Who is Khufu?
Khufu is the son of King Snefru, the builder of three pyramids; Medium, Red, and Bent pyramids; some historians say that he might be his stepson; his mother was Queen Hetepheres I. He married two times and maybe four; one of his wives is the eldest daughter of King Snefru, Nefert-Kau. Two of his sons succeeded him; the first is Djedefre and the second one is Khafre (Chephren).
How Was Khufu as King ?
Khufu appears in the Egyptian traditions as a typical monarch King, but the Greek Historian Herodotus had a different opinion. He represented the 106 years of the reign of both King Khufu and his son King Khafre by years of oppression and misery.
Khufu’s Bad Reputation
The bad reputation of King Khufu came from the Middle Kingdom story recorded on the Westcare Papyros that shows Cheops as a cruel and tyrannical ruler, unlike his father, King Snefru, who appeared to be Kind and wise. Also, there was a rumor that King Khufu used his daughter for prostitution in order to collect money to resume his building projects.
How Long did King Khufu Rule?
The number of years King Khufu reigned is still a debatable subject, as the historians, Manetho and Herodotus mentioned that he ruled for 63 years, but it appears in the Turin King list that he ruled for only 23 years.
The Building of the Pyramid
When was the Pyramid of Khufu Built?
Khufu Pyramid is the largest of the three pyramids of Giza; the King came to the throne at the age of twenty and started working on his pyramid immediately in 2550 BCE, almost 5,000 years ago.
How Tall is the Pyramid of Khufu?
The Pyramid of Khufu is called the Great Pyramid; since it is the tallest of them, it is 147 meters tall above the plateau, it was the largest man-made structure for too long. The pyramid was built using 2.3 million building blocks, each one weighing an average of 2.5 tons.
How were the Pyramids of Giza Built?
Another thing that influenced the lousy reputation of King Khufu is the act of building the Great Pyramid of Giza, which also Herodotus said that he used thousands of slaves, laboring them for 20 years to build the magnificent monument. But recent discoveries proved otherwise, as they found workers buried near the pyramid of the King, as they were housed and paid, not taken as slaves.
It was believed that the King intended to establish a permanent military presence in the Sinai, to prevent any interruption from the bedouins in the work of the turquoise mine, as it was the main quarry of the granite needed to build his pyramid.
Where was King KKhufu Bburied?
Like his father built his funerary monument away from his predecessor’s, his father’s pyramid was in Dahshur, Khufu built his in Giza, North to Memphis, the capital. The thing is, the mummy of Khufu was never found till this day. Some Egyptologists suggest that the burial chamber is inside the pyramid still undiscovered, but nothing is found yet.
Even though King Khufu is one of the most renowned Kings we know from ancient Egypt, we don’t know much about him; there is only one small sculpture of him found at Abydos made of ivory and just 7.5 cm high. Whether he was a cruel King or not, we can’t deny that he left us the most magnificent structure that is considered a symbol of Egypt.
