Canal between the Nile and the Red Sea. The Suez Canal is the border between two continents. Napoleon. Where would we be without him?

Do you know the history of geographical discoveries well?

check yourself

Start test

Your Answer:

Correct answer:

Your result: ((SCORE_CORRECT)) from ((SCORE_TOTAL))

Your answers

Contents (expand)

Is 8,000 km a lot? And for commercial transportation, where every kilometer costs a certain amount? In this matter everything the secret of the Suez Canal. One of the most famous buildings in the world deserves close attention. 160 km avoids the 8,000 km route along the African coast. 86 nautical miles - and you get from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. From Europe to Asia.

Not bad? What would be their fate if they had this shortest route to rich India? What would Christopher Columbus do? Oddly enough, the Genoese had a chance to get to the coveted land of spices through the Arabian Isthmus. And despite the fact that the canal was opened only 145 years ago - in 1869, the history of the idea is much older and more interesting!

Birth of an idea

The ancient Egyptians quickly felt all the advantages of the geographical location of their country. The state that arose on the banks of the Nile could trade with Mesopotamia, Greece, and the countries of Africa and Asia with equal success. But there were also serious obstacles - the Arabian Desert, for example. Its endless sands separated the Nile, convenient for navigation, from the Red Sea. The people who built the Cheops pyramid and the Karnak complex simply had to think about building convenient shipping routes. Thus, under Pharaoh Merenre I (2285 - 2279 BC), to facilitate the delivery of granite from Nubia, canals were dug to bypass the rapids of the Nile.

The most interesting thing for you!

Speed ​​is no longer needed

Pharaoh Senusret III undertook the construction of a full-fledged canal. However, due to the fact that all these events took place around 1800 BC, it is impossible to say with complete certainty whether the ambitious ruler succeeded in bringing his plan to life. According to some reports, Senusret carved a canal 78 meters long and 10 meters wide in granite rocks to facilitate navigation on the Nile.

Of course, given the level of technology, this is also solid. But the modern Suez Canal is an unattainable height. Some sources (Pliny the Elder, for example) claim that Senurset had much more ambitious plans - to dig a 62.5 mile (about 100 km) shipping canal between the Nile and the Red Sea. He did not do this most likely because the court engineers were unable to draw up a normal plan.

According to their calculations, the water level in the Red Sea was higher than the Nile, and the canal would “spoil” the water in the river. For obvious reasons, ancient builders could not use gateways. Later, the brilliant Fourier proved the error of the Egyptian calculations, and later, in practice, the builders of the Suez Canal confirmed it.

Suez Canal: forerunners

Only a thousand years later, Pharaoh Necho II (c. 600 BC) tried not only to repeat his predecessors, but also to surpass them! Unfortunately, detailed information about the Necho Canal has not been preserved, but it is known that the journey along it took 4 days. This route passed near the cities of Bubastis and Patuma. The channel was tortuous, since before the Red Sea it was necessary to go around rocks. 120,000 Egyptians died during construction (according to ancient authors, but this may be an exaggeration). Alas, the work was never completed - the priests predicted an unenviable fate for the canal and the pharaoh did not tempt fate and resist the will of the gods.

Why did the Egyptians try so hard to bring such a large-scale idea to life? In the 19th century, this was obvious - the Suez Canal was needed to immediately enter the Indian Ocean, and not to go around Africa. But the Egyptians hardly even went to the Arabian Sea. And life in the desert taught them to land campaigns and expeditions. What is the reason? It's all about expansionist policies. Contrary to popular belief, Ancient Egypt didn't just build pyramids and worship cats. The Egyptians were skilled merchants, good warriors and careful diplomats. And the territories of modern Somalia, Yemen, and Ethiopia were a source of valuable goods: myrrh, valuable wood, precious metals, aromatic resins, incense, and ivory. There were also completely exotic “goods”: Pharaoh Isesi, for example, rewarded his treasurer Burdida for bringing a dwarf from Punt to the ruler.

Egyptian rulers used the entire arsenal of means - trade, troops, diplomacy. But why not the land route? Why just kill 120,000 citizens and spend a lot of money? The thing is that from ancient times to the present day, sea transport remains the cheapest. Maximum autonomy, carrying capacity, speed - this is all about ships, not caravan routes. The Egyptians understood this and ideas for canals like Suez were constantly visited by pharaohs and scientists. But the priests ruined all the plans of the ambitious pharaoh. This project was completed, but by a completely different ruler - Darius I.

