Archaeological and engineering procedures and equipment are in full swing to conduct a final simulation for the transfer of the King Khufu Boat from its current location in the Giza Pyramids area to its permanent display at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) within the next few weeks.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany held during a meeting with the General Supervisor of the GEM Project and the Surrounding Area Atef Moftah and some museum leaders to discuss the latest developments in the museum’s archaeological and engineering work, alongside providing and operating services.

In 1954, parts of a cedar-wood barge were found in five pits near the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

The boat was restored and assembled out of 1200 pieces of wood, and it is displayed, since then, in a glass museum near the Great Pyramid in Giza.

The transfer of the boat takes intensive planning and a practical rehearsal.

Journalists from Egypt and around the world will be invited to a press conference where details of the transportation process will present, including a film dedicated to the transport work and witnessing the transportation rehearsal.

The GEM was originally supposed to open in 2020; however, the opening was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is now scheduled to open in 2021, although a specific date has yet to be announced.

The museum will be one of the largest museums worldwide dedicated to a single civilization. For the first time, it will also display King Tutankhamun’s entire collection, including 2,000 artefacts that the public has not seen.