Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu's 4,600 old vessel transferred to the new Grand Egyptian Museum

Egyptian Pharaoh (king) Khufu’s 4,600-year-old vessel, also known as the Solar Boat, was shifted from the Giza pyramids to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement. The 42-meter (138-foot) long and 20-tonne boat,  intended to bring the Egyptian monarch to heaven, was moved by the GEMs staff team in approximately 48 hours.

King Khufu is believed to be the creator of the largest pyramid ever, The Great Pyramid of Giza. The intact wooden boat bears the name of the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom who ruled from 2589 to 2566 B.C. In the Great Pyramid, there are 5 underground chambers where Egyptians placed dismantled boat for Pharaoh's use in the afterlife which is believed to carry him to heaven. 

Boat preserved in largest of three Giza Pyramids

The boat which was being moved was preserved in the southern corner of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the three Giza Pyramids. On Sunday, the pharaonic solar boat, which was initially discovered in 1954 was transferred to the GEM. It will be exhibited at a museum at the Giza Plateau, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ statement published on Sunday, August 8. 

For several decades, the solar boat was exhibited at a museum inside popular Giza Plateau. As the antique vessel was transferred on a smart vehicle bound for an approximately 10-hour journey, the Egyptian ministry stated that the aim was to "protect and preserve the biggest and oldest organic artifact made of wood in the history of humanity for future generations.” 

Egypt inaugurated the GEM earlier this year but the facility had been under construction intermittently for 17 years. King’s boat meanwhile arrived at the GEM as a single piece in a metal cage in the early hours of Saturday, August 7, Atef Moftah, supervisor general of the GEM project said in the statement. The museum is expected to host 100,000 other artifacts as well for public viewing later this year. The process of transferring King Khufu’s Boat had been one of the most complex but in a way ‘unique’ archaeological engineering projects, Moftah, the general supervisor of the GEM project explained. 

Image: @Mariam_EGYguide/Twitter