Persians, Greeks and Arabs

A hundred years after Pharaoh Necho II, it was Darius who completed the construction of the canal, attributing to himself, however, a little more perfect: “I ordered this canal to be dug from the river, which is called the Nile and flows in Egypt, to the sea, which begins in Persia. […] this canal was dug because […] the ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I intended.” In fact, the Persian king only cleared the silt from the path already built by the Egyptians and paved the rest of the waterway - this is how the “grandfather” of the Suez Canal arose.

But even here, not everything is so simple. The historian Strabo gives slightly different data: “The canal was dug by Sesostris [aka Senusret, 1800 BC. BC] originally before the Trojan War; some, however, claim that this is the work of the son of Psammitich [this son was the same Necho II], who just began the work and then died; Later, Darius I took over this task and inherited the work. But under the influence of a false idea, he abandoned the almost completed work, for he was convinced that the Red Sea lay above Egypt, and if the entire intermediate isthmus was dug, Egypt would be flooded by the sea. Nevertheless, the kings of the Ptolemaic family dug out an isthmus and made the strait a lockable passage, so that one could sail unhindered to the Outer Sea and return at will.”

This ancient author claims that Darius never completed the construction of the canal. Alas, ancient history is replete with such inconsistencies and it is hardly possible to point to a uniquely correct option. However, the participation of Ptolemy II (285 - 246 BC) in the construction of the canal does not raise any doubts. According to the recollections of contemporaries, the canal was so wide that two triremes could easily pass each other there (the width of such a ship is about 5 m), and these are respectable figures even for a modern structure. It was this ruler who completed the construction of the famous Faros lighthouse (one of the 7 wonders of the world), and in general allocated a lot of funds for the economic development of the country. After millennia, Egypt will become the birthplace of a new Wonder of the World - the Suez Canal.

After Ptolemy, the canal went to the Romans along with Egypt. Its next large-scale restoration was organized by Emperor Trajan. Later this path was abandoned and used only sporadically for local purposes.

Once again, the Arab rulers truly appreciated the capabilities of the canal. Thanks to the canal, Amr ibn al-As created an excellent route for supplying Egypt with food and raw materials. The trading function of the channel has changed in favor of infrastructure.

But in the end, Caliph Al-Mansur closed the canal in 775 due to political and military considerations. Without proper maintenance, the canal fell into disrepair and only some parts of it were filled with water during the annual floods of the Nile.

Napoleon. Where would we be without him?

Only a thousand years later, during Napoleon Bonaparte’s stay in Egypt, they started talking about the project again. The ambitious Corsican decided to restore the canal, because in the future he wanted to get an outpost between Britain and its colonies in India, and it would be a sin to miss such an element of infrastructure. The Suez Canal, its image, the idea - all this was invisibly in the air. But who could realize this technologically and economically colossal idea?

Having landed in Egypt in 1798, Bonaparte was able to easily defeat the Egyptian troops. Not expecting serious opposition from the Turks, he began planning the arrangement of the future colony. But the Ottoman Empire did not want to see a corps of 30,000 French in its south, so it turned to Great Britain for help. The Mistress of the Seas certainly did not want the strengthening of France, especially if it threatened her colonial interests. The brilliant Nelson managed to defeat the French at Aboukir.

Having lost the support of the fleet in the Mediterranean, Napoleon found himself in a trap and had no time for the canal. I had to save the soldiers and save myself. Meanwhile, the engineer Leper, whom Bonaparte brought from France, was drawing up a canal project. But he was ready only in 1800 - Napoleon was already in France, having abandoned the conquest of Egypt. Leper's decisions cannot be called successful, because his project was partly based on the old path laid by Darius and Ptolemy. In addition, the canal would be unsuitable for the passage of ships with deep draft, and this greatly affected the prospect of such a “short route” from Europe to Asia.

First steps to the Suez Canal

In 1830, Francis Chesney, a British officer, proposed the idea of ​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez in the London Parliament. He argued that the implementation of such a project would greatly simplify the British route to India. But no one listened to Chesney, since by that time the British were busy establishing ground transport infrastructure on the isthmus. Of course, now such a scheme seems pointless to us, due to the difficulty and ineffectiveness of such an approach.

Judge for yourself - a yacht or ship that arrived, say, from Toulon, disembarked passengers in Alexandria, where they traveled partly by land, partly along the Nile to Cairo, and then through the Arabian Desert to the Red Sea, where they again took their places on another ship, which went to Bombay. Tiring, isn't it? What if we calculate the cost of such a route for transporting goods? However, Chesney's project was rejected, especially since in 1859 a direct railway across the isthmus was completed. Where is some Suez Canal?

