Khufu - part 1
Jan 14th, 2007 by admin
Khufu (2589-2566 BC) was the 4th Dynasty Pharaoh that built the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Originally, the Great Pyramid stood 481 feet tall and was capped with white limestone, still visible at the very top today. Although commonly known as Cheops, the name Khufu is the original ancient Egyptian name for this king, as written in his cartouche. He ruled Egypt for approximately 24 years.
Although the Great pyramid is world famous, very little is known about its builder. In fact, the only reason that Egyptologists believe that Khufu was responsible for building the Great pyramid is due to ancient grafiti of his name found inside the structure, added long after his death, possibly by a priest.
What little history there is of Khufu suggests he lead military campaigns into the Sinai, and raids into Nubia and Libya.
Khufu was the son of another great pyramid builder, King Sneferu. His mother was Hetepheres. Unusually for a Pharaoh, Khufu is believed to have been a ruthless and cruel dictator, though modern research suggests he must have been an excellent organiser and motivator of men in order to complete his great building project.