Khufu was also known as Cheops, his name in Greek. He was an Old Kingdom pharaoh, in the 4th Dynasty, succeeding Sneferu on the Egyptian throne.

Khufu reigned for 24 years. He had several wives, among whom Meritites was the principal. The king had 24 children, including nine sons. Not much is known of what happened in Egypt during Khufu's reign. Few contemporary sources exist. The ones that have been found discuss trade expeditions, such as to Byblos for Lebanese cedar, from which funerary boats were made. Other sources talk of trade between Egypt and the ancient peoples living in the Sinai Peninsula. Little to no mention is made of Egyptian military expeditions during this time.

Khufu is most well-known for being the king who commissioned the building of the Great Pyramid, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. The chief architect of the Great Pyramid was Khufu's chief chancellor and nephew, Hemiunu.

The Great Pyramid is 750 feet long on each side and stretches 480 feet in the air. It took 20 years to build. Workers hauled 2.3 million limestone blocks, each weighing between 2 and 15 tons, from locations near and far and then placed them with near precision into the shape that is so familiar today but then was the first of its kind.

The Pyramid was meant to serve as Khufu's tomb. Inside were chambers for him and for a queen, connected by the Grand Gallery. Found near the Pyramid was an elaborate funerary boat, the largest of its kind, made of tamarix, or salt cedar. It is 143 feet long and almost 20 feet wide. Later generations discovered Khufu's sarcophagus but not his mummy. It has yet to be found.

Despite the size and grandeur of the Great Pyramid, Khufu survives in likeness form only slightly. The only statue ever found of this famous pharaoh is an ivory depiction that stretches only 3 inches high. Khufu is depicted holding a flail and wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt.

When Khufu died, his oldest surviving son, Djedefre, succeeded him on the throne. (Khufu's oldest-born son, Kawab, had predeceased him in mysterious circumstances.) Another of Khufu's sons became king not long afterward, and he built a giant pyramid near his father's. In turn, Khafre's son Menkaure built a large pyramid nearby as well. Thus, Giza has three giant pyramids close to one another. Khafre's pyramid is on the highest ground, giving it the illusion that it is the tallest.