In 1833, the French utopian movement of the Saint-Simonists became keenly interested in the idea of ​​a canal. Several enthusiasts developed a construction plan, but Muhammad Ali Pasha (ruler of Egypt) was not in the mood to support such projects: at sea, Egypt had not yet recovered from the consequences of the Battle of Navarino, and on land it was necessary to fight the Turks. The time for the idea has not yet come.

Ferdinand was born in 1805 into the family of a diplomat, which, in fact, predetermined his career. At age 20, he was appointed attaché at the French embassy in Lisbon, where his uncle worked. At this time, he often travels to Spain and visits his cousin Evgenia. Her loyal attitude towards Uncle Ferdinand will still play a role. A little later, not without the help of his father, he received a place in the French diplomatic corps in Tunisia. And in 1832 he was sent to Alexandria, to the post of vice-consul. This is where the Suez Canal begins its history.

While still in France, de Lesseps became acquainted with the works of the Saint-Simonists and entered their circle. In Egypt, he had close contact with Barthélemy Enfantin, the head of the Saint-Simonist sect. Naturally, the ideas of reforming Egypt and large-scale construction projects could not help but visit the rather radical Enfantin. Moreover, at the same time, Muhammad Ali began to carry out pro-European reforms. Barthelemy was apparently sharing his thoughts with the young vice-consul. It is quite possible that he does this not only out of pure interest, but also because de Lesseps was successfully advancing in his career - in 1835 he was appointed consul general in Alexandria.

At the same time, another remarkable fact will occur, which will largely decide the fate of the channel: Muhammad Ali will invite de Lesseps to take care of the education of his son, Muhammad Said. Until 1837, Ferdinand worked in Alexandria, formally as a consul, but de facto also as a tutor.

During his five years in Egypt, Lesseps acquired connections among Egyptian officials and had a good understanding of local politics. Later, the Frenchman was sent to the Netherlands, and even later to Spain. In 1849, Ferdinand was part of the French diplomatic corps in Rome, where issues related to the Italian uprising were resolved. Negotiations failed, and de Lesseps was made a scapegoat and dismissed.

The former diplomat lived quietly on his estate, and in his free time he worked with materials that he collected during his stay in Egypt. He especially liked the idea of ​​​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez. Ferdinad even sent the canal project (calling it the “Canal of the Two Seas”) to Abbas Pasha, the ruler of Egypt, for consideration. But alas, I never received a response.

Two years later, in 1854, Mohammed Said ascended to the Egyptian throne. As soon as de Lesseps found out about this, he immediately sent congratulations to his former student. He responded by inviting the former consul to Egypt, and on November 7, 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps was in Alexandria. In his travel bag he kept the project for the “Canal of Two Seas”, hoping to show it to Said. The time for an idea has come.

Great schemer

In literature, de Lesseps is often called an adventurer and a cunning businessman. True, this is associated more with the construction of the Panama Canal, but it was also noted in the Suez project. The fact is that on November 30, 1854, Said Pasha signed a concession agreement on the construction of the canal (amended in 1856). The terms of the agreement proposed by Ferdinand were extremely unfavorable for Egypt. That is why he deserves comparison with the unforgettable Ostap Bender. But if you look at the situation from the point of view of the middle of the 19th century, everything falls into place. Europeans perceived Asian and African countries exclusively as colonies - already established or potential. De Lesseps was a diligent student and followed the European political paradigm. It is hardly appropriate to talk about injustice if it did not exist as such.

But what was in that agreement? What did Said Pasha miscalculate?

• All land necessary for construction became the property of the company.
• All equipment and materials that were imported from abroad for construction were not subject to duties.
• Egypt pledged to provide 80% of the required labor force.
• The company had the right to select raw materials from state mines and quarries and to take all necessary transport and equipment.
• The company received the right to own the channel for 99 years.
• The Egyptian government will receive 15% of net income from the company annually, 75% goes to the company, 10% to the founders.

Profitable? As for a colony - quite, but no more. Perhaps Said Pasha simply was not a good ruler. He also pursued reform policies, but he lacked his father's foresight. As a result, he gave the most valuable canal into the hands of European colonists.

Suez Canal, ready to go, attention... march!

The final design of the Suez Canal with all the necessary drawings and calculations was provided in 1856. Only two years later, on December 15, 1858, the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company was founded. Before proceeding with the actual construction of the canal, the company had to receive financial support - for this Ferdinand began issuing shares.

In total, he issued 400,000 securities that had to be sold to someone. Lesseps first tried to attract the British, but received nothing but ridicule and a ban on the sale of shares in the Suez Canal Company. The conservatism of the British played against them this time. By relying on the railway across the Arabian Isthmus, they missed a wonderful shipping route. In Austria and Prussia, the idea also did not become popular.

