Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, witnessed the transfer and installation of the first wooden piece in the structure designated for King Khufu's second boat, at its current location in the Khufu Boats Museum at the Grand Egyptian Museum, for the first time in front of visitors. Attending were Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, head of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority; Mayada Magdy, Senior Regional Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Egypt; Dr. Khaled Hassan, deputy head of the museum authority; and Dr. Eissa Zidan, Director General of Antiquities Restoration and Artifact Transfer at the museum.
Fathy said in press statements today that the restoration and transfer of Khufu's second boat faced major challenges due to the condition of the wood, some of which had decomposed and been affected by temperature and humidity, noting that the boat consists of 1,650 pieces more than 4,500 years old, which requires extreme care during their transfer and assembly into the final form, in the same way the first boat is displayed.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities stated that the period set for the transfer and installation of the wooden pieces is up to four years, funded by a grant from Japan's JICA.
