The Suez Canal connects the seas. Suez Canal - the history of construction in pictures. Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is the largest shipping channel between Eurasia and Africa

The history of the construction and opening of the Suez Canal, photo and video materials, maps

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The Suez Canal is, the definition

The Suez Canal is an artificial shipping channel located in Egypt, separating Eurasia and the African continent. It was opened to the traffic of ships in 1869. The channel is of great strategic and economic importance. Cash receipts from the operation of the canal are an important source of income for the Egyptian economy and are second only to financial receipts from tourism activities.

The Suez Canal is waterway of international importance. Length - 161 km from Port Said (Mediterranean Sea) to Suez (Red Sea). It includes the canal itself and several lakes. Built in 1869, width 120-318 m, waterway depth 18 m, no locks. The volume of transportation is 80 million tons, mainly oil and oil products, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. It is considered conditional geogr. border between Africa and Asia. (Concise geographical dictionary)

The Suez Canal is navigable, lockless canal in Egypt, connects the Red Sea near the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Port Said, crossing the Isthmus of Suez. Opened in 1869 (construction lasted 11 years). The authors of the project are French and Italian engineers (Linan, Mugel, Negrelli). Nationalized in 1956, before that it belonged to the Anglo-French "General Company of the Suez Canal".

As a result of the Arab-Israeli military conflicts, the canal court was interrupted twice - in 1956-57 and 1967-75. It is laid along the Isthmus of Suez and crosses a number of lakes: Manzala, Timsakh and Bol. Bitter. To supply the canal zone with river water from the Nile, the Ismailia Canal was dug. The route of the canal is considered to be a conditional geographical border between Asia and Africa. Length 161 km (173 km including sea approaches). After reconstruction, the width is 120–318 m, the depth is 16.2 m. up to 55 ships: two caravans in the south and one in the north. channel transit time - approx. 14 hours. In 1981, the first stage of the project for the reconstruction of the canal was completed, which made it possible to navigate through it tankers with a deadweight of up to 150 thousand tons (upon completion of the second stage - up to 250 thousand tons) and cargo ships with a deadweight of up to 370 thousand tons. For Egypt, the operation of S. k. - the second most important source of income for the country. (Dictionary of modern geographical names)

The Suez Canal is navigable lockless canal in Egypt, on the border between Asia and Africa, connects the Red Sea near the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Port Said. The shortest waterway between the ports of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Opened in 1869 (construction lasted 11 years). Nationalized in 1956, previously owned by the Anglo-French General Suez Canal Company. It is laid along the desert Isthmus of Suez and crosses a number of lakes, including Bolshoye Gorkoye. To supply the canal zone with river water from the Nile, the Ismailia Canal was dug. Length Suez Canal 161 km (173 km including sea approaches), lat. (after reconstruction) 120–318 m, depth 16.2 m. up to 55 ships - two caravans to the south, one - to the north. The average time for passing the canal is approx. 14 hours. (Geography. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia)

The Suez Canal is one of the most important artificial waterways in the world; crosses the Isthmus of Suez, stretching from Port Said (on the Mediterranean Sea) to the Gulf of Suez (on the Red Sea). The length of the canal, the main channel of which runs almost straight from north to south and separates the main part of the territory of Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula, is 168 km (including 6 km of access channels to its ports); the width of the water surface of the channel in some places reaches 169 m, and its depth is such that ships with a draft of more than 16 m can pass through it.

The Suez Canal is navigable lockless sea channel to the north-east. Are, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. S. to. - the shortest waterway between the ports of the Atlantic and Indian oceans (8-15 thousand km less than the route around Africa). The Suez Canal Zone is considered a conditional geographical border between Asia and Africa. The Suez Canal was officially opened for navigation on November 17, 1869. The length of the canal is about 161 km, the width along the water table is 120-150 m, along the bottom - 45-60 m. The depth along the fairway is 12.5-13 m. The average time spent on the passage ships through the canal, 11-12 hours. Main ports of entry: Port Said (with Port Fuad) from the Mediterranean Sea and Suez (with Port Taufik) from the Red Sea.

The route of the Suez Canal runs along the Isthmus of Suez in its lowest and narrowest part, crossing a number of lakes, as well as the Menzala lagoon. To supply the canal zone with river water from the Nile, the so-called Ismailia freshwater canal was dug.

