Discovered in 1954, 4000 years after being built to send Khufu, the second pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, gloriously into the afterlife, the Khufu ship is the most well-preserved solar ship ever found, providing one more clue into the mysterious lives and rituals of ancient Egypt. This slender ship is a representation of a solar ship, which in Egyptian mythology was what carried the sun around the world. More accurately, the reason behind Earth’s orbit around the sun. The ship was probably only built for a ceremonial purpose, to be buried with Khufu. However, despite its purely ritual significance, the ship’s excellent design means that it would be a functional boat, further proving the Egyptians’ engineering prowess.

Today, the ship can be viewed in the Khufu Solar Boat Museum, which stands alongside the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is one of the most significant findings of Ancient Egypt and is well worth a visit for anyone keen to know more about the makings of this impressive ship.