Another piece about how the sun shines into the inner sanctum of the main temple of Abu Simbel to light the face of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. This has become something of a spectacle, with 1000s of people attending the event:
"Around 6,000 tourists visit Abu Simbel during the festival, with just a lucky few getting inside for the fleeting 20 minutes that the statues are illuminated.
Mohammed Hamed, senior inspector of antiquities at Abu Simbel, said, 'The astronomical phenomenon represents the agricultural season, and the cultivation season for the ancient Egyptians. Certainly astronomically, the temple has been designed on the 23 latitude and when the sun moves from the south to north it is at a moderate time of Spring, and this lasts for one day on 21st February. And when the sun moves from north to south it is at a moderate time of Autumn.'
The 3,200-year-old temple is a marvel of ancient technology and a tribute to the scientific sophistication of the ancient Egyptians."
This is a short piece, but well worth the look because of the photographs, which shown the sun reaching the inner sanctum.
The story is accompanied by a video, which can be found at:
The story is accompanied by a video, which can be found at:
I couldn't get it to play in either Firefox or Explorer, even after disabling various security settings. I suspect that its just a setup problem, but this might prevent others from viewing the video too (Windows Media 9).
1 comment:
Magnificent. Usermaatra remains impressive even after millenia :)
Firefox movie has to do with java. Error on page of makers i think.
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