Twice a year, a golden sunbeam illuminates a 3,000-year-old Egyptian temple

Hundreds of tourists and local residents gathered at dawn on Thursday at a temple in southern Egypt to observe a rare solar phenomenon. Some attendees spent the night outdoors near the site in anticipation of the event.

Twice a year, a golden sunbeam illuminates the interior of the 3,000-year-old Egyptian temple at Abu Simbel. This astronomical alignment is a long-standing tradition that has occurred at the location for millennia.