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. Khufu succeeded his father Sneferu as king. He is generally accepted as having commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but many other aspects of his reign are poorly documented.
The Statue of Khufu in the Cairo Museum
Portrait of Sneferu, Khufu's father or stepfather
Portrait of Prince Rahotep
Slab stela of princess Nefertiabet
The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Dynasty IV lasted from c. 2613 to 2494 BC. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other countries is documented.
Sneferu's bent pyramid at Dahshur, an early experiment in true pyramid building
The Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Dahshur. It is Egypt's first successful attempt at constructing a "true" smooth-sided pyramid.
King Khufu built The Great Pyramid of Giza
Giza pyramid complex pyramids. From left to right: the Pyramid of Menkaure, Pyramid of Khafre, the Great Sphinx of Giza and Khufu's Great Pyramid of Giza