A shaft of sunlight illuminated on Saturday the usually dark sanctum of the Karnak temple, an ancient complex in the southern city of Luxor, in a rare astronomical phenomenon that happens twice a year to mark the summer and winter solstice.
Deputy Luxor governor Hisham Abu Zeid attended the ceremony along with a number of archaeologists, astronomers, and Egyptologists.
Tourists gathered to watch the spectacle that has endured for thousands of years of Egyptian history.
The religious complex of Karnak, in Luxor, is the largest ancient religious site in the world.
Egyptologists say the solar alignment at the God Amun sanctum at Karnak coincided with the illumination of his sanctum at the Hatshepsut’s temple near the Nile town of Luxor.
Today’s event marks the beginning of winter solstice, an astronomical event that occurs in the northern hemisphere marking the longest night and shortest day of the year.
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