Surid Ibn Salhouk

Sūrīd ibn Salhouk (Arabic: سوريد بن سلهوق, also known as Saurit, Saurid, and more commonly known as Surid) is a legendary king from medieval Coptic and Islamic lore who is said to have lived 300 years before the biblical flood.^[1] In legends, Surid was often conflated with or identified as the biblical prophet Enoch, the Muslim prophet Idris, and Hermes Trismegistus.^[2]

Surid, among other achievements, was often credited with building the Pyramids of Giza (structures that, in the middle ages, were believed by many to predate the biblical flood narrative). One legend in particular relates how, prior to the deluge, Surid had a terrifying dream of the world's end: In this dream, the "fixed stars had come down," and they "had grabbed the people and had hurled them between two mountains. These [then] closed over [the people] and the shining stars had become dark and gloomy."^[1] After consulting with his trusted advisor Philemon, Surid is said to have ordered the construction of the pyramids so that they could serve as his tomb and also house all the knowledge of Egypt, ensuring its survival during the flood.^[1][3][4]

According to Martyn Smith, "The story of Surid and his antediluvian construction of the pyramids assigns to them a place in sacred history and establishes a neutral narrative ground upon which Muslims and Christians could agree".^[5]