On August 7, 2021, the solar boat of King Khufu was transferred from its museum in the Giza plateau to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GME).
Who is King Khufu (Cheops)?
King Khufu is the 2nd king of the 4th Dynasty, the Old Kingdom period (2585-2560 BC). He ruled Egypt after his father, King Sneferu, for about 40 years. His mother is Queen Hetepheres I, who has a wonderful collection displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
He is the owner of the Great Pyramid of the Giza Plateau, the only remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The history of the solar boat:
This boat was discovered on May 26, 1654, in a shaft covered with stone blocks south of the pyramid of Khufu by archaeologist Kamal al-Malakh.
This boat was disassembled into 1224 pieces by the ancient Egyptians. Also, Kamal al-Malakh found beside the boat oars and ropes used to assemble it.
The boat is made of cedar wood imported from Lebanon. No nails were used in the manufacture of this boat, but the interlocking and ropes were relied upon. Its length is 44 meters while its width is 6 meters.
The boat contains 10 oars, 5 on each side. These oars take the form of a spear, which was the tool used by the god Horus to kill the god Set.
The restorer of this boat, Ahmed Youssef, proved that the boat was used before, so this is proof that it was the boat transported the mummy of King Khufu to be buried in the pyramid.
Transfer the boat to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GME):
The Solar Boat Museum in the Giza plateau was not equipped to display this boat, so it was necessary to move the boat from this location to avoid its damage. The museum was closed in August 2020 to begin rehabilitation work on the ship for transportation.
After several studies, the Committee of the Ministry of Antiquities decided to move the boat in one piece to avoid being damaged when it was dismantled.
The boat was packed as one piece, placed inside an iron cage to protect it during transportation, and put on a truck specially made in Belgium for transporting it.
This boat will be exhibited with the second boat of King Khufu in a special hall in the Grand Egyptian Museum (GME) called Khufu boats museum hall.