November 17: The Suez Canal Opens for Traffic (1869)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who work in transporting shipping containers full of products that people want and need.
History Note
Ancient Egyptians built several canals connecting the Nile River with the Red Sea, but these did not remain reliable paths for transportation over the centuries. As connections grew between Europe and Asia, people wanted to find a faster way to transport people and goods between them.
In the 19th century, sailing around Africa took four months. The Isthmus of Suez is the relatively narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez. A water route through Suez would cut over 4,000 miles from the trip between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.
Ferdinand de Lesseps was born in France in 1805 into an extended family of diplomats. As a child and young man, he spent several years with his family in various diplomatic posts, including seven years in Egypt. While there, he became fascinated with the idea of a canal that would connect the Mediterranean Sea directly with the Red Sea. In later years, he returned to France but continued to research the possibilities of a canal through the Sinai Peninsula.
In the 1850s, Egypt was technically part of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman ruler was not interested in a canal in Suez. However, the viceroy of Egypt, Mohammed Said, was a friend of De Lesseps. In 1854 Said gave De Lesseps permission to build a canal.
Work began on April 25, 1859. The task consisted mostly of digging a 120-mile ditch through desert sand, although workers had to remove some layers of rock also. The canal did not require the construction of locks because both ends were at sea level, and the canal did not go through any higher elevations. The route was not a straight line but utilized the Bitter Lakes and other lakes in the area.
Egyptians provided the primary labor force for the project. Perhaps 1.5 million people were involved over the years, though not all worked at the same time. Precise records were not kept, but tens of thousands of workers likely died during construction, mostly of disease.
Workers completed the project in 1869. On November 17 of that year, amid great celebration, the first ships passed through the canal. At the age of 63, De Lesseps saw his dream fulfilled.
The Suez Canal has been expanded and deepened over the years to accommodate larger vessels. Ships passing through it carry about 12% of the world’s international trade each year. In 2021 a ship got stuck in the canal, blocking traffic for six days.
This satellite image shows the location of the Suez Canal in Egypt. Image courtesy NASA Worldview.
Learn More
This is a timelapse video of one of the world’s largest ships transiting the Suez Canal.
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