Ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s boat is being reassembled in public at the Grand Egyptian Museum

Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s Boat Being Assembled at Grand Egyptian Museum

Museum visitors in Cairo are witnessing history unfold as restoration experts begin the painstaking process of assembling an ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s boat in the exhibition hall of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The 42-meter (137-foot) cedarwood vessel, one of two boats belonging to King Khufu who ruled Egypt more than 4,500 years ago, is being pieced together in full public view. The assembly process began Tuesday morning as dozens of onlookers watched the first stages of what officials say will be a four-year project.

“You’re witnessing today one of the most important restoration projects in the 21st century,” declared Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy, who attended the launch event. The boat contains 1,650 wooden pieces that must be carefully fitted together to reconstruct the ancient vessel.

The boat will eventually sit alongside its already-assembled twin, which has been on public display. Both vessels were discovered in 1954 on the southern side of the Great Pyramid at Giza, which Khufu commissioned during his reign. Excavation of the second boat’s wooden components only began in 2014, according to museum documentation.

Archaeologists remain uncertain about the vessels’ exact purpose. Most experts believe they were either used to transport Khufu’s body during his funeral procession or were intended for his spiritual journey in the afterlife, possibly to accompany the sun god Ra.

Issa Zeidan, head of restoration at the Grand Egyptian Museum, emphasized the complexity of the project, which involves specialized techniques to preserve the millennia-old wood while ensuring structural integrity. The public assembly represents a rare opportunity for visitors to witness archaeological conservation work that typically occurs behind closed doors.

The restoration project takes place within the $1 billion Grand Egyptian Museum, which was inaugurated last month with considerable fanfare. Billed as the world’s largest archaeological museum, the GEM houses nearly 50,000 artifacts spanning thousands of years of Egyptian history. Its crown jewel is the collection of treasures from King Tutankhamun’s tomb, discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

The museum’s location near the pyramids at Giza positions it as a centerpiece in Egypt’s strategy to revitalize its tourism sector, which has struggled in recent years due to regional instability, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic challenges. Tourism officials hope the museum will help boost visitor numbers and foreign currency revenue, providing much-needed support for Egypt’s ailing economy.

Egypt’s tourism industry, which accounts for approximately 12 percent of GDP and employs nearly three million people directly and indirectly, has been gradually recovering. The government has invested heavily in archaeological projects and museum development to diversify its tourism offerings beyond beach resorts.

The public assembly of Khufu’s boat represents a new approach to museum exhibitions, combining traditional displays with live conservation work. This interactive element offers visitors insight into the meticulous processes involved in preserving ancient artifacts.

Khufu, also known by the Hellenized name Cheops, was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. His Great Pyramid at Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza complex and the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

As visitors observe the gradual reconstruction of this ancient vessel, they witness not only a remarkable feat of archaeological restoration but also a tangible connection to one of history’s most powerful rulers and the civilization he commanded more than four millennia ago.