Pharaoh Cheops's solar boat was transported to the Great Egyptian Museum
The ship, more than 4,600 years old, was transported overland to the museum for conservation. It belonged to Pharaoh Khufu, better known as Cheops. On it, the monarch was supposed to go to the afterlife and meet with the sun god, writes France 24 .
The ancient artifact is the second solar boat of the pharaoh. In 1954, parts of two ships were found near the tomb of Cheops. The first one was removed and restored several decades ago. And the second was excavated for 15 years, then it was exhibited next to the pyramid of its owner, and now it will become a museum property of Egypt.
The ship is 42 meters long and weighs 20 tons. The project of its transportation was being prepared for several months, the process of overcoming the 7.5 kilometers of the way took ten hours. The wooden boat was moved from a special complex next to the Great Pyramids, where it was located until now, to the Great Egyptian Museum using a special platform from Belgium with a metal frame on a remote control.
According to history, the ships of the pharaohs were made of wood and palm ropes. They were more than 40 meters long and five meters wide, and they have a low draft. On such a boat, the rulers went along the Nile River. They were set in motion by ten pairs of oars. On such a boat, the deceased pharaoh was taken to the burial place in the pyramid, and then buried nearby so that in the afterlife he could walk across the sky with Ra.
We will remind, in April in Egypt, a golden parade of the pharaohs took place: 22 sarcophagi were moved to the new museum in Cairo. And in 2017, there is a secret room in the Cheops pyramid in Giza.