The Suez Canal is a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean and of significant importance for international shipping. The legal regime of the canal is determined by the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which stipulates that both in wartime and in peacetime, the canal "is always free and open to all commercial and military vessels without distinction of flag." The blockade of the canal was declared inadmissible.

The fundamental provision of the Convention is its decision on that "no act permitted by war, and no act hostile or for the purpose of disturbing the free navigation of the canal, shall be permitted in the canal and its ports of entry", even in the event that Egypt is one of the belligerents of the Egyptian Government, according to Convention, has the right to take measures necessary for its implementation, maintaining public order and protecting the country in the canal zone, however, it should not create obstacles to the free use of the canal. Having nationalized the General Suez Canal Maritime Company, the Egyptian government, in a declaration dated April 24, 1957, declared that it would "observe the terms and spirit of the Constantinople Convention of 1888." and that "the rights and obligations arising from it remain unaffected".

(Encyclopedic Dictionary of Economics and Law. 2005.)

The Suez Canal is navigable lockless sea channel in the north-east. OAR; connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas; the most important link in the international communications: provides the shortest route between the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific approx. Length OK. 161 km (together with sea approaches laid along the bottom of the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Suez - approx. 173 km), width along the water table - 120-150 m, along the bottom - 45-60 m; depth - 12.5-13 m. Movement is one-way, by caravans with pilotage. The average time of passage along the S. to. - 11-12 hours. Ch. ports - Port Said, El Kantara, Ismailia, Suez with Port Taufik.

(Soviet historical encyclopedia)

Topographic maps of the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. It is a conditional border between Eurasia and Africa.

History of the construction of the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal has a long history. Construction began in the 2nd millennium BC, but only in 1859 it was opened to sea traffic. The Suez Canal has not lost its significance even today. Now the income from the operation of the canal is a significant part of the national budget of Egypt.

Suez Canal in the ancient world (II millennium BC - I millennium BC)

The idea of ​​digging a canal through the Isthmus of Suez arose in ancient times. Ancient historians report that the Theban pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom era tried to build a canal connecting the right branch of the Nile with the Red Sea.

The ancient Egyptians built a shipping canal from the Nile to the Red Sea as early as c. 1300 BC, during the reigns of the pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. This canal, which was first dug as a channel for the flow of fresh water from the Nile to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bLake Timsah, began to be extended to Suez under Pharaoh Necho II c. 600 BC and brought it to the Red Sea a century later.

The expansion and improvement of the canal was carried out by order of the Persian king Darius I, who conquered Egypt, and later by Ptolemy Philadelphus (first half of the 3rd century BC). At the end of the era of the pharaohs in Egypt, the canal fell into a state of decline. However, after the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, the canal was restored again in 642, but in 776 it was filled up to direct trade through the main regions of the Caliphate.

During the construction of the modern Suez Canal, part of this old channel was used to build the Ismailia freshwater canal. Under the Ptolemies, the old canal was maintained in working order, during the period of Byzantine rule it was abandoned, and then restored again under Amr, who conquered Egypt during the reign of Caliph Omar. Amr decided to connect the Nile to the Red Sea in order to supply Arabia with wheat and other foodstuffs from the Nile valley. However, the canal, the construction of which Amr undertook, calling it "Khalij Amir al-mu'minin" ("Canal of the Commander of the Faithful"), ceased to function after the 8th century. AD

Suez Canal in modern times (XV - XIX century AD)

At the end of the 15th century The Venetians were studying the possibilities of laying a canal from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez, but their plans were not put into practice. At the beginning of the 19th century Europeans mastered the way to India through Egypt: along the Nile to Cairo, and then on camels to Suez. The idea of ​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, which would help to significantly reduce the time and cost.

The idea of ​​building the Suez Canal arose again in the second half of the 19th century. The world during this period experienced an era of colonial division. North Africa, the closest part of the continent to Europe, attracted the attention of the leading colonial powers - France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. Egypt was the subject of rivalry between Britain and France.

The main opponent of the construction of the canal was Britain. At that time, she had the most powerful fleet in the world and controlled the sea route to India through the Cape of Good Hope. And if the channel was opened, France, Spain, Holland and Germany could send their small-tonnage vessels through it, which would seriously compete with England in maritime trade.

