Solar Boat Museum Cairo Egypt tours, prices, booking, reviews
Solar Boat museum Cairo located next to the Great Pyramid of Cheops. In fact, the Solar Boat Museum constructed around 1985 to house the Solar boat of Khufu. When King Cheops passed away and his body mummified, the priests placed his body in this boat. It was to go on a journey. The journey was to visit Heliopolis and other cities before he land in his royal necropolis in Giza. Afterwards, the priests dissembled the boat into smaller pieces. And then, they buried these pieces near the pyramids and titled it as the Boat of Cheops. Solar boat Cairo discovered in the year 1954. It was near the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Solar boat Cairo consists of 1224 pieces of wood. Moreover, the boat is 44 meters long and around 5.9 meters wide. It has 12 paddles.
A compartment that stands upon three circular columns located at the stern of the boat. This compartment has a double ceiling based upon some pillars. Furthermore, it made in the shape of the papyrus plants. The function of this compartment was to protect the captain of the boat against the sun rays. After the discovery of the boat, a certain structure built to preserve the Solar boat Cairo. There were also laboratories to handle the pieces of it. The ancient Egyptians were indeed skillful workers and clever builders. They had the exact location of each piece of wood carved on it. It of course written in the Hieroglyphic language.
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In fact, the different pieces of the solar boat Cairo put in 14 layers. It was also with a layer of rocks in the bottom. In fact, it was to prevent humidity to affect the wooden parts of the Solar boat Cairo. Furthermore, the rocks also protected the pieces of wood against wind and water leakage for more than 24 centuries. Modern scientific studies recently carried out on the wood of the Solar boat Cairo. The wood is indeed 7000 years old before cut and used in the boat. Some scientific theories assert that the age of the solar boat is not less than 12000 years. The boat has twelve paddles. Five of them used for rowing from each side.
Four of them made in the shape of a bayonet. They used by the unseen sailors to protect the boat in its journey to the other world. In fact, this journey to the other world is according to the ancient Egyptian methods. There were also two paddles which used to correct the path of the boat the same way the rudder functions. The boat had a primitive yet intelligent tool. It is to examine the depths where the boat is sailing. Moreover, it was to prevent it from hitting any sand islands or beaches. This tool manufactured in the shape of the two plants. They are the Lotus and the Papyrus. In fact, this tool was also to guide towards the western direction.
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This to unify with the sun rays before it vanishes at the time of the sunset. Scientific studies still carried out until today. They aim to know whether the Solar boat only used as a symbol of the journey or not. The journey of the god Ra, the god of the sun, in his day and night journeys. The sun god Ra used to get benefit from the stars and their position to row. It also used to travel from one place to another. Moreover, it was necessary to establish the museum over the hole where the boat found. In the same time, the museum had to fit with the large size of the solar boat Cairo. In fact, the museum equipped with most modern techniques and technologies. It is also to preserve the solar boat for the new generations.
Furthermore, a complete air conditioning system added to Solar Boat museum in Cairo. It is also to always keep the right temperature and the right degree of humidity. In fact, the museum constructed to contain three floors. It is to enable the visitors to view the boat from three different levels. The solar boat in Cairo put on display in the center of the main hall of the museum. The hall is in the first floor. The boat placed on a base that was around 8 meters higher than the floor. In addition, in the ground floor of the museum, guests can view the bottom of the boat. The Solar boats of ancient Egyptians consist of large ships. They made out of cedar wood.
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They used them in religious rituals during the Pharaohs time. The civil engineer who was in charge of cleaning up the area of the Pyramids of Giza was Kamal Al Mallakh. The supervisor of the cleaning process of the area was Doctor Abdel Men’em Abu Bakr. While finishing their work at the pyramids, they found out what seemed to be a wall. It made out of limestone. After a lot of digging in the ground, they reached the bottom of the wall. They found 42 pieces of rock. They divided into two groups to protect them against any outer dangers or harm. On the 26th of May 1954, the nozzle of the hole where the pieces of the solar boat opened.
Everybody there smelled the distinctive scent of the cedar wood. Doctor Al Mallakh was the first one to view this great archaeological finding. It was when he reflected the rays of the sun inside the hole. He was first one to view the boat and smell its cedar wood. It was after more than 5000 years of buried under the sand. This was why Doctor Al Mallakh has credited to be the discoverer of the solar boat.
