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Mid-Winter Solstice Celebration Holiday 2008
A fabulous week holiday in Luxor visiting many ancient sites culminating in celebrating the mid-winter solstice at the magnificent temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
15th - 22nd December: Click here for details. |
Hatshepsut Temple
Mid-winter Solstice Alignment at Deir El Bahari
by David Furlong
Abstract
This paper examines the mid-winter solstice alignment within the Hatshepsut Temple at Deir El Bahari.
Background
Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir El Bahari, called by the Ancient Egyptians Djeser-djeseru, ‘sacred of sacreds’, is recognised as one of the architectural wonders of the world. Designed by Senenmut for one of Egypt’s most illustrious queens the temple was constructed around 1450 BCE. It is set against the backdrop of the Theban cliffs and rises in a series of three tiers. In the centre of the upper level is a doorway entrance that leads into an open court. Opposite the doorway and cut into the bedrock is a sanctuary chapel dedicated to the god Amun. The width of the open court is just under 23½ metres with the chapel extending a further 19 metres into the rock. When stood at the rear of the innermost chapel facing the entrance there is a clear aperture lens view through to the horizon of 2° ±¼°.
Hatshepsut’s temple is ideally placed to view astronomical events towards the eastern horizon, which includes Moon and Sun rise as well as the Orion constellation and the star Sirius. The alignment of the temple is set on an azimuth of 116½° ±½°, which when first discovered suggested a mid-winter sunrise alignment. Whilst such events can be postulated in theory they can only really be proved by being tested out on site at the relevant day of the year. The mid-winter solstice sunrise of 2007, set to 22nd December provided such an opportunity.
The Solstice Phenomenon at Hatshepsut’s Temple
On the day of the solstice a band of low cloud could be seen close to the horizon (see Fig. 2), which made it very difficult to make out the horizon even with binoculars. Calculations had suggested that the sunrise would occur at 06.32. In fact the first rays of the morning Sun were not visible until 06.33 when the Sun was perceived very close (±¼°) to the meridian line of the chapel (Fig. 4). However it is still not possible to determine whether this view showed the Sun breaking the horizon or cloud line. The orb of the Sun occupies about ½° of the ecliptic at the horizon, its light, in effect, occupying a quarter of the visible doorway entrance. The first rays of light from the Sun dramatically projected a reddish pink rectangle onto the rear wall of the chapel that very neatly fitted the width of a niche to be found there (Fig. 5). As the sun rose the projected rectangular light image, from the entrance doorway, slowly moved to the right before finally moving off the rear wall about 11 minutes after its first appearance. We can now be sure that this same event has occurred annually for the past three and half thousand years and will continue to do so in the future.
The precision of this phenomenon affirms the midwinter solstitial alignment of Hatshepsut’s temple and places this monument alongside many other notable worldwide monuments, such as the great burial mound of Newgrange in Ireland, Maes Howe in Scotland and Stonehenge in England. In addition we can be reasonably confident that other monuments within Egypt set to an azimuth of 116½° ±1° are aligned to the midwinter sunrise. In the Luxor area alone this includes the following temples:
- Central meridian line of the temple of Ipet Isut -117° (Karnak)
- The mortuary temple of Amenhotep III -116½° (Qurna)
- Horus Temple - 117° (Thoth Hill)
- The mortuary temple Montuhotep - 117° (Deir El Bahari)
- The mortuary temple Amenhotep 1 - 115½ º (Deir Medina)
In addition to the primary sanctuary of Amun at Hatshepsut’s temple, two other chapels, those of Hathor and Anubis, are on the same solstitial alignment reinforcing the significance of the midwinter sunrise at this temple.
The Light Box Phenomenon
Whilst the sunrise experience provided the main focus of the visit on the 22nd December one other significant feature within the temple design was observed. Set above the entrance doorway to the inner sanctuary is a rectangular aperture measuring approximately 45 x 30cm. The light from the rising sun penetrated through this box onto the upper part of the wall of the first of the inner chapels. The scene shows Tuthmosis III kneeling in supplication before the god Amun. From the photographic evidence the first rays of the Sun projected a bright light onto the meridian line of this scene before moving downwards and to the right to illuminate first the god Amun and then moving on to shine on Tuthmosis himself (Fig. 8). This phenomenon would be repeated each day, saving that the start position of the projected light would be a little lower on the wall as the altitude of the Sun changed.
A closer examination of this first wall showed another light box aperture had been created that would allow sunlight to penetrate through to the rear wall of the innermost chapel. Clearly this was not set to work at the mid-winter solstice but to some period before and after the 21/22 December date, when the innermost chapel would again be illuminated albeit in a slightly different way from the solstice. Initial calculations for when this phenomenon would occur, based upon the photographic evidence, suggest that the light box determines an altitude angle of about 9½°. If this is correct then the morning light of the sun should next penetrate through to the inner chamber around 27th January. In practice this phenomenon would be perceived around 36 days either side of the solstice. More exact measured calculations and observations are required to determine the precise day or days when this event would occur.
Summary
The photographic evidence obtained from the visit to the Hatshepsut’s temple on the 22nd December 2007 affirms this midwinter solstitial alignment of this temple. It adds considerable weight to the view that celestial phenomena played a significant part in determining the alignment of some of the temples of Egypt. The excellent view through to the horizon would most probably have been used to determine other celestial events such as the heliacal rising of Sirius. Further research is needed to uncover the significance of the light box and the way that it was used to illuminate the innermost chapel of the Amun sanctuary.
Further Reading
Orientation of Ancient Egyptian Temples 1: Upper Egypt and Lower Nubia (2005) by M Shaltout and J Belmonte.
Egyptian Temple Orientation: Astronomical Alignment in the Temples of Egypt (2007) by David Furlong
The Complete Temples of Egypt (2000) by Richard Wilkinson (pub. Thames and Hudson)
David Furlong
December 2007
Computer Programmes
Astronomy Programmes
Starry Night Complete Space and Astronomy Park Deluxe Edition 6
Red Shift Deluxe Edition 5.1
StarCalc ver 5.73
MyStars ver 2.7
Mapping
Google Earth Plus ver 3.0.0762
Azimuth Calculator
http://www.wherearewe.co.nz/greatcircle.html
Plans
Plans of the different Temple sites taken from Google Earth mapping Programme.
See http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html
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For further information please write to:
David Furlong
Myrtles, Como Road, Malvern Worcs WR14 2TH
or phone 01684-569105 or 07779789047
Email:
David Furlong |
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David has been taking groups to Egypt for more than 15 years
Predawn on 22nd December 2007. (Fig. 2)
The first rays of the morning Sun.
The Sun's image filling nearly a quarter of the lens apparture of the doorway from within the inner sanctuary. (Fig. 4)
View from within the inner sanctuary.
The projected light of the solstice sun onto the back wall of the chapel of Amun. (Fig 5)
View from within the inner chapel.
Picture of the light box on the inner wall of the first chapel area. (Fig. 8)
The doorway entrance to the inner chapel about an hour after dawn. The light box image just be made out.
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