Google doodle highlighted on Sunday the 65th anniversary of the discovery of an ancient Egyptian ship that belonged to King Khufu (Cheops) who ruled Egypt about 4,600 years ago.

"The 65th Anniversary of the Khufu Ship Discovery," reads Google doodle on the search engine's homepage on Sunday with a brownish papyrus-like photo of ancient Egyptian symbols including drawings of the Great Pyramids of Giza, a ship and the digits "1954," referring to the year of the discovery.

"On this day in 1954, one of the oldest and largest boats on earth was found buried near Egypt's biggest pyramid," Google said in description of the doodle.

"Today's doodle celebrates the discovery of the Khufu Ship, which survived more than 4,600 years, although its true purpose remains mystery," it added.

Khufu is believed to have commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Solar boats in ancient Egypt were mostly made of cedar wood and believed to have been used in religious rituals.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said on Sunday that Google's managing director for the Middle East and North Africa region, Lino Cattaruzzi, sent a letter to Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany, requesting a list of the largest archeological activities in Egypt and stressing Google's interest in highlighting the Egyptian civilization and monuments.

Intact and well-preserved, Khufu Ship is currently kept in the Solar Boat Museum near the Great Pyramids of Giza.