Suez Canal in Egypt
Rating: 8,4/10 (729 votes)  Suez Canal – it is the most important artificial waterway in the world. It crosses the Isthmus of Suez, connecting the Gulf of Suez in the Red Sea with Port Said in the Mediterranean Sea, allowing access to the Indian Ocean from Europe without skirting Africa. The length of the entire canal is 163 kilometers. The channel width in some places reaches 169 meters. Ships with a draft of no more than 16 meters can safely move along the canal. They tried to build such a canal for a long time and more than once. In 500 BC. e. the Persian king Darius completed the canal, which the Egyptians had begun to build long ago. It took four days to cross it from one sea to another. Later, the Romans improved the canal, but then it became shallow and was not used for a long time. Many tried to restore the Suez Canal (including Napoleon), but their plans never materialized. In 1854, the Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps won the right to construction work. Lesspes supervised the work on the canal from the very beginning of construction until its opening, which happened 10 years later. At first, convicts worked on the construction of the canal, but then the working conditions improved so much that European workers began to come here. In particular, water supply was specially laid along the entire construction. The opening ceremony, which lasted a week, was very magnificent. 6 thousand guests were invited to it, including many crowned heads. The famous opera Aida We also recommend reading Temple of Dendera in Egypt Topic: Suez Canal in Egypt. |
