Egypt on Tuesday began reassembling ancient King Khufu’s second solar boat at the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum, launching a restoration process expected to take about four years and designed to be visible to visitors.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the assembly follows years of preservation work, documentation and 3D scanning of the fragments, underscoring the project’s global heritage importance.
The 4,500‑year‑old vessel was discovered in pieces near the Great Pyramid in 1954. It consists of roughly 1,650 wooden fragments and measures about 42 meters long.
“Khufu’s first solar boat was found almost complete, but the second boat, which is a bit smaller, was found in very poor condition,” said Grand Egyptian Museum CEO Ahmed Ghoneim.
Ghoneim said allowing visitors to watch the restoration adds a unique educational dimension “you cannot find in museums around the world.”