The Egyptian governorates of Fayoum and Luxor celebrated from dawn this Thursday as the sun aligned with the Holy of Holies in the Karnak Temple in Luxor and the Qasr Qarun Temple in Fayoum. This phenomenon occurs every year on December 21, heralding the start of winter. This morning, the sun aligned with the Holy of Holies at the Qasr Qarun Temple, a unique astronomical event lasting about 25 minutes.
Since the discovery of the sun's alignment at Qasr Qarun in 2003, the governorate has shown interest in this unique phenomenon. It is similarly significant to the sun’s alignment at the Holy of Holies in Karnak Temple, and the celebrations for this event have been held for around 12 years. The temple is located on the southwestern side of Lake Qarun and dates back to the Greco-Roman period, consisting of three halls, the foremost being the Holy of Holies.
An Architectural and Astronomical Wonder
Qasr Qarun is an ancient temple featuring nearly a hundred chambers constructed to store grains and serve the needs of the priests at that time. The temple includes numerous mazes and crypts. Qasr Qarun dates back to the Ptolemaic era, and the palace’s rooms were used for grain storage. The phenomenon of the sun's alignment on the temple on December 21 each year is a unique architectural and astronomical event, marking the beginning of the winter season, which signals the official start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Karnak Temple
Residents of Luxor and foreign tourists also celebrated at Karnak Temple, east of Luxor, as the sun aligned with the Holy of Holies, indicating the start of winter. The sun's alignment at the Holy of Holies in Karnak occurs annually on December 21, announcing the winter solstice and the official beginning of winter. This solar alignment is an astronomical event where the sun is at its farthest angle from the equatorial plane, perpendicular to the Tropic of Capricorn. This phenomenon is observed on either December 21 or 22 each year, where the day is the shortest and the night the longest, and the sun reaches its lowest height at noon on the horizon.
Determining Crop Types
Experts assert that the annual solar alignment highlights the greatness of the ancient Egyptians, showcasing their full understanding of the sun's movement—more specifically, its apparent motion around the Earth. The Pharaohs constructed temples facing the sun to document astronomical phenomena or events relating to the birth of a deity or significant celestial events.
Experts believe that when temples were built in Egypt, they were not solely religious structures; rather, their construction was linked to natural phenomena, seasonal changes, and agricultural cycles. They served as messages to farmers to determine the types of crops to plant.
