Ancient Egyptian royal ships facts for kids
Ancient Egyptian solar ships were special boats found buried near the pyramids and temples of pharaohs and important people. These full-sized ships were meant to help the dead in their journey to the afterlife. While we don't know their exact purpose, many believe they were "solar barges." These were ritual boats to carry the king with the sun god Ra across the sky. Some ships also show signs of being used in water, so they might have been funeral barges used to transport the body of the pharaoh. The most famous of these is the Khufu ship, which you can see today in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
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Ancient Egyptian Solar Ships
Ancient Egyptians believed that their pharaohs would continue their journey in the afterlife, just like the sun god Ra traveled across the sky in his boat. That's why they buried special ships, known as solar ships, near their pyramids and tombs. These boats were not just models; many were full-sized vessels, ready for a grand voyage!
The Khufu Ship: A Masterpiece

The most famous solar ship is the Khufu ship. It's an amazing, complete boat from ancient Egypt. It was sealed in a pit carved into the rock at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. This makes it the oldest intact ship ever found! Experts call it a "masterpiece of woodcraft." It's so well-made that it could probably still sail if put into water today.
The Khufu ship is very large, measuring about 43.6 meters (143 feet) long and 5.9 meters (19.5 feet) wide.
Discovery and Reconstruction
The Khufu ship was one of two ships found in 1954 by Kamal el-Mallakh. It had been untouched since it was sealed away. It took many years to carefully put the boat back together, piece by piece. This huge task was mostly done by Ahmed Youssef Moustafa, the chief restorer for the Egyptian Department of Antiquities.
The ship was first displayed in the Giza Solar boat museum. Later, it was moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum so more people could see it.
The Second Khufu Ship
In the same area, a second boat pit was found. In 1987, scientists looked inside this pit using a special camera. They confirmed that there was another wooden boat, very similar to the first one. For a long time, it was decided to leave this second boat in its pit to keep it perfectly preserved.
However, the excavation of the second Khufu solar boat was completed in 2021. This ship will also be put back together and shown at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Scientists even found Khufu's name carved on one of the stones covering the boat pit!
Other Boats at Giza
Besides Khufu's ships, other boat pits have been found around the Giza pyramid complex.
- One pit belonged to Queen Hetepheres I, Khufu's mother.
- Another was found near the pyramid of the Ka, another important person.
Khafre's Solar Ships
Near the Pyramid of Khafre, Khufu's son, seven boat pits have been found. These pits once held funeral boats for King Khafre. Some are around his main pyramid, and others are near his mortuary temple.
Boats at Abu Gorab
A few miles southwest of Cairo, at a place called Abu Gorab, there are ruins of a sun temple belonging to King Nyuserre Ini. Outside this temple, a large building shaped like a boat was discovered. This was a pit lined with mud bricks. It's believed this structure was symbolic, representing a "solar boat" for the sun god's journey across the sky.
Boats at Abu Rawash
Abu Rawash is where the pyramid of Djedefre, Khufu's son, is located.
King Den's Solar Ship
A wooden funeral boat, believed to belong to King Den from the First Dynasty, was found here. It was made of eleven large wooden planks. Two boats were actually discovered at this site.
Djedefre's Solar Ship
At King Djedefre's pyramid complex, a boat pit was found on the east side of the pyramid. It's a ditch 35 meters long, carved into the limestone. This pit was meant for the king's royal boat. Beautiful carved heads that looked like Djedefre were also found here.
Boats at Abusir
At Abusir, near the pyramid of King Neferirkare Kakai, large wooden boats were buried. Archaeologists learned about them from ancient papyrus scrolls found in the temple. Sadly, when they dug up the southern boat pit, only dust remained of the boat itself.
Boats at Abydos
The boats found at Abydos are special because they are the world's oldest planked boats!
Hor-Aha's Solar Ships
In 1991, archaeologists found the remains of fourteen ships in the desert near Abydos. These ships date back to the early First Dynasty (around 2950–2775 BC) and might be linked to King Hor-Aha. These boats were about 20 to 27 meters (65 to 88 feet) long. They had wooden hulls, rough stone anchors, and planks that were "sewn" together with woven straps. Reed bundles were used to seal the gaps between the planks.
These Abydos ships are much older than Khufu's ship, by more than 400 years! They are considered the direct ancestors of the boat found at Khufu's Great Pyramid.
Boats at Dahshur

Senusret III's Solar Ships
Six boats, known as the Dahshur boats, were found at Dahshur. They date back to the Middle Kingdom (around 1839 BC). In 1893, French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan discovered these boats near the pyramid of King Senusret III. One of these ships was 18 meters long.
Today, only four of the "Dahshur boats" can be found. Two are in museums in the United States (Pittsburgh and Chicago). The other two were in the Cairo Museum and were moved to the Sharm El-Sheikh Museum in 2020.
Amenemhat III's Solar Ship
A boat pit was also found near the pyramid of King Amenemhat III at Dahshur. This pit measured 15 meters by 5.57 meters.
Boats at Saqqara
At Saqqara, several boat burials have been found.
First Dynasty Boats
At least three mud-brick boat graves were found at Saqqara, linked to kings and important officials from the First Dynasty (around 3100–2890 BC).
Unas's Solar Ship
The Pyramid of Unas in North Saqqara has two boat pits. One of these pits is 44 meters long and is located 150 meters away from the remains of his funeral temple. These pits, lined with limestone blocks, are thought to be symbolic solar boats.
Boats at Lisht

At Lisht, near the pyramids of Senusret I and Amenemhat I, boat remains have also been found.
Senusret I's Solar Ship
Forty pieces of wood were found near the Pyramid of Senusret I. These pieces were identified as parts of a boat or boats.
Amenemhat I's Solar Ship
A mud-brick boat pit was also discovered outside the western wall of King Amenemhat I’s pyramid.
Other Ancient Egyptian Ships
Archaeologists have also found remains of seagoing ships at a place called Wadi/Mersa Gawasis, on the Egyptian Red Sea coast. These discoveries show how ancient Egyptians built their ships and how they used and reused materials. It proves that their boat-building skills, usually used for the Nile River, also worked well for ships sailing on the sea.
See Also
- Ancient Egyptian technology
- Ships preserved in museums
Images for kids
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One of the Dahshur boats found near the pyramid of Senusret III