And only in the 19th century the channel received a new life. Napoleon Bonaparte, while in Egypt on a military mission, at the same time visited the site of the former majestic building. The ardent nature of the Corsican caught fire with the idea of ​​reviving such a grandiose object, but the engineer of his army, Jacques Leper, cooled the ardor of the commander with his calculations - they say the level of the Red Sea is 9.9 meters higher than the Mediterranean and if they are connected, it will flood the entire Nile Delta with Alexandria, Venice and Genoa. It was not realistic to build a channel with locks at that time. In addition, the political situation soon changed and Napoleon was not up to building a canal in the sands of Egypt. As it turned out later, the French engineer was not correct in his calculations.

In the second half of the 19th century, another Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, was able to organize the construction of the Suez Canal. The success of this venture was based on personal connections, indefatigable energy, adventurism of a French diplomat and businessman. In 1833, while working as the French consul in Egypt, Lesseps met Bartolemy Enfantin, who infected him with the idea of ​​building the Suez Canal. However, the then Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali was cool about the grand undertaking. Lesseps continues his career in Egypt and becomes a mentor to the ruler's son. Between Ali Said (that was the name of the son of the Egyptian pasha) and the mentor, friendly and trusting relations began, which in the future will play a paramount role in the implementation of the grandiose plan.

The plague epidemic forced the French diplomat to leave Egypt for a while and move to Europe, where he continues to work in the diplomatic field, and in 1837 he marries. In 1849, at the age of 44, Lesseps resigns, disillusioned with politics and a diplomatic career, and settles to live on his estate in Shen. After 4 years, two tragic events occur in the life of a Frenchman - one of his sons and his wife die. Staying on his estate becomes an unbearable torment for Lesseps. And suddenly fate gives him another chance to return to active work. In 1854, his old friend Ali Said became the Khedive of Egypt, who called Ferdinand to him. All thoughts and aspirations of the Frenchman are now occupied only by the channel. Said Pasha, without much delay, gives the green light to the construction of the canal and promises to help with cheap labor. It remains only to find money to finance the construction, draw up a project and solve some diplomatic delays with the nominal ruler of Egypt - the Turkish Sultan.

Returning to his homeland, Ferdinand Lesseps meets his old friend Anfontaine, who for all these long years, with his like-minded people, has been working on the project and estimate of the Suez Canal. The former diplomat manages to convince them to transfer their developments, promising to include Anfontaine and his comrades among the founders of the channel in the future. Ferdinand never fulfilled his promise.

The canal project is in your pocket and Ferdinand Lesseps rushes in search of money - the first thing he visits is England. But in Foggy Albion they reacted coolly to this idea - the mistress of the seas already received huge profits from trade with India and she did not need competitors in this matter. The United States and other European countries also did not support the French adventure. And then Ferdinand Lesseps takes a risky step - he begins a free sale of shares of the Suez Canal Company at 500 francs per security.

An extensive advertising campaign is being carried out in Europe, its organizer is also trying to play on the patriotism of the French, calling for beating England. But financial tycoons did not dare to get involved in such a dubious event. In England, Prussia and Austria, a general ban was introduced on the sale of company shares. Great Britain conducts anti-PR of the French adventure project, calling it a soap bubble.

Unexpectedly, the French middle class - lawyers, officials, teachers, officers, merchants and moneylenders - believed in the success of this risky enterprise. Shares began to sell like hot cakes. In total, 400 thousand shares were sold, of which 52% were bought in France, and 44% were acquired by an old friend Said Pasha. The total share capital of the company amounted to 200 million francs, or in terms of 3 billion modern dollars. The Suez Canal Company received huge benefits - the right to build and operate the canal for 99 years, tax exemption for 10 years, 75% of future profits. Egypt received the remaining 15% of the profit, 10% went to the founders.

And then this historic day came - April 25, 1859. The mastermind behind the construction, Ferdinand Lesseps, personally picked up a pick and laid the foundation for a grandiose construction project. Under the scorching Egyptian sun, 20 thousand local fellah worked, as well as Europeans and residents of the Middle Eastern countries. Workers died from epidemics of cholera and dysentery, there were problems with the supply of food and drinking water (1600 camels were used to deliver it). Construction continued uninterrupted for three years until Britain intervened. London put pressure on Istanbul, and the Turkish Sultan on Said Pasha. Everything stopped and the company was threatened with a complete collapse.