But in their native France, the shares went off with a bang - the middle class was actively buying securities at 500 francs apiece, hoping to receive good dividends in the future. Said Pasha bought 44% of the shares, and another 24,000 were sold to the Russian Empire. As a result, the company's fund amounted to 200,000 francs (approximate rate: 1 1858 franc = 15 2011 US dollars). On April 25, 1859, construction work began on the site of the future Port Said.

Construction of the Suez Canal lasted ten years. There is no exact estimate of the number of workers involved. According to various sources, the canal was built by 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 people. Of these, several tens of thousands (or hundreds, no one counted) died. The main reason for this was backbreaking labor and terrible unsanitary conditions. What can we talk about if a normal canal to provide the construction with fresh water was built only in 1863! Before this, 1,600 camels delivered water on regular “flights”.

Interestingly, Great Britain actively opposed the use of, in fact, forced labor on the Suez Canal. But do not be deceived by the politicians of Foggy Albion - they were not led by philanthropy. After all, the British did not hesitate to use the Egyptians in exactly the same way when laying their railway (Lesseps wrote about this with indignation in a letter to the British government). It was all about economic interests - the Suez Canal seriously facilitated shipping between Europe and India, the richest colony of the British. That is why London constantly put pressure on the Turkish Sultan and France, not allowing the company to work calmly. It got to the point that the Bedouins hired by the British tried to start an uprising among the canal builders! The Turks and French did not want to quarrel with Britain, since they had recently fought together against Russia and they did not want to lose such a powerful ally.

In 1863, Said Pasha died, and Ismail Pasha ascended to the Egyptian throne. The new ruler wanted to revise the concession agreement and construction almost stopped. A serious threat hangs over the Suez Canal. But Ferdinand de Lesseps was a diplomat, albeit not a brilliant one. And what is a diplomat without an ace up his sleeve? Ferdinand addresses Napoleon III, although not directly, but through his niece Eugenie, the wife of the French emperor. An arbitration court led by Napoleon revised the terms of the agreement and returned the lands that had passed to the company to the Egyptian state. In addition, duty benefits and the company’s right to attract peasants to construction were abolished. But here, too, the company benefited - as compensation for changing the terms of the agreement, Egypt paid the company 3.326 million Egyptian pounds in 1866 and 1.2 million in 1869. But the most important thing is that the Suez Canal has begun to be built! The ideological inspirer Lesseps himself participated in the opening - on April 25, 1859, the project got off the ground.

16 km/year

Lesseps planned to build the canal in 6 years, but the work was enough for all 10. Due to a lack of technical means, the work progressed rather slowly. Manual labor by unskilled workers in desert conditions is not the best way to build giant canals. But we had to be content with what we had. At the final stage, excavators were used, which significantly speeded up the work.

Lesseps mentioned that in one month sixty of these machines extracted 2 million m3 of earth. In total, according to the Suez Canal Administration, the volume of excavation work was about 75 million m3 of land. Why is there such a discrepancy in the data? It is easy to calculate that if earthmoving machines worked on the Suez Canal for all 10 years, 240 million m3 could be extracted. The fact is that the company only acquired truly modern technical equipment at the end of construction.

The Suez Canal began at the Mediterranean Sea, then in a straight line to Lake Timsah and the dry Bitter Lakes. From there the final section went to the Red Sea, to the city of Suez. Interestingly, Port Said was founded as a construction settlement in 1859. Now it is a large city with a population of half a million, which plays an important role in servicing the Suez Canal.

In 1869 the work was completed. The Suez Canal was preparing to open. It really was a technological breakthrough - the length of the new canal was 164 km, width 60-110 m along the water surface and 22 m along the bottom, depth 8 m. There were no locks, which greatly simplified the construction. Despite the fact that the canal was formally built, permanent work on deepening and widening, by and large, never stopped - the canal was not suitable for large ships. Often, in order to avoid each other, one of the ships moored at a special pier (they were built every 10 km) and let the other pass.

But these are all particulars. The main thing is that Lesseps and his company proved that it is possible to build a canal across the Arabian Isthmus. Ismail Pasha organized grandiose celebrations in honor of the opening of the Suez Canal - more than 20 million francs were spent (these extravagant expenses, by the way, hit the country’s budget hard)! The highlight of the program was supposed to be the opera “Aida,” commissioned from Verdi, but the composer did not have time to write it, so the guests “settled” for a luxurious ball.

