27 March 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Khufu Boat moved to its New Museum by Smart Vehicle

A 4,600-year-old intact wooden boat bearing the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, Khufu, was transported to a new museum about 7 kilometers away from Cairo’s Great Pyramid.

The boat was housed in a museum on the Giza Plateau, on the southern side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

The boat, 42 meters long and weighing 20 tons, was carried from the Great Pyramid to the Grand Egyptian Museum in an “aluminum cage-raised on a clever remote-control truck,” according to the antiquities ministry.

For the boat’s transit, streets and bridges overlooking the GEM, as well as archaeological and engineering equipment, were prepared.

To move the boat without disassembling it, a smart remote-controlled cart was specifically brought in from Belgium. The 8km journey from the boat’s position to the GEM took around 10 hours.

“The boat was exhibited inside a museum bearing its name at Giza Plateau, which was not equipped with the latest technological equipment to house and display this magnificent artifact,” the ministry statement read.

Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu’s boat makes a 48-hour journey to the new museum. Photo: Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry

“The aim of the transportation project is to protect and preserve the biggest and oldest organic artifact made of wood in the history of humanity for the future generations.”

The museum that housed the boat lacked the necessary resources to maintain the wooden relic, and the organic structure began to rot. The boat’s transfer to a new location was imperative.

The boat was discovered in 1954 at the southern corner of the Great Pyramid, which was built as a tomb for Khufu and is the only surviving wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

GEM chief supervisor Atef Moftah described the boat transfer as “one of the most important, complicated, and unique archaeological engineering undertakings,” emphasizing that the task force left nothing to chance.

“It is the result of effort, study, planning, preparation, and serious work that spanned nearly a year,” he added, noting that the process was undertaken with great accuracy.

The low-key occasion contrasted sharply with Egypt’s spectacular ceremony in April to transfer 22 mummies from the 120-year-old Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s prominent Tahrir Square to the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, a historic Islamic city.

The parade on Saturday, however, was nonetheless impressive, with the enormous black truck painted with a depiction of the ancient boat and lighted with neon hues as it traveled through an old region containing many of Egypt’s pharaonic artifacts.

Cover Photo: Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry

Related Articles

Two rock chambers thought to be dining rooms unearthed at ‘House of Muses’ in southeastern Turkey

27 July 2021

27 July 2021

House of Muses, a Roman-era house named after the muse mosaics found in the area located in the ancient city...

8,500-year-old buildings discovered on Abu Dhabi’s Ghagha island

17 February 2022

17 February 2022

Archaeologists in Abu Dhabi have discovered startling new evidence of the Emirates’ first known structures, which date back more than...

The “Horoscope” Scroll Found In the Judean Desert: A Glimpse Into the Mysterious Sect

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

One of the most interesting and mysterious scrolls discovered in the Judean Desert is a scroll called the “Horoscope.” This...

Stone reliefs describing the Persian-Greek wars were found in the ancient city of Daskyleion in northwestern Turkey

16 August 2021

16 August 2021

A relief depicting a fifth-century BC battle between the Greeks and Persians was discovered in the ancient city of Dascylium...

Bronze Age artifacts discovered near the residence of ‘Iran’s Napoleon’

6 July 2021

6 July 2021

Archaeologists in Iran have discovered a plethora of artifacts and damaged structures near a former residence of Nader Shah, dubbed...

Scientists discover traces of paint on the Parthenon Sculptures that reveal their true colours

12 October 2023

12 October 2023

Recent research on the Parthenon Sculptures has found traces of the original paint used to decorate the Parthenon Sculptures, revealing...

27,000-year-old Pendants made from giant sloths suggest earlier arrival of people in the Americas

16 July 2023

16 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered three pendants made from the bony material of an extinct giant sloth in a rock shelter in central...

1500-year-old Medallion Rescued From Treasure Hunters on Display in Çorum Museum

3 May 2021

3 May 2021

A 1,500-year-old gold medallion portraying a figure of Jesus Christ has been exhibited at a museum in Turkey’s northern province...

A 1900-year-old stele was discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Parion

5 August 2021

5 August 2021

A 1,900-year-old grave stele was found during excavations in Parion, an important ancient port city, near Kemer village in the...

Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada

16 February 2023

16 February 2023

During excavations at Masada, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities (IAA) uncovered a papyrus payslip dated to 72 BC belonging to...

A Treasure-Laden Burial Chamber Found Hidden Among Terracotta Army

7 June 2024

7 June 2024

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China, and his tomb is renowned for being guarded by an army...

Israeli researchers create AI to translate ancient cuneiform Akkadian texts

4 May 2023

4 May 2023

Israeli experts have created a program to translate an ancient language that is difficult to decipher, allowing automatic and accurate...

Giant Prehistoric Rock Engravings Discovered in South America May Be The World’s Largest

5 June 2024

5 June 2024

Researchers made a groundbreaking discovery of what is thought to be the world’s largest prehistoric rock art. Enormous engraved rock...

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an...

Using 3D scanners, archaeologists have identified the person who carved Jelling Stone Runes

29 September 2023

29 September 2023

Researchers at the National Museum of Denmark using 3D scans have identified who carved the Jelling Stone Runes, located in...