And here personal connections again played a role. Lesseps' cousin Eugenia was married to the French emperor. Ferdinand Lesseps wanted to enlist the support of Napoleon III before, but he did not show much desire to help. For the time being. But since the shareholders of the Suez Canal Company included thousands of French subjects, its collapse would have led to social upheaval in France. And this was not in the interests of the French emperor and he forced the Egyptian pasha to change his mind.

By 1863, to supply fresh water, the company built an auxiliary canal from the Nile to the city of Ismailia. In the same 1863, Said Pasha dies and Ismail Pasha comes to power in Egypt, who demands to revise the terms of cooperation. In July 1864, an arbitration tribunal under the leadership of Napoleon III considered the case and ruled that Egypt should pay compensation to the Suez Canal Company - 38 million was due for the abolition of forced labor of the Egyptian fellahs, 16 million for the construction of a canal with fresh water and 30 million for the seizure of lands granted to the Suez Canal Company by the former ruler Said Pasha.

To further finance the construction, several bond issues had to be made. The total cost of the canal rose from 200 million francs at the start of construction to 475 million by 1872, and in 1892 reached 576 million francs. It should be noted that the then French franc was backed by 0.29 grams of gold. At current gold prices (about $1,600 per troit ounce), a 19th-century French franc equals 15 21st-century American dollars.

Dredgers and excavators were brought in to speed up construction. The construction of the Suez Canal lasted 10 years and cost 120,000 workers' lives. A total of 1.5 million people took part in the construction of the canal, and 75 million cubic meters of earth were excavated. The length of the canal was 163 kilometers, the depth was 8 meters, and the width was 60. By the end of the construction, there were 7,000 inhabitants in Port Said, and there was a post office and telegraph.

And now the long-awaited moment of the official opening of the channel has come. On November 16, 1869, 6,000 guests came to Port Said, and 28 million francs were spent on their reception. Among the guests were crowned persons - the Empress of France Eugenia, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph I, the Dutch and Prussian princes. Russia was represented by the ambassador in Constantinople, General Ignatov. Initially, the highlight of the opening show program was to be the opera Aida, but the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi did not manage to finish it on time. So they got away with a ball.

On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. The sea route from Western Europe to India was reduced by 24 days. At first, it took ships 36 hours to pass the canal, but from March 1887, ships with electric searchlights were allowed to navigate at night, which cut this time in half. In 1870, 486 ships passed through the canal, carrying 436,000 tons of cargo and 26,750 passengers. At the same time, a fee of 10 francs was charged for transporting a ton of net cargo (from 1895 they began to charge 9.5 francs). This did not pay off the costs of maintaining the channel and the company was threatened with bankruptcy. But since 1872, the canal began to make a profit, which in 1895 amounted to 55.7 million francs (revenues - 80.7 million, expenses - 25 million). In 1891, a good dividend of 112.14 francs was paid per share of 500 francs (in subsequent years, payments were somewhat less). In 1881, the shares of the Suez Canal were in such high demand that the stock price peaked at 3,475 francs. In his homeland, Ferdinand Lesseps becomes a national hero. In 1875, the Pasha of Egypt sold his stake in the Suez Canal Company to the British government. In 1888, in Constantinople, the legal status of the canal was secured by international convection. This document guaranteed the freedom of navigation through the canal for all countries in peacetime and wartime.

The opening of the Suez Canal was attended by Empress Eugenia of France (wife of Napoleon III), Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph I with the Minister-President of the Hungarian government Andrássy, a Dutch prince with a princess, a Prussian prince. Never before has Egypt known such celebrations and hosted so many distinguished European guests. The celebration lasted seven days and nights and cost Khedive Ismail 28 million gold francs. And only one item of the celebration program was not fulfilled: the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi did not have time to finish the opera Aida ordered for this occasion, the premiere of which was supposed to enrich the opening ceremony of the channel. Instead of the premiere in Port Said, a big festive ball was arranged.

In 1956, Egypt nationalized the canal and since then the Suez Canal has been one of the largest sources of income for the country's budget.

Suez Canal today (XXI century)

The Suez Canal is one of Egypt's main sources of income, along with oil production and tourism.

The Egyptian Administration of the Suez Canal (Suez Canal Authority, SCA) reported that in 2009, 17,155 ships passed through the canal, which is 20% less than in 2008 (21,170 ships). For the Egyptian budget, this meant a reduction in revenue from the operation of the canal from 5.38 billion US dollars in pre-crisis 2008 to 4.29 billion US dollars in 2009.

