Google Doodle today has honoured the 65th anniversary of one of the oldest and biggest ships on Earth being discovered. Khufu’s Ship is a largely intact and incredibly well-preserved boat dating back more than 4,600 years. The Ancient Egyptian boat was found on May 26, 1954, buried in the Egyptian sands near the Great Pyramid of Giza – The Pyramid of Khufu. Discovered by archaeologist Kamal el-Mallakh, the beautiful vessel is believed to have been built for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu.
Google said in a statement: “Experts agree that the ship was built for Khufu – known to the Greeks as Cheops – the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, who is entombed inside the pyramid.
“Some say the ship was used to ferry the pharaoh’s body to his final resting place.
“Others think it was placed in the location to help transport his soul to heaven, similar to ‘Atet’, the barge that carried Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun across the sky.”
Khufu’s Ship was discovered under a stone wall near the south side of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
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A team of archaeologists digging in the area, found the ship buried under a row of 42 limestone blocks over a rectangular pit.
Inside the protective enclosure, was the ancient ship, built from more than 1,200 individual pieces.
Khufu’s Ship was constructed from Lebanon cedar wood planks and bound together with Halfah grass – a type of grass native to North Africa and parts of Southern Europe.
Google said: “The painstaking process of reassembling over 1,200 pieces was overseen by Haj Ahmed Youssef, a restorer from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, who studied models found in ancient tombs as well as visiting modern shipyards along the Nile.
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“Over a decade later, the ingeniously designed vessel, measuring 143 feet long and 19.6 feet wide (44.6cm and 6m) was fully restored without using a single nail.”
The purpose of the ship remains unclear, although experts agree it would likely still be able to sail down the Nile even if it was not built with this purpose in mind.
Today, the shop resides in the Giza Solar boat museum, on the doorstep of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Visitors can get an up-close look at the ancient boat from three different levels, top to bottom.
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Quick facts about the Great Pyramid of Giza:
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World and is the largest of Egypt’s famous three pyramids.
2. Archaeologists estimate some 2.3 million stone blocks were used to construct the imposing burial site.
3. Passage inside of the Pyramid lead upwards to Khufu’s burial chamber and downwards to an unfinished low chamber.
4. The pyramid’s four sides are slightly concave, meaning they slightly curve inwards.
5. There are a total of three burial chambers inside of the Great Pyramid.