I
have tried to explore the way Hajar el Hibla would be illuminated with
pictures illuminated by the sun on a model wooden model..
At
the winter Solstice, a person standing at the top will have either a shadow
which is all along the stone or the upper surface is totally in shade and the
shadow of the person at the top of the stone will be at the ground beneath.
In
any case, I have no doubt that the solstice could be recognized by looking at
how the sun lit the stone in the morning. Ritual would be used to emphasize the
event. Perhaps the priests and or priestesses clamed the credit for the suns
return. In this picture the sun is aligned with top of the model of the stone.
The shadow cast by the person is on the ground at the other end of the stone.
If my
information as to the exact position of Hagar el Hibla is not right the very
theatrical images could have been achieved if the figure stood on a small
platform
These
very strong images
In
any event the stone would have provided a reference point against which to
compare the sun rise each day. The fact that it was left connected to the
bedrock emphasizes this.
In
this picture the rays of the sun are just below.
In the next as the sun is only a few degrees higher the
figure leaves a shadow all along the stone.