According to Ahmad Fadel, the head of the Canal Administration, 17,799 ships passed through the Suez Canal in 2011, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier. At the same time, the Egyptian authorities earned $5.22 billion from the transit of ships ($456 million more than in 2010).

In December 2011, the Egyptian authorities announced that tariffs for the transit of goods, which have not changed over the past three years, will increase by three percent from March 2012.

According to 2009 data, about 10% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the channel. The passage through the canal takes about 14 hours. On average, 48 ships pass through the canal per day.

Since April 1980, an automobile tunnel has been operating near the city of Suez, passing under the bottom of the Suez Canal, and connecting Sinai and continental Africa. In addition to the technical excellence that made it possible to create such a complex engineering project, this tunnel attracts with its monumentality, is of great strategic importance and is rightfully considered a landmark of Egypt.

In 1998, a power line was built over the canal in Suez. The pillars of the line, standing on both banks, have a height of 221 meters and are located 152 meters from each other.

In 2001, traffic was opened on the El-Ferdan railway bridge, 20 km north of the city of Ismailia. It is the longest swing bridge in the world, its swing sections are 340 meters long. The previous bridge was destroyed in 1967 during the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Suez Crisis of 1956 was a complex issue with intricate causes and far-reaching implications for international relations in the Middle East. Tracing the origins of the crisis will lead us to the Arab-Israeli conflict of the late 1940s, as well as to the decolonization that swept the globe in the middle of the 20th century and led to conflict between imperialist powers and peoples who sought independence.

Before the Suez Crisis ended, it deepened the Arab-Israeli conflict, exposed the deep opposition between the United States and the Soviet Union, dealt a death blow to British and French imperial claims in the Middle East, and enabled the United States to achieve a prominent political position in the region.

Causes of the Suez Crisis of 1956

The Suez crisis had a complex origin. Egypt and Israel remained technically at war after the armistice agreement ended their 1948-1949 hostilities. Efforts by the United Nations and various states to reach a final peace agreement—especially the so-called Alpha peace plan proposed by the United States and Britain in 1954-1955—did not lead to an agreement. In an atmosphere of tension, serious skirmishes on the Egyptian-Israeli border almost caused the resumption of full-scale hostilities in August 1955 and April 1956. After Egypt bought Soviet weapons at the end of 1955, there was growing sentiment in Israel for a pre-emptive strike that would cripple Egyptian Prime Minister Gamal Abdel Nasser and undermine Egypt's combat capability before it mastered Soviet weapons. .

By then, Britain and France had grown weary of Nasser's challenge to their imperial interests in the Mediterranean basin. Britain viewed Nasser's campaign to withdraw British military forces from Egypt - in accordance with the 1954 agreement - as a blow to its prestige and military capability. Nasser's campaign to increase his influence in Jordan, Syria and Iraq convinced the British that he was seeking to purge the entire region of their influence. French officials were annoyed by the fact that Nasser supported the struggle of the Algerian rebels for independence from France. By early 1956, American and British statesmen had agreed on a top-secret policy, codenamed Omega, aimed at isolating and limiting Nasser's actions through a variety of subtle political and economic measures.

The Suez Crisis erupted in July 1956 when Nasser, left without economic aid from the United States and Britain, retaliated by nationalizing the Suez Canal Company. Nasser took the British and French-owned firm to demonstrate his independence from the European colonial powers, to avenge the British and US withdrawal of economic aid, and to reap the company's profits earned in his country. This set off a four-month international crisis during which Britain and France gradually concentrated their military forces in the region. They warned Nasser that they were prepared to use force to regain their rights to the canal company if he did not relent. British and French officials secretly hoped that this pressure would eventually lead to Nasser's removal from power, with or without military action on their part.

The immediate cause of the crisis was, as it then seemed to many political observers, an overly bold step by the Egyptian leadership, headed by President G.A. Nasser, who announced on July 26, 1956, the nationalization of the General Company of the Suez Canal Maritime, which belonged to Anglo-French capital. This act, in turn, was preceded by the decision of Washington, London, as well as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to refuse to provide Egypt with loans for the construction of the grandiose Aswan hydrotechnical complex. In retaliation, President Nasser "quite logically" decided to raise funds to finance the project from the proceeds from the operation of the Suez Canal passing through Egyptian territory.

