Kheops

Kheops was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom’s Fourth Dynasty, whom modern scholars identify with the figure known as Khufu. He reigned during the late 26th century BCE, roughly from 2589 to 2566 BCE, succeeding his father, Menkaure. The dates of his reign are derived primarily from the inscriptions on the Menat Hill stela and from the relative chronology of the pyramids of Giza.

Kheops’ most celebrated accomplishment is the Great Pyramid at Giza, a monumental tomb with a planned height of 146 meters and originally a smooth outer casing of polished limestone. The structure, completed with the aid of tens of thousands of laborers, remains the largest of the three pyramids on the Giza plateau. The pyramid’s internal chambers, shaft alignments, and the so‑called “Queen’s Chamber” demonstrate advanced architectural techniques that have fascinated scholars for centuries. Despite the modern image of a solitary tomb, recent research indicates that Kheops may have had additional mortuary complexes in the western desert that are yet to be fully explored.

During his rule, the administrative structure of Egypt was expanded, with increased reliance on a network of royal officials, local governors, and temple priests. Kheops is presumed to have continued the state’s consolidation of the cult of the sun god Ra, which was central to Egyptian ideology at the time. While the surviving records do not record any military campaigns, the emphasis on large state projects suggests that the king’s authority was exercised largely through monument-building and resource management.

Kheops died at the end of his long reign and was buried in the final pyramid he built. His tomb remains one of the most enduring symbols of the Old Kingdom’s architectural ingenuity and of Egypt’s cultural heritage. In the centuries that followed, he has been invoked in countless artistic, literary, and academic accounts, reinforcing the enduring fascination with Egypt’s early dynastic rulers.