Welcome to Abu Simbel in Egypt and the Great Temple of Ramesses II

It's not always sunny here… …but when it is, it's pretty spectacular. Welcome to Abu Simbel in Egypt and the Great Temple of Ramesses II, positioned on the orders of that powerful pharaoh so that the inner sanctum (the small room at the very back of this image) is lit by the sun only twice a year.

On 22 February and 22 October (thought to be Ramesses' coronation and birth dates), the first light of dawn illuminates the sanctuary and three statues: 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.

The temple is one of a pair resting on Lake Nasser's shores - the other honours the pharaoh's wife, Nefertari. When the Nile was dammed to create the lake in the 1960s, the whole complex was painstakingly moved to higher ground. While it's unclear if the relocation slightly altered the original timing of the Great Temple's solar alignment, tourists still descend in droves on the site every six months to witness the luminous event