The true causes of the crisis were hidden in the West's dissatisfaction with the "anti-imperialist revolution" in Egypt in 1952-1953, in the "impermissible" exit of the Egyptian leadership from Western tutelage and its transition to Arab-nationalist positions with an orientation towards the Soviet Union and led by it. bloc of states.

The efforts of the leading Western countries after the nationalization of the channel focused on Nasser's persuasion to disavow this decision. The whole arsenal of political, diplomatic, propaganda and practical means was put into play: from various kinds of conferences with the participation of the countries of channel users, numerous meetings at the UN headquarters on this issue, influencing public opinion through the media and recalling pilots to direct threats of military intervention . Putting forward various options for solving the problem, the West sought at all costs to keep the financial trough slipping out of its hands, but Cairo held on, of course, not without the support of the entire Arab world, the Non-Aligned Movement, but, most importantly, such a military and political giant as the Soviet Union.

So, considering the causes of the Suez crisis, it is necessary to dwell on the fact that the military conflict occurred as a result of the aggravation of socio-economic and political contradictions between the authorities of Egypt, Israel, the United States and European states.

1. Israel's desire to weaken the position of Egypt in the Middle East.

2. The desire of the Egyptian government to free itself from the influence of England and France.

3. Nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt.

U.S. involvement in the Suez Crisis of 1956

It should be recognized that the United States also played an important role in the "persistence" of the Egyptian leadership, formally taking a neutral position in the conflict and occasionally even sharply criticizing the Franco-British for their "excessive militarism." Washington was really not very pleased with the policy of London and Paris in connection with the Suez crisis, because, firstly, it considered it unacceptable to “disperse” the efforts of its Western allies and divert their attention from the crisis in the Soviet bloc, which was brewing, not without their own help, more important for the West. (due to events in Hungary).

Secondly, he believed that the acute problem that had arisen in the Middle East was clearly out of time, since it coincided with the peak of the election campaign for the election of November 6, 1596, the President of the United States. Thirdly, Washington reasonably regarded the planned military intervention of its Western European allies as plans to create a powerful pro-Western (and anti-Soviet, of course) bloc of Arab states based on the Baghdad Pact.

At the same time, the United States was aware that in London and Paris, which had fundamentally embarked on the path of forceful pressure on Egypt, they would not tolerate the rigidity of the Americans regarding the coordinated policy of the "great European powers", which was very fraught with a crisis in the military-political alliance of NATO. .

By this time, the regional ally of the United States, Israel, already irrevocably, “in company” with England and France, decided to take advantage of the situation to strike at Egypt. All this forced Washington, in the person of the highly experienced Secretary of State D.-F. Dulles to maneuver, which at first caused some surprise among the European allies, and then sharp criticism from the British and French premiers E. Eden and G. Mollet, respectively. Looking ahead a little, we emphasize that such behavior by Washington at a critical moment for its European allies was not forgotten by them, especially in Paris, which since then, regardless of which political trends were at the helm, has been wary of US policy.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower approached the Suez crisis from three basic and interrelated premises. First, while he sympathized with Britain's and France's desire to return the company that operated the canal, he did not challenge Egypt's right to take the company back, provided adequate compensation was paid, as required by international law. Eisenhower thus sought to prevent a military confrontation and settle the canal dispute on a diplomatic level before the Soviet Union exploited the situation for political gain. He instructed Secretary of State John Foster Dulles to resolve the crisis on terms acceptable to Britain and France through public statements, negotiations, two international conferences in London, the establishment of the Suez Canal Users Association and discussions at the United Nations. By the end of October, however, these efforts proved fruitless, and Anglo-French preparations for war continued.

Second, Eisenhower sought to avoid a break with the Arab nationalists and included Arab statesmen in his diplomacy to end the crisis. His refusal to support the Anglo-French forces against Egypt was partly due to the realization that Nasser's confiscation of the canal company was widely popular among his own and other Arab peoples. Indeed, Nasser's wave of popularity in the Arab states blocked Eisenhower's efforts to resolve the canal crisis in partnership with Arab leaders. Saudi and Iraqi leaders turned down US offers to criticize Nasser's actions or challenge his prestige.