Among the guests were representatives of royal families from Austria, Prussia, the Netherlands, and Lesseps's beloved niece Eugenia. Russia was represented by the ambassador and famous marine painter Aivazovsky. Celebrations were planned for November 16, 1869, and on November 17 the Suez Canal was opened!

The Suez Canal is more important every year

In 1869, the famous clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched on the River Clyde. Ironically, the same year the Suez Canal, the “killer” of high-speed clipper ships, was opened. Now there was no need for these swift beauties - the squat cargo ships managed to transport more cargo in the same time thanks to Lesseps' creation.

But the Suez Canal is not only about poetry, it is also about politics. Soon after the first flights, the British realized what a tidbit they had missed. Probably, the proud sons of Albion would have remained with their noses, if not for the lack of basic financier skills of Ismail Pasha. The love of the ruler’s exorbitant luxury in everything (remember that same celebration in Port Said) seriously undermined Egypt’s financial position. In 1875, all 44% of the shares owned by Ismail Pasha (they passed to him from Said, his predecessor) were bought by Great Britain for 4 million pounds sterling (if this amount is converted into the 2013 pound, we get 85.9 million pounds). The company became, in fact, a Franco-British enterprise.

The importance of the Suez Canal is very clearly illustrated by the 1888 agreement. Then nine great European states (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Turkey, France, Spain, Italy) signed a convention to ensure free navigation along the canal. The canal was open to all merchant and military vessels at any time. It was forbidden to block the canal or conduct military operations in it. If in a war where there are no rules, the inviolability of this highway was so respected, one can imagine what an important role he played.

With each subsequent year, the load on the Suez Canal constantly increased; it was the most important element of infrastructure, which made it possible to get from the Mediterranean Sea to Asia in a couple of weeks. The Egyptians were removed from the management of the canal, and all key positions were occupied by the French and British. Of course, this situation greatly affected the sense of national identity of the Egyptians. But this resulted in open conflict only in the middle of the twentieth century.

Before World War II (in 1936), the British won the right to keep troops at the canal to protect it. During the war, the Allies lay down their bones, but held the defense at El Alamein, trying to prevent Rommel from reaching the Suez Canal. It was truly a strategic facility that covered Middle Eastern oil and Asia. But after the war, the importance of the canal changed seriously. Colonial empires faded into oblivion, but oil exports increased many times over. In addition, the atmosphere in the Arab world began to heat up in connection with the proclamation of the Israeli state.

In 1956, a British-French landing force occupied Port Said. At the same time, the Israeli army was advancing on Egypt from the north. The reason for the invasion of European troops was an attempt by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser (hero of the anti-monarchist revolution of 1952) to nationalize the Suez Canal. Despite heavy losses and temporary closure of the canal (1956-1957), Nasser achieved his goal and the canal became a strategically important object for the Egyptian economy.

After the Six-Day War in 1967, the canal was closed for 8 years. In 1975, the operation to clear and demining the Suez Canal was carried out by the US and USSR Navy. The canal's downtime was a severe blow to the economy. And Egypt was able to survive it only thanks to the help of other Arab states.

For 8 years (1967-1975) 14 ships were locked in the Great Bitter Lake (through which the Suez Canal passes): they did not have time to leave the canal before the blockade. They were called the “Yellow Fleet,” as they say, because of the sand with which the decks were covered.

How the idea came about construction of the Suez Canal? More than a hundred years ago, sailors leaving Hamburg for Bombay, one of the largest ports in eastern India, had to make a long detour. They walked around the southern tip of Africa, like the Portuguese Bartolomeu Diaz, or followed in the footsteps of Magellan to the west and around the southern tip of South America (more details:). Either way it was necessary to cover more than 9,000 kilometers. In the days of sailing, such a journey took several weeks. There was no other, shorter route from Europe to India. England and France, which captured large overseas colonies back in the Middle Ages, It would be especially beneficial to shorten this long path. The inquisitive gaze of politicians, economists, shipowners and sailors increasingly turned to the Mediterranean Sea, where the Red Sea, like a long snake, stretched from north to south between Africa and Asia. Only a narrow isthmus with many lakes separated the northern shore of the Red Sea from the Mediterranean. As long as this isthmus existed, the Mediterranean Sea was just a big dead end. “What a pity,” the shipowners thought, “that there is no through route between Africa and Arabia.” Then they remembered the Egyptian pharaohs, who 3000 years ago tried to dig into the isthmus. Couldn't we do the same today?

