The Suez Canal: The Waterway That Changed the World
The Suez Canal represents one of the most extraordinary engineering feats in the history of humanity. This artificial waterway, 193 kilometres long, cuts the Isthmus of Suez, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, eliminating the need for ships to circumnavigate the entire African continent. Inaugurated in 1869, the canal has radically transformed world maritime commerce and continues today to be a vital artery of the global economy, with about 12% of international commerce transiting through its waters.
The history of the Suez Canal is a saga of ambition, ingenuity, geopolitical conflicts and continuous modernisation that spans millennia of history, from the first attempts of the Egyptian pharaohs to the majestic expansion of the New Canal inaugurated in 2015.
The Pharaonic Predecessors: An Ancient Dream
The idea of connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea through a canal was not born in the 19th century. Already in ancient Egypt, the pharaohs had attempted to realise this connection. The pharaoh Necho II, of the 26th dynasty (610-595 BC), was among the first to seriously undertake this project, beginning the excavation of a canal that connected the Nile to the Red Sea through the Wadi Tumilat. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the works were interrupted after an oracle had predicted that the canal would favour the enemies of Egypt. It is estimated that during the works about 120,000 workers died.
The project was taken up and completed by the Persian king Darius I around 500 BC, after the conquest of Egypt. This ancient canal, known as the "Canal of the Pharaohs", did not follow the direct north-south route of the current Suez Canal, but connected the eastern branch of the Nile delta to the Red Sea through the bitter lakes. The canal was restored and enlarged in various subsequent eras, from the Ptolemies to the Romans, until it was definitively abandoned and silted up around the 8th century AD under the caliph al-Mansur.
Ferdinand de Lesseps and the Great Enterprise
The modern history of the Suez Canal is indissolubly linked to the figure of Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat endowed with extraordinary determination and diplomatic capabilities. De Lesseps had developed a personal friendship with Said Pasha, viceroy of Egypt, during his years of diplomatic service in Cairo. When Said came to power in 1854, de Lesseps seized the opportunity to present his grandiose project.
On 30 November 1854, de Lesseps obtained the concession for the construction of the canal. The Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez was founded in 1858, and the works officially began on 25 April 1859. The project encountered enormous technical, political and financial difficulties. The British Empire, initially opposed to the canal fearing it would lose the strategic advantage of the Cape route, repeatedly attempted to sabotage the project through diplomatic pressure.
The excavation works employed about 1.5 million workers in a decade of exhausting labour. The conditions were very harsh: the heat of the desert, the scarcity of water, the epidemics of cholera and the hardness of the terrain made the excavation a titanic undertaking. The introduction of steam dredges and other modern machinery significantly accelerated the works in the second phase of the construction.
The Inauguration of 1869
On 17 November 1869, the Suez Canal was inaugurated with a ceremony of international scope that lasted several days. The Empress Eugénie of France, wife of Napoleon III, led the procession of ships that for the first time crossed the canal. There were emperors, kings, diplomats and journalists from all over the world. The Khedive Ismail, successor of Said Pasha, had invested enormous sums to transform Cairo and the cities along the canal into showcases of modern Egypt. For the occasion the construction of the Cairo Opera House was commissioned, and although Verdi's Aida was not ready for the inauguration of the canal as is often believed, it was nonetheless created to celebrate the event.
The opening of the canal drastically reduced the navigation times between Europe and Asia. The voyage from London to Mumbai, which required about 24,000 kilometres circumnavigating Africa, was reduced to about 11,600 kilometres, with a saving of about 43% of the distance and weeks of navigation.
Crises and Conflicts: The Canal at the Centre of Geopolitics
The history of the Suez Canal in the 20th century is marked by dramatic events that shook the world order. In 1875, the Khedive Ismail, burdened by debts, was forced to sell the Egyptian share of the canal company to the British government, inaugurating an era of Anglo-French control over the waterway.
The Suez Crisis of 1956 represents one of the most significant episodes of the Cold War. On 26 July 1956, the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal, provoking a joint invasion by Great Britain, France and Israel. The crisis was resolved with the withdrawal of the invasion forces under the joint pressure of the United States and the Soviet Union, marking the definitive decline of the European colonial powers and the affirmation of Egypt as a sovereign nation.
During the Six-Day War of 1967, the canal was closed to traffic and became the front line between Egypt and Israel. The ships trapped in the canal during the closure, known as the "Yellow Fleet" for the desert sand that covered them, remained blocked for eight years until the reopening in June 1975.
The New Suez Canal
In 2014, the president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced an ambitious project of expansion of the canal. The New Suez Canal, inaugurated on 6 August 2015, consists mainly of a new parallel canal 35 kilometres long and in the deepening of 37 kilometres of the existing canal. This expansion has doubled the transit capacity, allowing the simultaneous passage of ships in both directions in much of the route.
The project, realised in record time of just one year, involved thousands of Egyptian engineers and workers. The total cost was about 8.5 billion dollars, financed through investment certificates purchased by the Egyptian citizens in a wave of economic patriotism. The New Canal has significantly reduced the waiting times for the transit, from an average of 18 hours to about 11 hours, increasing the daily capacity of the canal from 49 to 97 ships.
Technical and Operational Data
The modern Suez Canal has a total length of 193.3 kilometres, a maximum depth of 24 metres and a width that varies from 205 to 225 metres on the surface of the water. Unlike the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal is devoid of locks, since the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea are located at approximately the same level. The ships transit through the canal in organised convoys, with an average transit time of 12-16 hours.
Every year, about 19,000-20,000 ships cross the canal, generating significant revenues for Egypt. In 2023, the proceeds of the canal reached over 9 billion dollars, making this waterway one of the principal sources of foreign currency for the country. The canal is managed by the Suez Canal Authority, with headquarters in Ismailia.
Tips for the Visit
How to Get There
The Suez Canal is accessible from various cities along its route: Port Said at the northern extremity, Ismailia in the centre and Suez at the southern extremity. From Cairo, Ismailia is reachable in about two hours by car along the eastern desert motorway. Regular buses depart from the Turgoman station in Cairo towards all three cities of the canal.
Observation Points
The best points to observe the transit of the ships are the El-Ferdan bridge at Ismailia, the seafront promenade of Port Said and the panoramic square of Suez. At Ismailia, the suspension bridge offers a spectacular view of the ships that cross the canal. The stretch of the New Suez Canal is particularly impressive for the dimensions of the container ships that cross it.
Recommended Period
The best period to visit the canal goes from October to April, when the temperatures are milder. In summer, the heat can be oppressive, with temperatures that easily exceed 40°C. The early hours of the morning and the late afternoon offer the best conditions for observation and photography.
What to See in the Surroundings
In addition to the canal itself, the region offers various attractions: the Suez Canal Museum at Ismailia, the house-museum of Ferdinand de Lesseps, Lake Timsah (ideal for boat excursions), the colonial architecture of Port Said and the war memorial of Suez. For those interested in military history, the sites of the battles of 1973 along the canal offer a touching experience.
Practical Tips
Always bring abundant water and sun protection. Respect the military areas along the canal, where photography is severely forbidden. For a better historical understanding, it is advised to visit first the Canal Museum at Ismailia before travelling along the canal. The cruises on the canal, available from Port Said, offer a unique and unforgettable perspective on the engineering work. Inform yourself about the schedules of the convoys to be sure to witness the passage of the ships.
The Suez Canal is not only a commercial infrastructure: it is a monument to the capacity of man to transform the geography of the planet, a place where ancient and modern history intertwine in a fascinating way, worthy of a thorough visit for anyone who travels in Egypt.
