Ancient Solar Boat is moved from pyramids at Giza to Egypt’s new grand museum

A 4,600-year-old boat in Egypt now has a new home in Giza. King Khufu’s Boat was exhibited for decades at a museum in Giza Plateau. But on Aug. 7, the boat —sometimes called the Solar Boat — was moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM. It took 48 hours to move the vessel, according to Atef Moftah, supervisor general of the GEM project. It is 42 meters long, weighs 20 tons and is made of cedarwood. It was moved inside a metal cage on top of a vehicle. The vehicle was driven by remote control. The Solar Boat was discovered in 1954 at a corner of the Great Pyramid. It is “the biggest and oldest organic artifact made of wood in the history of humanity,” the tourism and antiquities ministry said in a statement. The Grand Egyptian Museum will open later this year. It will be the world’s largest archaeological museum. (Reuters) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.