the construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge the temples beneath the rising waters of Lake Nasser. In one of the most extraordinary engineering and UNESCO-led rescue missions in history, the entire complex was cut into massive blocks, moved piece by piece, and reassembled on higher ground – preserving its alignment with the sun and ensuring its story continues.
Image by Theerawat Kaiphanlert / Getty Images.
Header image by eugen_z/stock.adobe.com.
When it comes to Egypt’s Nile, we’ve secured full bragging rights with exclusive access to the Steam Ship Sudan, the last of the authentic paddle steamers which also served as inspiration for Agatha Christie. If it’s the lesser-known sites you’re after, we can instead bag you a cabin onboard the Flâneuse du Nil, a traditional dahabieh sailing boat that plies the Nile. We’ve also got the best guides under our belt for exclusive access to the Pyramids, temples and tombs of Egypt, and our handy app is home to an ever-growing list of tried and tested shops, restaurants and more.
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