4,600-Year-Old Solar Boat Travels Through the Streets of Giza Atop of RC Vehicle

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the sun God Ra used solar boats as his vessels. As the pharaoh was an earthly embodiment of the sun God, the king would use a similar boat to go through the underworld on his way to the afterlife.

Khufu's ship, which was built during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt and buried at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu (King Cheops) in the Giza pyramid complex, is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved vessels from antiquity.

It measures 43.4 meters (142 ft) long and 5.9 meters (19 ft) wide, and it weighs 20 tons. The massive ancient vessel has been recently relocated from the Giza Solar boat museum to the soon-to-be inaugurated Grand Egyptian Museum.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities explained that the process of transporting the 4,800-year-old solar boat was ”one of the most important, complex and unique archaeological engineering projects” that took nearly a year to prepare.

The vessel was placed inside a custom-made unique metal structure and was carried onto a remote-controlled vehicle. The Ministry went on to say that this vehicle was exceptional in its ability to overcome any obstacles in its path and could be maneuvered with ease in curves. But most importantly, it absorbed any vibrations, thus the boat was transported in exceptional condition to its new home.

Egypt hopes that its tourism sector will bounce back after it has taken a serious hit due to the global health crisis. In April, 22 mummies of the kings and queens who once ruled Egypt thousands of years ago were also moved from the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square with a spectacular parade to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.

You can watch the process of both the preparation and the transportation of Khufu's solar boat to its new home in the video down below.