Like other buried Ancient Egyptian ships, it was part of the extensive grave goods intended for use in the afterlife. It is 43.4 metres (142 ft) long, 5.9 metres (19 ft) wide, and 1.78 meters (5.83 ft) deep, and is the world's oldest intact ship. It has been described as "a masterpiece of woodcraft" that could sail today if put into a lake or a river.

circa 2570 BCE-

The Khufu ship—also known as the solar barque of Khufu—was originally constructed during the reign of King Khufu (circa 2589–2566 BCE) in the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Built primarily of imported Lebanese cedar and bound using organic lashings, the vessel exemplifies early Egyptian shipbuilding expertise. Though its precise function remains debated, the boat is widely understood to have held ritual significance: either as a symbolic vessel for the king’s journey with the sun god Ra in the afterlife, or potentially as a functional funerary barque used in transporting the king’s body.

Upon completion, the fully disassembled ship was carefully placed in a limestone-lined pit carved directly into the Giza bedrock on the southern side of the Great Pyramid. The timbers—totaling 1,224 individual pieces—were laid out in a precise and deliberate arrangement that would later enable accurate reconstruction. The pit was then sealed and left undisturbed for over 4,000 years.

The vessel was rediscovered in 1954 by Egyptian archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh, during an excavation along the pyramid’s southern perimeter. Remarkably, the sealed pit had preserved the wood in near-pristine condition. Constructed using the "shell-first" technique, the planks were edge-joined with unpegged tenons made from Ziziphus spina-christi (Christ’s thorn), and the components were tied together with Halfa grass ropes. The ship featured a flat-bottomed hull composed of multiple planks and lacked a central keel. Measuring approximately 43.4 meters in length and 5.9 meters in width, the vessel was immediately recognized as one of the most intact and ancient wooden boats ever found.

The reassembly of the ship was led by master restorer Ahmed Youssef Moustafa of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. Before attempting reconstruction, Moustafa undertook extensive research into ancient Egyptian boatbuilding. He studied tomb reliefs, examined wooden funerary models, and observed traditional shipwright practices along the Nile in Old Cairo, Maadi, and Alexandria. His comparative study of surviving vernacular techniques informed the methodical reassembly of the vessel over several years.

In 1982, the reconstructed Khufu ship was placed on public display in a dedicated structure, the Giza Solar Boat Museum, built directly above the original pit. The museum integrated the excavation site into its design, with the disassembled components' original layout preserved on the ground floor. Visitors accessed the restored boat via an elevated walkway on the upper level, allowing for close visual examination of the ship’s structure and scale. The vessel remained housed there until 2021, when it was transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum for long-term preservation and display in a purpose-built climate-controlled gallery.

circa 2570 BCE

The exact original function of the Khufu ship remains a subject of scholarly debate. It is generally classified as a solar barque—a ritual vessel intended to transport the resurrected king across the sky alongside the sun god Ra, in accordance with ancient Egyptian religious cosmology. This interpretation is supported by the vessel’s burial in a sealed pit adjacent to the Great Pyramid, a location of high symbolic and funerary significance.

However, certain features of the ship suggest it may have had a functional life prior to burial. Wear patterns and design elements imply that it was capable of navigating calm waters, raising the possibility that it served as a ceremonial or funerary barge. In this context, it may have been used to transport Khufu's embalmed body from the royal residence at Memphis to his funerary-pyramid complex at Giza. Another theory proposes that the vessel functioned as a pilgrimage ship, used by Khufu himself during life to visit sacred sites, and later ritually interred for use in the afterlife.

Unlike ship burials known from northern Europe, the Khufu boat contained no human remains, reinforcing its interpretation as a ritual or symbolic object rather than a burial container. Its careful disassembly, placement, and preservation reflect the theological and ceremonial importance attributed to such vessels in Old Kingdom royal funerary practice.

circa 2570 BCE

The Khufu ship, catalogued as JE 49626, is a full-scale wooden vessel measuring 43.4 meters in length and 5.9 meters in beam, with a depth amidships estimated at approximately 1.5 to 1.7 meters. Its total displacement volume is calculated at roughly 40 to 45 metric tons. The ship was constructed using the shell-first method, a technique wherein the hull planks were joined edge-to-edge and formed into the basic shape of the vessel prior to the insertion of internal structural elements such as ribs or beams. This method is characteristic of early Egyptian watercraft and differs fundamentally from frame-first construction typical in later shipbuilding traditions.

