The Great Egyptian Museum (GEM) received the boat of King Khufu. King Khufu’s boat, an ancient ship that is the oldest and largest wooden boat found in Egypt. It is over 4600 years old and should be displayed properly, corresponding to its value in the GEM.
“The transport project aims to protect and preserve the largest and oldest organic artifact made of wood in human history for future generations,” the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement.
Atef MOFT, general manager of the GEM project and its environs, explained that the transfer of King Khufu’s Boat is one of the most complex and unique archaeological engineering projects.
He stressed that the working group left nothing to chance or experience. The MOFT explained that it took a year of planning and preparation to provide all the means to protect the boat.
It took 48 hours to deliver the 42-meter cedar boat to her new permanent home.
The boat was transported as a whole in a metal cage on a remote-controlled vehicle imported specifically for this operation. The boat settled in a new place in the building of the Boat Museum of Khufu in the Great Egyptian Museum.
King Khufu’s boat was discovered in 1954 in the southern corner of the Great Pyramid. Since then, he has been exhibited for decades in a museum named after him on the Giza plateau.
Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the High Council of Antiquities, confirmed that the process of transferring the boat to Khufu began after approval by the Standing Committee of Egyptian Antiquities in accordance with the Law on the Protection of Antiquities. “This is aimed at ensuring the safety of boats when using modern means of demonstration.”
He added that in August 2020, the Khufu Boat Museum was closed on the Giza Plateau.