In this article, we will explore the personality of King Khufu, the famous Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the period known as the Old Kingdom. King Khufu is considered one of the most prominent historical figures in ancient Egypt, as his rule left a prominent impact on Egyptian history and culture. The research addresses the primary sources available on the life and rule of King Khufu, focusing on the primary documents available in PDF format that shed light on his reign and the most important achievements he made. This research will provide a comprehensive and in-depth look at the life of King Khufu, and will shed light on his role in building the Egyptian pyramids and his lasting cultural legacy that continues to arouse curiosity and questions among many researchers and scholars.
Introduction
King Khufu, who is considered the second in the series of kings of the Fourth Dynasty in ancient Egypt, King Khufu was born inside his father's palace in Dahshur, south of the Giza Pyramids. King Sneferu built two pyramids in this area, the Red and the Bent, which became part of the magnificent architectural scene of ancient Egypt. If the pyramid of King Khufu were not present in our minds, the pyramid of King Sneferu would have been one of the greatest monuments in Egypt. King Khufu built the famous Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the "Pyramid of Khufu". This pyramid was the largest of its kind in the world at that time and even now. It was called "Sister of Khufu", and its construction was part of his great heritage. King Khufu belongs to the village of "Manat Khufu", which is now known as the town of Beni Hassan. He led many expeditions to Wadi al-Maghara to obtain turquoise, where his name and a picture of him were found. He had a single ivory statue that is now displayed in the Egyptian Museum. According to the Turin Papyrus, King Khufu ruled for about 23 years, during the period His rule, and built the Giza Pyramid, which amazed the world with its size and magnificence, King Khufu was nicknamed "Golden Horus", and as a symbol of him he carried falcons on the gold mark.
Thanks to his choice of the Giza site, this area continued to be the new capital of Egypt, a place associated with the royal tombs and the famous Khufu Pyramid, which demonstrated his understanding of geology and the optimal structure of the surrounding plateau, and opinions conflicted about King Khufu, as some historians say that he was a tyrant and a despot, as if he were an evil monster, and some said that he brought the country to all kinds of misery, and some said that he was a brilliant, fair and good ruler and a symbol of technical mastery and engineering in relation to his Great Pyramid, whose secrets and mysteries are still with us to this day, and we will know in this research the answers to all these questions.
About the life of King Khufu
Khufu, the famous pharaoh of Egypt and the owner of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Greeks called him Kiops and also Sophis, and he is the second king of the Fourth Dynasty of the era of the pyramid builders and ruled Egypt in 2600 BC, and his rule lasted approximately 23 years and there are discoveries that indicate that he ruled for 32 years, and he is the son of Pharaoh Sneferu, the owner of the Dahshur pyramids and the founder of the Fourth Dynasty "the beginning of the era of the pyramids" and he is the first pharaoh to send a naval fleet to Phoenicia (currently Lebanon) to bring cedar wood to use in boats, furniture and wooden coffins and the remains of this wood are still inside the Pyramid of Sneferu to this day, and about his mother she is Queen (Hetep-Heres), and she is a prominent figure in the history of the Fourth Dynasty and even in the history of Egyptian women in general, as she is the daughter of King Huni, the last king of the Third Dynasty, and it is worth noting that his mother has a unique story in her time as she was buried in a special tomb in the Dahshur archaeological area where her husband's pyramids are, but there are hidden reasons She asked her son, King Khufu, to transfer her body, her belongings, and the contents of her tomb from Dahshur to Giza to rebury her again in a well 30 meters deep under the ground for fear of tomb robbers. Her tomb was found on the eastern side of the Pyramid of Khufu, and the funerary furniture and contents of the tomb were found in the same place. After the announcement of the death of King Sneferu, the news spread like lightning throughout the country and the burial ceremonies began, supervised by the young prince at the time, "Khufu". King Sneferu was buried in the Bent Pyramid and Khufu began preparing after burying his father to become king of Upper and Lower Egypt, that is, Upper and Lower Egypt. His name became Khnum Khufu, which means related to the god Khnum. This god was the creator god in their belief. He chose the Giza Plateau to be the seat of the royal palace and obtained new titles that only kings obtain, including that he became Horus the Victorious. He will appear before the people with his body of gold and his hair of lapis lazuli. He will also become the link between the people and the god Ra, the official god of the country at the time, represented by the sun disk. He also began to think about the rituals that were performed until he became king of Egypt. He wore the white crown, which indicates that he is the king of the south, and the red crown, which indicates that he is the king of the north, as well as the crown of the two faces, which indicates that he is the king of Upper and Lower Egypt. All of this will put Egypt under one banner. It was the seat of government and the capital. Old "Memphis".
References
1. Ahmed Rashad Moussa, Studies in the Economic History of Egypt, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Supreme Council of Culture, Cairo, 1998
2. Ahmed Fakhry, The Egyptian Pyramids, Anglo Egyptian Library, Cairo, 1963
3. The Pyramids of Egypt, A. A. S. Edwards, Translated by Mustafa Othman, Reviewed by Ahmed Fakhry, Egyptian General Book Authority, Cairo, 1997
4. Dr. Ali Hassan, Khufu and His Great Pyramid, Dar Al Maaref, Cairo, 2008
5. Zahi Hawass, The Family of King Khufu: History and Secrets of the Fourth Dynasty, Old Kingdom, Dar Al Masryia Al Lubnaniyya, Cairo, 2009
6. Zahi Hawass, The Miracle of the Pyramid of King Khufu, Dar Nahdet Misr, Cairo, 2006
7. Abdel Aziz Saleh, The Ancient Near East in Egypt and Iraq, Anglo Egyptian Library, Cairo, 2012