…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.
It s not always sunny in Abu Simbel…
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
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Get amped for Glastonbury
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Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
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Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Batten down the hatches
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Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
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Happy Juneteenth!
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International Day of the Tropics
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Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, New York
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Celebrating 78 years of Everglades National Park
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Birds of a feather flocking together
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Protecting endangered giants
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Bird’s-eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
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Negratín Reservoir, Granada, Spain
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Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
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In the Himalayas for International Mountain Day
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American bison, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Glacial rivers in Iceland
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Tour de France 2024 begins
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An aviation celebration
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World Environment Day
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Bryce Canyon National Park turns 100
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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A day for our oceans
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’Chess on ice’
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Juniper Springs, Florida
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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The parenting of a piping plover
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Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument anniversary
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Badlands National Parks 45th anniversary
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

