The Khufu ship is primarily made of Lebanon cedar wood.
The vessel was sealed in a pit beside the Great Pyramid around 2500 BC, during Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty. Cedar was not native to Egypt, so obtaining it required long-distance trade or expeditions, especially to the Levantine coast. Its imported timber was well suited to constructing a large, durable ceremonial vessel.
The ship was discovered in 1954 by Kamal el-Mallakh and reconstructed from 1,224 pieces. Ancient builders used a shell-first technique, joining planks with unpegged tenons and lashings rather than relying on a conventional keel. That construction helps explain why the boat could be dismantled and stored in the pit.
A common mix-up is calling it simply a “wooden boat” without recognizing its uncertain purpose. It is often described as a solar barque, but evidence suggests it may also have carried Khufu’s body or served a ceremonial journey. It is 43.4 metres long and is now associated with the Grand Egyptian Museum.