Suez Joint Stock Company

The idea of ​​building a canal at the northern end of the Red Sea near Suez matured and became a project. To implement it, in 1846 the British, French and Austrians founded the first Suez Joint Stock Company. Old projects were abandoned and new ones were created. Year after year passed. During this time, a lot of water flowed from the Nile into the sea. People invented nitroglycerin, a motorized balloon, a bicycle, discovered the new planet Neptune and the anthrax microbe, and the sea route to India has not yet become shorter. In 1854, a French diplomat became the head of this society Ferdinand Lesseps. He reviewed the canal construction project proposed by the Austrian Negrelli, bought consent from the Egyptian king to build the Suez Canal on Egyptian territory and founded a new large joint stock company. Lesseps knew how to siphon money.

Canal construction

Battalions of workers pitched tents and April 2, 1859 The first shovel of earth was taken out. It seemed canal construction will not be difficult - after all, the canal did not have to overcome any difference in height along the way; there was no need for locks or ship-lifting devices. Despite this, work progressed slowly. The construction machines now used on construction sites did not yet exist. The deadly heat made the work excruciating. Died during canal construction 20 thousand workers. Only 10 years later with great pomp - 160 kilometers long, 60 meters wide and 12 meters deep - was finally opened.

Channel fee

No one remembered the workers anymore. Now it was necessary to reimburse as quickly as possible the 400 million francs that the construction of the canal had absorbed. This venture has paid off. If in the year the canal opened, 486 ships passed through the new waterway, then forty years later their number increased tenfold. And in 1956, their number reached 15,000. The collectors of the joint-stock company sat at the canal gates and collected channel fee. The share price of the Suez Joint Stock Company has been increasing.

Suez Canal Gate

England was very pleased and began to make itself at home in the canal zone. First she ousted the French and Austrians, her former companions. It then built coal bunkers along the canal to supply fuel to its ships. Soon he joined them long row of military fortifications. "Bab-el-Man-deb" - " Gate of Death" - this is what the Arabs have long called Suez Canal Gate. The Suez Canal Zone became one of the largest bases of the British Empire.

Nationalization of the Suez Canal

1952 was a year of great national awakening for the people of Egypt. The people overthrew the government King Farouk, supported by England, and proclaimed a republic. At its head stood Gamal Abdel Nasser. In 1956, at a mass rally, he announced nationalization of the Suez Canal and demanded that the British leave his zone. Through armed intervention, Great Britain and France tried to save their shaky positions, delay the fall of the colonial system and turn the wheel of history back. But the Egyptian people, who fought for a just cause, won. Descendants of workers who took part in construction of the Suez Canal oh, they took it the most important waterway between Europe and Asia into your own hands. Shareholders of the Suez Canal will no longer be able to increase capital by charging tolls to travel through the canal. All proceeds from it will go to improve the well-being of the entire people.

The Suez Canal will connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Thus, the waterway from the Mediterranean to the waters of the Indian Ocean is significantly reduced. There is no need to go around Africa, which is a huge plus for maritime shipping. The canal is considered the geographical boundary between Asia and Africa.

This most important sea route was put into operation on November 17, 1869. It connected 2 seaports - Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea and the port of Suez - north of the Gulf of Suez in the Red Sea. To the east of the canal are the lands of the Sinai Peninsula, and the western bank belongs to Africa. This waterway is considered the property of Egypt and brings the state treasury at least $5 billion annually, passing through about 18 thousand ships.

At the beginning of its operation, the length of the waterway was 164 km with a depth of 12 meters. Today, after several expansions, the length has increased to 193 km with a depth of 24 meters. The length of the northern access is 22 km, the canal itself is 163 km long and the length of the southern access is 9 km. The width of the water surface varies from 120 to 150 meters. Towards the bottom the width narrows and reaches 45-60 meters.

The waterway connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas does not have locks. This is very convenient, since ships can get from one salty body of water to another without any obstacles.

There are lakes on the canal. These are the Great Bitter Lake and the Little Bitter Lake. The large one is located to the north, and its water surface area is 250 square meters. km. The area of ​​Small Gorky Lake is 30 square meters. km. As for currents, during the winter months the water from the bitter lakes flows north, and in the winter it receives water from the Mediterranean Sea. South of the lakes, the current varies with the tides.

History of the Suez Canal

Ancient times

The ancient Egyptians set themselves the task of connecting the Nile River with the Gulf of Suez. They needed this in order to establish a trade route with Punt, an ancient state located on the Horn of Africa peninsula. The goods were very valuable - ebony, various paints, ivory, gold, animal skins, myrrh (gum resin).

