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Visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum are now watching the carefully reassembled 4,500-year-old cedar wood boat of King Khufu.
The ancient ship, one of two discovered during the pharaoh’s reign, began its public reconstruction on Tuesday inside the museum’s exhibition hall.
The ambitious project, which spanned four years, involved assembling 1,650 wooden components together to create the 42-metre (137-foot) long craft.
Head of restoration, Issa Zidane, confirmed that it will eventually sit next to its already assembled twin. King Khufu, who ruled ancient Egypt four millennia ago, is famous for building the Great Pyramid of Giza.
“You are witnessing today one of the most significant restoration projects of the 21st century,” said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy, who attended the event.
The $1 billion museum, also known as GEM, was touted as the world’s largest museum when it was grandly inaugurated last month. It is home to approximately 50,000 artifacts, including a collection of treasures from the tomb of the famous king tutankhamunWhich was discovered in 1922. The museum is located on the side of the pyramid cairoEgypt hopes to get a boost Tourism revenue and help shore up its ailing economy.
This boat was one of two discovered in 1954 against the southern face of the Great Pyramid. According to the museum’s website, excavation of its wooden parts began in 2014.
According to the museum, the exact purpose of the boats is unclear, but experts believe they were used either to transport King Khufu’s body during his funeral or to accompany the sun god Ra on his afterlife journey.