In 1950 an excavation team led by Kamal el-Mallakh found a pit on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The pit revealed 41 slabs of limestone and one of the blocks inscribed with a mason's mark and a cartouche of Djedefre, Khufu's successor. El-Mallakh suspected a greater importance than just limestone blocks and convinced his superiors to further the excavation. On May 26, 1954 el-Malakh was lowered into the pit and found a dismantled boat with both the wood preserved and ropes for rigging and matting. The meaning of this boat, referred to as Khufu's Solar Ship, is still debated, but according to ancient Egyptian beliefs and customs it is most likely thought to carry the soul of the Pharaoh to the Heavens.
In accordance with Egyptian beliefs, after the God Re sent Hathor to punish all who was disloyal to Re, the god abandoned the earth and mounted on a heavenly ship. He ascended to the sky to reign over Humanity in the form of the Sun. He had two ships, one for his morning trip and one for the afternoon. Egyptian clergy would commemorate Re's trip every new year with a procession that would leave the Temple of Karnak carrying the solar baroques of Amen, Kut and Khonsu to the Temple of Luxor. The Egyptians believed that the soul of the dead pharaoh would accompany Re on his eternal journey in the Upper Waters (the sky). A boat or a model of a boat was included in most tombs.
In 1958, reconstruction of Khufu's boat was lead by Hag Youssef Moustafa, the Antiquity Service's main restorer. The remnants of the boat were laboriously removed from the pit and the 10-year reassembly began. The restorers followed the principals of ship construction from the Old and Middle Kingdoms. The ship was built from the outside in, as opposed to modern assembly wherein a skeleton is built first. Mortises were cut into the planks into which wooden tendons were inserted. The irregularly-shaped planks were butted in puzzle fashion until the whole skin was constructed. These planks were more than 5 cm thick and had to be bent into appropriate shape. The ship was then caulked with reeds held in place by rounded battens and rope was drawn through holes carved in the planks. Ribs and crossbeams were added to deformation and collapse of the vessel. Since the restorers followed Egyptian precedent, no metal parts were used in the reconstruction.
Khufu's Solar Boat closely resembles paintings and models of boats from the 4th Dynasty. It has a bipod mast, a lookout on the stern, steered by a double rudder, and has a canopy thought to be the station of the dead that was protected by a canopy supported by poles and decorated with lotus flowers. It is 143 feet long, 19 and half feet wide, and has an estimated displacement of more than 45 tons. It is said to be made of imported cedar wood from Lebanon or of pine native to Egypt. Evidence suggests that it was used in water, maybe as a state boat used during Khufu's lifetime or perhaps as a vessel to bring his body to the plateau of Giza prior to its embalming and burial in the Great Pyramid.
The pit where the vessel was discovered was clearly not intended to hold the boat because it was disassembled. It is still debated what the actual use of the solar baroque was used for; arguments have been made that it is purely symbolic, while others insist that it was used for Khufu's funeral procession. While the evidence suggests the vessel was used in water, Zahi Hawass points out that the cedar and acacia shavings found in the pit indicate that it was built near where it was excavated.
References:
www.nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/solarships Ancient Egypt: Solar Ships and Funerary Boats. Oct. 28
www.teraflex.co.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/shipconstruction Early Ship Construction: Khufu's Solar Boat. Oct. 28
www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/egypt/giza/boat/boat.html Solar Boat/Funerary Boat of Cheops (Khufu) Oct. 30
www.egyptsites.co.uk/lower/giza/museum/museum/html The Solar Boat Museum Oct. 31
written by Marcus Claye 2004