The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) received King Khufu's Boat, in the early hours of Saturday morning. This comes 48 hours after the start of transferring it from its display in the pyramid antiquities area to the museum. King Khufu's Boat, an ancient vessel that is the oldest and largest wooden boat discovered in Egypt. It dates back to more than 4600 years and it is to be displayed in a proper manner commensurate with its importance in the GEM. The transportation project aims to protect and preserve the biggest and oldest organic artefact made of wood in the history of humanity for the future generations," the tourism and antiquities ministry said in a statement. Atef Moftah, the general supervisor of the GEM project and the surrounding area, explained that the process of transferring King Khufu's Boat is one of the most complex and unique archaeological engineering projects. He stressed that the work team did not leave anything in it to chance or experience. Moftah explained that it took a year of planning and preparation to ensure all means of protection for the boat. It took 48 hours to transport the 42-metres cedarwood boat, to its new permanent home. The boat was transported as a single piece inside a metal cage carried on a remote-controlled vehicle imported especially for the operation. The boat settled in its new location in the building of the Khufu Boat Museum in the Grand Egyptian Museum. King Khufu's Boat was discovered in 1954 at the southern corner of the Great Pyramid. Since then, it has been exhibited for decades at a museum bearing its name at Giza Plateau. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, confirmed that the process of transferring the Khufu boat came after the approval of the Permanent Committee of Egyptian Antiquities per the Antiquities Protection Law. "This aims to ensure the preservation of the boats under modern means of display." He added that in August 2020, the Khufu Boat Museum was closed in the Giza Plateau.
