Abu Simbel was built by Ramesses II around 1264 BCE and designed so that twice a year, on the 22nd of October and the 22nd of February, the rising sun illuminates the innermost sanctuary, lighting three of the four seated statues within while leaving the fourth, the god of the underworld, in darkness. This astronomical alignment has been maintained for over three thousand years. When the temple was relocated in the 1960s to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, the alignment was preserved with a precision that required modern surveying technology and an engineering project involving 50 nations.
Official Attribution
Builder
Ramesses II
Date
c. 1264 BCE
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