Truemors
It's just a boat, but what a boat it is! Five airtight burial pits have been discovered adjacent to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Two of those pits contained two boats constructed of cedar of Lebanon and in near-perfect condition. Some 4,500 years old, the first boat was in 1,224 pieces ready for reassemlby for its celestial journey (hence the name "solar boat"). The boat was reassembled in a purpose-built modern structure to ensure proper climate control and permit viewing of the boat in properly filtered light. Also recovered were ropes, knotted ropes with sailors' knots still in use today, various implements and other objects. The reconstructed boat is 43.4m/142.5 ft. long, and is complete.
The modernist museum structure is a bit of an eyesore and controversial because it intrudes upon and clashes with the setting of the Great Pyramid. It was important to locate the boat directly above its point of discovery, so intrusion was inevitable. But the modernist structure redeems itself inside, where it forms a wonderful venue for display of the boat.
The second boat, after initial exploration with a fibre-optic camera, was resealed in its tomb. The three remaining pits were found empty.
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