Solar barque

Solar barques were special boats used by the sun god Ra in ancient Egyptian stories. They helped Ra travel across the sky during the day and through the dark at night.

During the day, Ra used a boat called the Mandjet. This boat carried Ra and many other important gods as they moved through the sky, bringing sunlight to the world.

At night, Ra switched to a different boat called the Mesektet. This boat traveled through the dark, helping Ra complete his journey and return to the morning sky. The solar barques were very important in ancient Egyptian beliefs about the sun and life.

Myth

According to Egyptian myth, when Ra grew too old to rule on earth, he went to the skies. Ra was believed to travel across the sky in a special boat, bringing light to the world. Each part of his journey during the day was like one of the twelve hours, with a protective god watching over each hour.

When the sun set, Ra and his boat would pass through the horizon and travel through the underworld. Along the way, he had to sail on the underground river and pass through twelve gates. Every night, a huge serpent would try to stop Ra's boat, but Ra would defeat it and continue his journey. At dawn, Ra would return from the underworld, bringing back the light of day.

Ra used one boat, called the Mandjet, during the day in his falcon-headed form. At night, he switched to another boat, called the Mesektet, in his ram-headed form to travel through the underworld. The story of Ra's journey was important in Egyptian beliefs about life and death.

Funerary practices and religion

In old stories, a special boat was used by the sun god. Because the pharaoh, or king, was thought to be like the sun god on Earth, he would use a similar boat after he died. This boat would help him travel to the afterlife.

A famous example is the Khufu ship. It was built and buried at Giza with Pharaoh Khufu and other things he would need in the afterlife. The ship was first shown in the Giza Solar boat museum but was later moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum.