Khet

Ancient EgyptianHistorical unit (no longer in standard use)Approximate value

One hundred royal cubits, about 52.5 m. A land-surveying measure laid out with a knotted cord.

1 khet = 52.5 meters (approximately).

Approximate value. Standards for the khet varied by place and period, so this converter uses the most commonly cited value. Treat results as estimates, not exact figures.

About the khet

Land in Egypt had to be measured again and again, because the annual Nile flood erased boundaries, and the khet belonged to that work. It is usually explained as a length of 100 royal cubits, measured with a cord or rope marked by knots at regular intervals, a technique shown in tomb scenes such as that of Menna at Thebes. With a cubit of 52.5 cm, one khet comes to about 52.5 m, though cubit rods vary, so the true length could be a metre or so either way.

Usage is not entirely uniform. Wikipedia's article on Egyptian units lists the 100-cubit cord under a different name and gives khet as another label for a short rod of about 60 cm, so the term is read in more than one way by modern authors. In area work the khet is the side of a square, and one square khet is the setat, about 2,760 square metres at this size. The khet is about 52 m, or roughly 57 yards.

Sources: Wikipedia: Ancient Egyptian units of measurement; Wikipedia: Cubit

Khet conversion chart

1 khet expressed in every other length unit:

More Ancient Egyptian units

• royal cubit (length)
• Egyptian palm (length)
• Egyptian finger (length)

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