CAIRO – The transportation process of King Khufu’s first solar ship is underway and is taking place in line with international archeological standards, according to a Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities official.
Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Archeological Affairs at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) Dr. al-Tayyeb Abbas said Wednesday the transportation process; including the wrapping and packaging of the artifact is to follow in line with a scheduled timeline, as all safety measures are adopted to guarantee the process comes in line with artifact transfer international standard measurements, with a view to preserving the relic and making sure the piece remains intact.
The restoration team in charge of the antiquity is carrying overall sterilization for the ship, ahead of package and support operations, in addition to using non-citrus substances to preserve the valuable piece, said the official.
King Khufu’s solar ships are among the most important discoveries of the twentieth century, which caused a sensation in various countries of the world, due to the distinct archaeological and heritage value of the ancient Egyptian history and civilization.
King Khufu’s 1st solar ship will be moved to the GEM in the Haram (Pyramids) area. The discovery of the ship was made by the engineer Kamal al-Malakh on May 26, 1954.
The transport of the first Khufu solar ship was the idea of Atef Moftah, the general supervisor of the GEM project and the surrounding area, and the reasons that made him think about transporting the first Khufu solar ship from its current location to the GEM was that the building in which the ship being exhibited, which was built more than 25 years ago, helped significantly to eliminate the southern leg of the most important monument in the world, which is the Pyramid of Cheops, which clearly worked on the visual distortion of the archaeological area, as well as the presence of the ship in a building that lacks a distinct style of presentation and is not qualified to receive people with special needs.
On May 26, 1954, engineer Kamal al-Malakh announced a discovery that is one of the most important unique discoveries of King Khufu’s relics, which is the discovery of two pits for King Khufu’s Solar Ships and was found on the southern side of the Pyramid of Cheops.
Kamal al-Malakh and Ahmed Youssef worked on the discovery, restoration and re-installation of the first ship, which came to light after being buried in the ground for nearly 5,000 years. It is known as the solar ship and is currently displayed in its museum by the Giza Pyramids, which was inaugurated in 1982.
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