The hull planks were hewn from imported Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani), with individual planks often exceeding ten meters in length and measuring approximately 10 to 15 centimeters in thickness. The planks were assembled using unpegged mortise-and-tenon joints made from Christ’s thorn wood (Ziziphus spina-christi), a technique that allowed for flexibility and light structural cohesion. These joints were not fixed with wooden pegs but were instead held in place by a sophisticated system of lashings. The primary lashing material was halfa grass (Desmostachya bipinnata), a durable and flexible plant fiber. Lashings were inserted through drilled tie-holes and held under tension within carved lashing channels, securing both the longitudinal seams and transverse frames. This organic method of construction eliminated the need for metal fasteners entirely.

The ship has no true keel. Its bottom was constructed from a series of flat planks laid longitudinally and tightly joined to form a planar base. The bow and stern rise sharply and symmetrically in a papyriform configuration, consistent with Old Kingdom iconography of ritual boats. The ends of the vessel are slightly asymmetrical in construction detail, likely to account for dynamic balance or specific symbolic representation.

Internally, the ship lacks a permanent deck. Instead, temporary decking planks rested across cross-beams laid between sheer strakes. Twelve pairs of oar ports are located along the sides of the hull, yet there is insufficient internal space to accommodate active rowers, suggesting the oars were likely symbolic or ornamental. There is no evidence of a steering system such as rudder oars, no mast-step for a sail, and no traces of rigging, cleats, or anchor fittings. This further supports the prevailing interpretation of the Khufu ship as a ritual vessel rather than one intended for practical navigation.

Reconstruction revealed that the 1,224 wooden components found in the burial pit had been systematically arranged to facilitate disassembly and eventual reassembly. Each element was custom-fit and documented, indicating a high degree of planning in the original construction and interment. The vessel’s engineering reflects a sophisticated understanding of hydrodynamic stability and load distribution, despite the absence of modern tools or metallic hardware. The result is a structurally coherent and aesthetically refined example of Old Kingdom naval architecture, unmatched in both scale and preservation among surviving ancient ships.

circa 2021 CE

The relocation of Khufu’s solar barque—often referred to as the "First Boat of Khufu"—from the museum at Giza Plateau to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) constituted one of the most complex archaeological and engineering undertakings in modern Egyptian museology. This operation aimed to preserve what is widely considered the oldest, largest, and most significant surviving organic artifact made of wood in human history: a 4,600-year-old cedar vessel dating to the reign of King Khufu (circa 26th century BCE).

The vessel had long been displayed in a dedicated on-site structure, the Giza Solar Boat Museum, built directly above the original excavation pit. However, over time, this building was criticized for disrupting the visual harmony of the Giza Plateau and failing to meet modern conservation and exhibition standards. A decision was made by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities to transfer the vessel to the Grand Egyptian Museum, where it would be preserved under controlled environmental conditions and presented using advanced interpretive technologies.

Early proposals for relocation focused on dismantling and reconstructing the vessel at GEM. However, due to the boat’s fragile organic composition—cedar timbers joined by mortise-and-tenon techniques and rope lashings—such an approach was deemed structurally perilous and potentially irreversible. After extensive study, the solution adopted was to transport the entire boat intact, mirroring the precedent set by the 2006 relocation of the colossal statue of Ramesses II from Ramses Square to GEM.

Preparations for the move took more than eight months and involved a collaboration between the GEM Conservation Center, the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and engineering experts from Cairo University and international consulting firms. A high-resolution laser scan survey was conducted for documentation purposes, and a custom-fabricated steel support frame was designed to encase the boat securely. Archaeological assessments and radar surveys of the museum’s foundation and surrounding roads ensured that the physical infrastructure could bear the load and absorb the vibration of the transport operation.

The logistics of the move required the importation of a specialized remote-controlled transport vehicle capable of carrying the 42-meter-long, 20-ton artifact while navigating tight turns and variable terrain. The route and maneuvering procedures were tested using full-scale simulations with ballast equivalent to the boat’s mass and dimensions. The final transfer took place in 2021 under strict supervision, following the closure of the Giza Solar Boat Museum in August 2020.

The boat is now housed in a purpose-built gallery at the Grand Egyptian Museum, outfitted with advanced environmental control systems, high-precision sensors, and a suspended display infrastructure that allows for both conservation and public exhibition. The successful relocation of Khufu’s solar barque is considered a landmark achievement in the integration of archaeological heritage preservation and modern engineering, ensuring that this unique vessel will be accessible to future generations under optimal conditions.