Pharaoh Khufu

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Also known by his Greek name, Cheops, the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, famous for building the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Khufu’s full name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means ‘[the god] Khnum protect me’. He was the son of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I, and is believed to have had three wives.
Khufu was the first pharaoh to build a pyramid at Giza. The sheer scale of this monument stands as testament to his skills in commanding the material and human resources of his country.

Great Pyramid of Giza

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482-foot high Great Pyramid at Giza built by Pharaoh Khufu, who reigned around 2550 B.C.
An epic project that took nearly 20 years to complete, the Great Pyramid was constructed by peasants conscripted for labor during the Nile flood season, when work in the fields ceased.
The builders hauled massive limestone blocks weighing two and a half tons each that had been quarried upriver and floated down the Nile on barges.
The stunning monuments at Giza reflected an obsession with the afterlife that characterized Egyptian culture through the centuries.

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The Pharaoh in ancient Egypt was the political and religious leader of the people and held the titles ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ and ‘High Priest of Every Temple’. The word ‘pharaoh’ is the Greek form of the Egyptian ‘pero’ or ‘per-a-a’, which was the designation for the royal residence and means `Great House’.
The chief responsibility of the pharaoh was to maintain Ma’at, universal harmony, in the country. The goddess Ma’at (pronounced ‘may-et’ or ‘my-eht’) was thought to work her will through the pharaoh but it was up to the individual ruler to interpret the goddess’ will correctly and to then act on it.
The pharaoh had a sacred duty to defend the borders of the land, but also to attack neighboring countries for natural resources if it was thought that this was in the interest of harmony.