It is assumed that back in the 19th century BC. e. such a canal was built, and the Nile was connected to the Red Sea. This waterway was tirelessly maintained by the pharaohs. But centuries passed, people and states changed. The water crossing gradually lost its relevance and fell into disrepair, and then the need for its restoration arose again.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus reports that in the 7th century BC. e. The Egyptians again began to dig a canal, but did not finish it. Only 100 years later, the Persian king Darius I completed this waterway. In the 3rd century BC. e. it passed into the possession of Ptolemy Philadelphus, who became king of Ancient Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. Judging by the mentions of ancient historians, the water stream was so wide that 2 ships diverged freely on it. In the 2nd century AD, the Roman Emperor Troyan deepened the canal and expanded it. But then another era came, and the waterway from Africa to the Red Sea was abandoned.

Construction of the canal in the 19th century

Centuries flashed by, and Napoleon Bonaparte stood at the head of France. In 1798, he ordered a thorough study of the construction of the Suez Canal, which could connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. A commission was organized, but its conclusion disappointed the emperor. Experts have concluded that the water level of the Red Sea is 9 meters higher than the similar level of the Mediterranean Sea. That is, it was necessary to build a whole cascade of gateways. The emperor was also told the amount of all the work - 45 million francs.

But it was not the financial issue that prevented Napoleon from carrying out construction. Circumstances intervened. The emperor was overthrown and sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, and talk about the grandiose project died out.

40 years have passed and other experts have already proven that the French commission was wrong. There is no water drop. After this, the idea was born to build a canal. It began to be actively promoted Ferdinand de Lesseps- French diplomat with extensive connections and an excellent reputation. He interested the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Said Pasha, with his idea. This man once studied in Paris and received an excellent education.

Said Pasha granted Lesseps a concession for construction work, which began in 1859. The cost of the work was estimated at 200 million francs. For this amount, shares were issued and sold for future dividends. The governments of Egypt and France acted as guarantors, so this financial project was considered quite reliable.

The construction work was extremely difficult. People worked in the desert under the scorching rays of the sun. The main problem was the supply of workers not with construction materials, but with water. Fortunately, the bed of an old canal that was used in ancient times was discovered. It was through it that fresh water was released from the Nile.

However, technical and everyday issues that were not foreseen at the beginning very quickly “ate up” the amount initially included in the estimate. We had to issue additional shares. In total, the cost of all costs amounted to almost 580 million francs. Lesseps promised to build the waterway in 6 years, but the work dragged on for almost 11 years.

First, we made the northern part of the water area and went to the bitter lakes that had long since dried up. They were depressions with a depth of 8-10 meters below sea level. Then it was the turn of the southern part, which was connected to the Gulf of Suez.

The grand opening of the new waterway, which shortened the route from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean by 8 thousand km, took place on November 17, 1869. Representatives of almost all European powers came to the celebration. The celebrations continued for a week and cost 30 million francs.

Further history of the Suez Canal

In 1888, the maritime powers signed the International Convention. It guaranteed free passage through the canal for ships of all states. However, during the World Wars, control over this strategically important area was exercised by Great Britain and its allies. In 1956, Egyptian President Nasser announced the nationalization of the channel.

This caused a great stir in the world, since the Suez Canal carried 20% of all world traffic and 80% of US oil traffic. Economic interests gave rise to a war in which Egypt was defeated, and the strategically important waterway came under the jurisdiction of the UN.

Another conflict arose in 1973, when the Arab-Israeli war began. There was active military action in the canal area, and its work was paralyzed. The waterway became operational only in June 1975. Currently, it is under the jurisdiction of Egypt and brings good money to the state treasury.

Ship on the canal

The waterway's throughput capacity is 76 vessels per day. The traffic is one-way. One ship takes from 12 to 16 hours. First there are ships from Suez, then ships from Port Said. Oncoming ships disperse in the Great Bitter Lake. The movement is organized strictly according to schedule.

Huge loaded tankers cannot navigate the shallow waterway due to their deep draft. Therefore, they unload, bypass the channel and load again at the other end. This creates certain inconveniences. Such cargo is transported by ships owned by Egypt.

In 1981, an underwater road tunnel was put into operation near Suez. It passes directly under the bottom of the Suez Canal and connects the Sinai Peninsula with Africa. This architectural creation is considered one of the attractions of Egypt. In 2001, railway and road bridges were opened in the northern part of the waterway. The height of the road bridge reaches 70 meters. The railway bridge is a drawbridge. Thus, these structures do not impede the passage of ships of any size.

This man-made creation is of great importance for the global economy. It saves a lot of time, and, therefore, reduces the cost of transportation. The benefit is obvious, all that remains is to hope for a stable political situation in this troubled region.

