Engineering non-oxide ceramics have recently been implied in many advanced applications based on their high temperature capability, outstanding strength, and low fabrication cost. As solar energy has become an economic trend and a clean source of energy; the utilization of ceramic materials as solar receivers in a solar thermal system has been widely considered. Various ceramic materials have shown their ability as heat absorber material due to their oxidation resistance, bending strength, thermal conductivity, and solar absorptance. Ceramics as Si₃N₄ and SiC can be valuable solar receiver materials; however, due to the high sintering temperature required for Si₃N₄ and the non-oxidizing nature of SiC; modification of these ceramics with AIN, oxide materials, and other additives is required. One of the highly promising trials that have proved its ability in a solar thermal system is modifying Si₃N₄ with Al₂O₃ and AIN that typically results in developing sialon-based ceramics. The latter materials have modified the flaws in many solar receiver ceramics as they have lower sinterability, lower fabrication cost, and easier densification compared to other solar receiver materials. The present work is an overview of the ceramic materials and composites applied as solar receivers, in addition to the characteristics required for the selected material "sialons" and the previous work achieved in this field.