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Khufu or Cheops was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom period ( 26th century BC ). Khufu succeeded his father Sneferu as king.
Khufu was the second king of the 4th dynasty (c. 2543–c. 2436 BCE) of Egypt and builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the largest single building to that time. He was the son and successor of King Snefru and his queen Hetepheres. Two of his sons, Redjedef and Khafre, succeeded him in turn.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about Khufu, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, who ruled in the 26th century BC and built the Great Pyramid at Giza. Find out his name, family, wives, and legacy from ancient sources and modern research.
Learn about Khufu, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, who ruled from 2589 to 2566 BC. Discover his achievements, his family, his pyramid, and the mysterious Abydos Boats that he commissioned.
- Lily Johnson
- Khufu belonged to the ruling family of the Fourth Dynasty. Born in the 3rd millennia BC, Khufu (also known as Cheops) belonged the large royal family that ruled Egypt during the Fourth Dynasty.
- Khufu was named after an early Egyptian god. Though he is often known by the shortened version, Khufu’s full name was Khnum-khufwy. This was after the god Khnum, one of the earliest-known deities in ancient Egyptian history.
- The exact length of his reign is unknown. Khufu’s reign is generally dated at 23 years between 2589-2566 BC, though its exact length is unknown. The few dated sources from Khufu’s reign all surround a common yet perplexing ancient Egyptian custom: the cattle count.
- Khufu had at least 2 wives. In the ancient Egyptian tradition, Khufu’s first wife was his half-sister Meritites I, who appears to have been highly favoured by both Khufu and Sneferu.
It is situated at the northeastern end of the line of the three main pyramids at Giza . Initially standing at 146.6 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the world's tallest human-made structure for more than 3,800 years.
5 days ago · Great Pyramid of Giza, ancient Egyptian pyramid that is the largest of those at Giza. It was built for the Khufu (Cheops), the second king of Egypt’s 4th dynasty.
