Ancient Egyptians - Khafre
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Profile of Pharaoh Khafre
The following profile provides a fast overview of Khafre, the pharaoh who built the Second Pyramid on the Giza plateau. This famous king was also known as King Chephren, which was his name in Greek. He is also credited as the builder of the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Profile of Khafre aka Chephren

History Time Period: Old Kingdom

Predecessor: Djedefre aka Radjedef

Dates of his Reign: 2520–2494 BC

Successor: Menkaure aka Mycerinus

King Khafre
Interesting facts, biography & information about the life of Pharaoh Khafre, the ancient Egyptian King. The Pharaoh Khafre fact sheet provides details of the major events and accomplishments in his life, his consort and his family. Information about the dynasty and period in ancient Egyptian history in which King Khafre lived. Refer to Pharaohs for additional interesting facts and information.

Statue of Khafre

Ancient Egyptian King - Khafre Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Khafre: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Chephren which is his name in Greek.

Fact 2 on Khafre: History: Khafre ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom and was a pharaoh of the 4th dynasty of kings. He succeeded his half-brother, Pharaoh Djedefre, to the throne of Egypt.

Fact 3 on Khafre: Djedefre had reigned for a relatively short period of time which led to speculation that he was murdered and that Khafre was involved in his death. There is no evidence to support this theory but there was a history of jealousy and rivalry between members of the royal family.

Fact 4 on Khafre: Family: His father was Khufu and his mother was Queen Henutsen. Like all of the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty Khufu had practised nepotism by which his closest relatives were given the most powerful and influential positions in the kingdom of Egypt. Whilst this kept the key jobs in the family it also caused jealousy and rivalry, especially between the 9 sons of King Khufu.

Fact 5 on Khafre: Family: Khafre married Khamerernebty, whose status and titles were the "Mother of the Dual King", "King’s Wife, his beloved" and "Great of Praises". Khamerernebty was one of Khufu's daughters and therefore either the sister or half sister of Khafre. It was acceptable for the pharaoh to practise incest in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.

Fact 6 on Khafre: Family: The names of one of his 'lesser wives' were Queen Merysankh, Queen Nedjhekenu and Queen Persenet.

Fact 7 on Khafre: Queen Khamerernebty was the mother of his son and heir, the Crown Prince Menkaure.

Fact 8 on Khafre: King Khafre is believed to have raised a total of 12 sons and 4 daughters.

Fact 9 on Khafre: His father had built the Great Pyramid at the Giza necropolis. His half-brother had built his pyramid at another location further north in Abu Rawash.

Fact 10 on Khafre: Khafre restored the Giza plateau as the royal necropolis and initiated the building of the Second Pyramid and possibly the Great Sphinx.

Ancient Egyptian King - Khafre Fact Sheet

Pharaoh Khafre
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Pharaoh Khafre for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Khafre for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about this king of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

King Khafre
Learn about this ancient Egyptian pharaoh the fast and easy way via the Khafre Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian King - Khafre Fact Sheet

Fact 12 on Khafre: The king chose the highest spot on the Giza plateau to build his pyramid. This gave it the illusion of being taller, whereas the Great Pyramid is in fact the tallest of the Giza pyramids.

Fact 13 on Khafre: The name Khafre means "Appearing Like Re" which strongly associated the king with the sun god Ra. The worship of the sun god Ra was in its ascendancy during the 4th dynasty, and the cult center was based in Heliopolis, the "City of the Sun". The pyramid is linked Ra and the  Benben stone that features in the ancient Egyptian creation myth - refer to the Meaning of the Pyramid for additional information.

Fact 14 on Khafre: The king established his royal court at Memphis from where he governed ancient Egypt. During his reign he was assisted by a number of Viziers (Chief Councillors) who were all members of his family.

Fact 15 on Khafre: The names of his Viziers were Ankhhaf, a son of Snefru, Nefermaat a grandson of Snefru, Minkhaf a son of Khufu and Khufukhaef who was another son of Khufu. 

Fact 16 on Khafre: Traditionally the viziers had played an important role as architects in the building projects of the pharaohs. Ankhhaf was the first of Khafre's viziers and probably an architect of the Second Pyramid.

Fact 17 on Khafre: The priorities of the government of ancient Egypt were the building projects, trade and foreign policy. Egypt was a prosperous and peaceful kingdom during his reign and there are no records of military campaigns or attacks from foreign countries.

Fact 18 on Khafre: Trading expeditions were conducted during his reign to Byblos and Syria, refer to Trade in ancient Egypt.  The city of Byblos (located in ancient Phoenicia, modern Lebanon) and Syria both traded in cedar wood that used for building ships, temple doors and expensive coffins. 

Fact 19 on Khafre: The main focus of the government would therefore have been on the building projects. This would have included planning, design and architecture of the monuments, sourcing the materials required for construction and organising the labor to build the monuments.

Fact 20 on Khafre: The endeavours of the king resulted in the extension of the Giza necropolis, the construction of the Second Pyramid, various temples and possibly the Great Sphinx (although this is disputed by many.

Fact 21 on Khafre: He reigned for over 25 years and the peace and prosperity of his reign made him a popular ruler. He was succeeded by his son Menkaure.

Ancient Egyptian King - Khafre Fact Sheet

Picture showing the reconstruction of the pyramid complex at Giza
Top left: Pyramid of Khafre
Top right: The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops)
Bottom Left: The Tomb of Queen Khentkaus
Bottom right: The Valley Temple of Khafre, next to the Great Sphinx

King Khafre and the 4th Dynasty
The following chart provides the names of the kings and the line of succession in the 4th Dynasty together with a map of ancient Egypt.

4th Dynasty

Name - Dates of Reign

King Snefru - 2575–2551 BC

King Djedefre aka Radjedef - 2528–2520 BC

King Menkaure aka Mycerinus - 2490–2472 BC

Succession of the Kings

Khafre
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and King Khafre inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Pharaoh Khafre will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Khafre