The Solar Alignment Miracle

Twice a year, something happens at Abu Simbel in southern Egypt that shouldn’t be possible. At sunrise on February 22 and October 22, a beam of sunlight enters the temple’s eastern doorway and travels straight through 60 meters of solid rock — through halls, corridors, and chambers — until it reaches the darkest room in the structure. The innermost sanctuary. And there, it lights up the faces of three stone gods who’ve been sitting in total darkness for the other 363 days of the year.