King Khufu – Builder of the Last Standing Wonder of the Ancient World

He built the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only wonder of the ancient world (from 7) that still stands. Not only that, but the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made building up until the mid-19th century, keeping the title for 4.5 thousand years!

Even more incredible is that until now it's not completely certain how it was built. There are methods used and facts about the pyramid that we know for sure, but other than a few of those, it is still shrouded in mystery. There are a few theories out there, but none have been proven.

We do know that it took about 20 years to build, and since the King reigned for about 24 years, this means he got down to business very quickly after inheriting the throne. Luckily, his father had left him vast amounts of wealth and power to do with as he pleased.

And what pleased him was to build a colossal tomb...

The Great Pyramid was 481 ft (146 m) high, although the top was destroyed and it now stands at 451 ft (137 m). It was built on about 13 acres of land and the number of stone blocks used is about 2.3 million - with each block an average of 2.5 tons and up to 15 tons.

We know that no slaves were used - a big misconception till now. In fact, the workers had quarters nearby and were fed and taken care of for the 3 months they worked. Yes, only 3 months of work in a year in 20 years built that pyramid - I don't know how!

It is such a wonder to see that even in ancient times people used to take tours to marvel at its greatness!

I won't get into too much detail about the pyramid since I will be doing an entire page on it soon, so back to the King himself.

This King was very much concerned with his afterlife, like most ancient Egyptians. Aside from the Pyramid tomb, he also built a funeral boat to carry him into the afterlife.

This boat was discovered in pieces near the Pyramid and was restored back to its original shape after many years. You can still go see it in the boat museum near the Giza acropolis.

Sadly, after accomplishing so much and rising to such fame, only one tiny statue of the King himself still remains. Grave robbers cleaned out all of his artifacts.

Of course King Khufu married and produced an heir... he was succeeded by his son King Djedefre who completed his father's burial into the Great Pyramid.

King Djedefre was the first Pharaoh to take up the title of Son of Re, but his kingship was cut short and another son of King Khufu took up the throne - King Khafre, builder of the Sphinx, son of Queen Henutsen.

Return from King Khufu to The Pharaohs

Return from King Khufu to the Experience Ancient Egypt Home Page