Khufu (in Greek known as Cheops) was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom. He reigned from around 2589 BC to 2566 BC.

He was the son of King Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres II and, unlike his father, was remembered as a cruel and ruthless pharaoh. Khufu had several sons and his immediate successor was his son Djedefra.

He is most famous for the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Little else remains in his memory, and only one miniature statuette of him has been discovered (on display in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo). His mummy has never been recovered.

In August 2004 two amateur French Egyptologists, Gilles Dormion and Jean-Yves Verd'hurt, claimed that they had discovered, using ground-penetrating radar and architectural analysis , a previously unknown corridor inside the pyramid. If their claim is true, the corridor is unlikely ever to have been violated and could possibly lead to a chamber containing the king's remains. But, as of yet, the pair have been refused permission by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities to follow up their findings and, they hope, prove the room's existence

Some scholars believe that he was not a pharaoh, instead Khufu was a sign of the God of All Gods, or "the sun", so the Ancient Egyptians built the great pyramid in Giza to keep the worship to their god forever.

Preceded by: Sneferu

Pharaoh of Egypt Fourth Dynasty

Succeeded by: Djedefra