Abu Simbel: The Two Temples, the Ticket and the Sun Festival

The Great Temple of Ramesses II

The facade is 33 m high and 38 m wide, cut straight into the cliff, with four seated colossi of Ramesses II each 20 m (66 ft) tall. Below and between them stand smaller figures of family members, and above the door a statue of Ra-Horakhty. The facade is the first thing visitors photograph, and it is the view that made the rescue move famous.

Inside, the hypostyle hall measures 18 m by 16.7 m and its ceiling rests on eight Osirid pillars, each carved with the pharaoh in the pose of Osiris. The walls carry reliefs of battle scenes. Deeper in, a second hall leads to the sanctuary at the very back, which holds four seated figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified Ramesses, Amun-Ra and Ptah. This is the room the sun reaches on the alignment days, and the layout explains why. The axis was cut so the dawn light would travel the full length of the temple twice a year.

The temple sits today under a concrete dome 55 m across and 19 m high, an artificial hill of about 300,000 tonnes of material covering it. From the forecourt, Lake Nasser stretches south, and the Sudan border lies roughly 20 to 40 km away depending on the source you believe.

The Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari

Close to the Great Temple stands the second monument, dedicated to the goddess Hathor and to Queen Nefertari, who is personified as Hathor. It is rare in Egyptian architecture for a queen to be shown on the same scale as the king, and here she is. The facade has six standing figures about 10 m tall, four of Ramesses II and two of Nefertari.

The interior is smaller and plainer than its neighbor. A hall with Hathor-headed pillars leads to side chambers and a sanctuary with a statue of the goddess. Reliefs show the queen and king making offerings. The relocated temple sits under a protective dome 21 m across and 6.6 m high, covered by the same artificial hill as the Great Temple.

Sources conflict on the statue height. Wikipedia records Nefertari's statue at 4 m beside the Hathor figures, while one visitor guide puts all six figures at about 10 m. Both agree on the unusual point: a queen shown at monumental scale, which almost no other temple in Egypt does. The walk between the two temples is short and there is little shade.

The Move of 1964 to 1968

When the Aswan High Dam was completed in 1970, the reservoir behind it, Lake Nasser, would have risen up to 60 m over the original position of Abu Simbel and drowned the temples. Between 1964 and 1968 an international operation cut both monuments out of the cliff and rebuilt them higher up. The project finished 18 months ahead of schedule.

The figures for the move vary by source, and you should know the spread rather than one tidy number. Wikipedia says the temples were cut into 1,036 blocks, 807 from the Great Temple and 235 from the Small Temple, with the smallest block weighing 7 tonnes. One guide gives 1,042 blocks and another only says more than 1,000. On the lift, Wikipedia records the Great Temple moved 208 m inland and 65 m higher, while two guides say 180 m and about 64 m, or 65 m and 200 m. The cost is also split: Wikipedia gives US$41.7 million, one guide US$40 million.

What is not in dispute is the result. The temples stand on a new ridge above the water, the two domes hidden under a shaped hill so the setting still reads as natural rock. UNESCO inscribed Abu Simbel with the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae in 1979. Philae's own temples were moved separately to Agilkia Island between 1977 and 1979.

Key Figures for Both Temples

The table pulls together the main dimensions and dates for a visit, drawn from Wikipedia, the Egyptian ministry price list and visitor guides. Where sources disagree, both figures are shown so you can see the spread.

What Happens at the Alignment

The builders cut the temple axis so that on two mornings each year the sun crosses 55 m of rock and reaches the inner sanctuary. The light falls on three of the four seated statues, Ra-Horakhty, the deified Ramesses and Amun-Ra, and stays for about 20 minutes. Ptah, the god of the underworld, remains in shadow.

Nothing else is added on those mornings. There is no ceremony staged by priests, no music, no ritual. What you get is the same stone sanctuary that any visit shows you, lit from within by a shaft of sunlight instead of electric lamps, and expect a crowd. The day starts very early.

The sun reaches the sanctuary on the same two dates each year.

The Sun Festival Ticket

The two alignment mornings need a separate, more expensive ticket. The ministry price list shows the sun alignment ticket at EGP 1,200 for foreign adults and EGP 600 for students, against the normal EGP 750 and EGP 375. One independent guide quotes EGP 1,272 for the festival ticket, so carry some margin in your budget.

Crowds are the real price on the alignment mornings. If the alignment matters to you, book accommodation and transport well ahead. If it does not, an ordinary day is the calmer choice. For a trip built around the temples without the festival crowds, the 4-day Nile cruise with Abu Simbel includes the site at $690 per person, and the guide to the Nile river cruise explains how the boats reach it.

Normal Ticket Versus Festival Ticket

The table sets the ministry price list figures for an ordinary visit against the sun alignment days, with the conflicting guide figures noted.

Hours, Heat and Practical Notes

The ministry price list opens Abu Simbel from 6:00 to 17:00. Two guides disagree: one says the gates open at 5:00, another says last entry is at 16:00. The early opening fits the way nearly everyone visits, arriving on the 4:00 road convoy from Aswan, so plan on being first in line at dawn regardless of which figure holds.

The booth takes cards only, according to a 2026 visitor guide, so carry a card rather than counting on cash. Parking costs EGP 25 for a car, EGP 75 for a minibus and EGP 100 for a bus. Photography inside is allowed only with mobile phones, per Wikivoyage, and a drone is illegal anywhere in Egypt without Ministry of Defence permission, with fines of EGP 5,000 to 50,000.

Heat is the main physical challenge. Aswan's average summer highs stay above 40 C and its record is 51 C. Carry water and a hat outside. Few visitors stay more than a few hours on site and two hours is a reasonable minimum for both temples. The best time to visit Egypt guide has the month-by-month temperatures.

Road or Plane from Aswan

Most visitors come by road, in a convoy that leaves Aswan around 4:00, because the desert highway is closed to tourists from 17:00 to 5:00. The drive takes 3.5 to 4 hours each way, so a road day trip eats most of a day. Public buses also run, with departures at 4:00 and 11:00, and convoy buses must leave Abu Simbel by 16:00 at the latest. Foreigners generally cannot drive themselves and must use the convoy or a hired driver arranged through a local agency. Hotel-arranged minibuses from Aswan are listed at EGP 150 to EGP 350 each way, and a private car around EGP 2,500 return. The flight is faster: EgyptAir and Air Cairo flights from Aswan take about 45 minutes. For more on the river itself, see the guide to a Nile river cruise.

The table compares the two ways from Aswan. Drive and flight times come from the published sources cited on this page.

Tickets, Hours and Heat

The ministry price list shows Abu Simbel at EGP 750 for foreign adults and EGP 375 for students. A special ticket covers the 22 October and 22 February sun alignment days at EGP 1,200 for foreign adults and EGP 600 for students. Parking costs EGP 25 for a car, EGP 75 for a minibus and EGP 100 for a bus. One 2026 guide reports the ticket booth takes cards only, so carry a card rather than counting on cash. Opening hours are given as 6:00 to 17:00 on the ministry list, though other guides say the site opens at 5:00 or stops entry at 16:00, so aim for the earliest slot either way. Allow at least 2 hours on site.

Heat is the real constraint. Aswan's average summer highs stay above 40 C and its record is 51 C, so the 4:00 departure is not just about the road closure. November to March is the comfortable season, and the page on the best time to visit Egypt breaks the months down.

What Each Tour Covers

The table lists every tour on this site that touches Abu Simbel, with the card price per person and how it is handled. Figures come from each tour's own listing.

Who Should Pay for the Flight

The 45-minute flight from Aswan suits travellers short on time or visiting outside the cool months, since it avoids the 3.5 to 4 hours of driving each way. It costs extra on tours that do not include it, and on the 7-day private Egyptologist tour the optional Abu Simbel flight is booked for an unstated surcharge, so ask before booking. Road-based visits are built into tours such as the 9-day private Egypt cruise tour, which also bundles its domestic flights, so the honest comparison is not flight versus road but which tour already pays for the transfer.

On the 4-day cruise the Abu Simbel leg runs by air-conditioned bus, with a 4:15 AM departure.