The most important artificial canal in, stretching from to. Located to the west of the Sinai Peninsula, it marks the border between two continents. The length of the canal with approach sections reaches 170 km. This shipping canal is included in the version of our website.

The Suez Canal originates in Port Said and stretches to the bay of the same name in the Red Sea. Water transport can pass through it in both directions. Before the opening of this waterway, the transport of goods between Africa and Eurasia was carried out only by land. The canal was opened for navigation in the second half of the 19th century.

According to historical facts, a canal was built here during the 12th Dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs in order to connect the Nile with the Red Sea. The canal was completed by many subsequent rulers and even by the Persian king Darius I, who conquered Egypt. During the reign of Caliph Mansur, the canal was completely filled up. They thought about its restoration in the 16th century AD. during the Ottoman Empire.

The re-opening of the canal had an invaluable impact on world trade. During the First and Second World Wars, the Suez Canal was repeatedly invaded and partially destroyed. Currently, it is one of the main components of the Egyptian budget. Tariffs for transporting goods through the canal increase every year.

Photo attraction: Suez Canal

This structure is an artificial shipping canal, opened to the traffic of sea vessels in 1869. The Suez Canal is located on the territory of Egypt and serves as a watershed between Eurasia and the African continent, and is of great strategic and economic importance. Income from its operation is one of the primary items in the Egyptian economy, comparable to financial revenues in the tourism sector.

According to the manager, in 2011 alone, more than 17 thousand ships transited through it, adding $5 billion to the Egyptian treasury.

Construction of the Suez Canal

Suez Canal on the map (clickable)

The history of construction goes back to the distant past. The thought of a waterway across the Isthmus of Suez has haunted people since ancient times. According to the manuscripts of ancient historians, the canal connecting the right branch of the Nile and the Red Sea was sought to be dug by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs in the era of the Middle Kingdom (2nd millennium BC).

At the end of the 15th century, Venetian merchants also considered the possibility of building a canal from the Mediterranean coast towards the Gulf of Suez, but their plans were not destined to come true.

The problem of the lack of a short sea route from Europe to the Indian Ocean arose especially acutely in the second half of the 19th century. Humanity in that era was experiencing a period of large-scale colonial division. The territory of North Africa, the part of the continent closest to Europe, was a tasty morsel for the leading colonial powers of the time - England, France, Germany and Italy. Egypt was the object of rivalry between Great Britain and France.

At the same time, the main opponent of construction was Britain. At that time, she was the owner of a powerful fleet. Under her control was the sea route to India, which lay through the southernmost point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope. After the opening of the canal, ships from France, Germany, Spain, Holland and other countries, which were serious competitors of England in its maritime trade, would travel through it.

Construction of the Suez Canal (clickable)

But still the historic day has come. On April 25, 1859, the main lobbyist (in modern language) for the construction, French lawyer and diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, personally, with a pickaxe in his hands, laid the foundation for the great construction.

Over time, advanced technologies of the time, dredgers and excavators, were used to speed up construction. In general, the construction of the Suez Canal took 10 years and cost the lives of 120 thousand workers. In total, up to one and a half million people took part in the work.

As a result, 75 million cubic meters of earth were removed. The length of the Suez Canal was 163 km, width 60 meters, and depth 8, which was more than enough for the smooth passage of ships.

During construction, many workers' settlements grew along the shores of the future structure, some of them eventually grew into large cities: Port Said, Port Fuad, Suez and Ismailia. Nowadays, most of their adult population is involved in its maintenance.

Suez Canal: photo from space (clickable)

On November 17, 1869, the grand opening of the Suez Canal took place. The time it takes for ships to travel from Europe to India has been significantly reduced. At first, sea vessels needed about 36 hours to pass it, but after a short time, from March 1887, the situation changed. Vessels that were equipped with electric spotlights were also allowed to navigate at night, which reduced the passage time by half. In 1870 through Suez Canal 486 cargo and passenger ships made the passage.

It should be noted that the well-known Statue of Liberty, which is a symbol of the United States, was first planned to be installed in Port Said, and it was to be called “The Light of Asia.” However, the Egyptian leadership decided that transporting the statue from France and its subsequent installation was too costly.

Second Suez Canal

Construction of the second stage of the Suez Canal began quite recently, in August 2014, and already on July 25, 2015, its trial operation took place. The construction of a parallel line was necessary to ensure uninterrupted two-way traffic in both directions. The length of the new one was 72 kilometers.

The opening ceremony took place on August 6, 2015. The Egyptian President arrived at the venue on board the yacht Al Mahrusa, the same one that became known as the ship that first passed through the old Suez Canal in 1869.

Suez Canal video