Third, Eisenhower sought to isolate Israel from the canal dispute for fear that the mixing of the Israeli-Egyptian and Anglo-French-Egyptian conflicts would ignite a fire in the Middle East. In this regard, Dulles denied Israel the right to vote at diplomatic conferences convened to resolve the crisis, and did not allow discussion of Israeli complaints about Egyptian policy during hearings at the United Nations. Sensing an increase in Israeli belligerence towards Egypt in August and September, Eisenhower arranged for limited arms shipments from the United States, France, and Canada in the hope of lessening the danger of the Israeli position and thus preventing an Egyptian-Israeli war.

Military action during the Suez Crisis of 1956

In the Western military-historical literature on the Suez Crisis, in those years and especially now, the fact of “incredible patience” that distinguished London and Paris, for more than three months “persuading” the Egyptians to compromise, is constantly emphasized.

The actual state of affairs, including on the basis of documents and memoirs of Western politicians, speaks more about the systematic preparations for the formation of an Anglo-French-Israeli military coalition that unfolded even before the decision of the Egyptian president and, most importantly, the careful development of a scenario for unleashing hostilities against the "left out of control of Egypt.

There were good reasons for this, and all three members of the coalition. For example, London could not forgive Nasser for the withdrawal of British troops from bases from Egypt in 1954-1956. in the Suez Canal zone, which took place to the accompaniment of an anti-British campaign in the Arab media; the forced displacement in March 1956 of the English General Glubb, the commander of the Arab Legion in Jordan, influential in the Middle East, and the expulsion, not without the assistance of the Egyptians, of British officers from the same country, and much more.

France was extremely annoyed not only by the moral, but also by the substantial material assistance of Nasser Egypt to the national liberation movement in Algeria and by subsidizing the anti-French campaign in other regions of the Arab Maghreb.

The list of Israeli claims to Egypt as the leader of the Arab world was even wider and more significant. By this historical period of time, Tel Aviv, in the context of incessant attacks by "Palestinian terrorists" and the actual blockade of the only exit of the Israeli state to the Red Sea through the Gulf of Aqaba, was ready to use military violence against Egypt. Egypt's "punishment" plans, as we see, were accumulating, and with the nationalization of the channel, a new stage began in preparations for war.

It is noteworthy that at first the Americans, represented by, for example, representatives of the US embassy in London, were also invited to discuss concrete plans for military operations against Egypt by the British and French. These facts refute the official statements of the American side that Washington allegedly was not aware of specific invasion plans. Moreover, later these statements were refuted, for example, by the head of American intelligence, Alain Dulles, the brother of the then US Secretary of State. Analyzing the American position, one should nevertheless admit that as the plans for military operations were concretized, the British and French, and then the Israelis, tried to avoid contacts with their overseas partner on this issue, although this does not mean that Washington did not know about real military preparations. .

Paris and London developed several options for aggression against Egypt. First, a plan was prepared for Operation Railcar, which provided for the participation of 80,000 British and French troops in large-scale actions to capture Alexandria and attack Cairo. An auxiliary landing from the Red Sea to the southern shores of the canal was also considered. However, this plan was rejected, and instead a new option was developed for the allies to seize the Suez Canal zone, ensure air superiority over all of Egypt, and achieve the final result in the form of the overthrow of the military-political leadership headed by President Nasser.

After a series of changes and clarifications, the final war plan was called the Musketeer, which provided for two phases of action: the neutralization of strategically important objects and targets through massive air strikes throughout Egypt, and then a direct invasion of the canal zone. On September 1, 1956, Paris officially invited its British partners to involve Israel in the war on its side. The British initially disagreed with this idea.

The fact is that relations between London and Tel Aviv were then strained: London, in the spirit of the UN resolution of November 29, 1947, called on Israel to purify the Arab lands seized by it as a result of the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949. However, the British were forced to “forget” about this, changing their position to please, as they considered, the now doomed joint (Western European-Israeli) invasion plan.

Its essence was the initial Israeli aggression against Egypt and the rapid occupation of Sinai, and then the actions of the Anglo-French troops under the pretext of "separating the warring parties" with the subsequent consolidation of their presence in the canal zone.

At first, Israeli Prime Minister D. Ben-Gurion expressed his dissatisfaction with Israel's role as the instigator of the armed conflict. Then, as compensation, he put forward a number of conditions affecting the issues of securing Israel's territorial acquisitions in Jordan and Lebanon, and transferring jurisdiction over the Gulf of Aqaba to it, with the subsequent recognition of these decisions by Egypt. However, the British severely moderated the appetites of Tel Aviv, as a result of which the Israelis could only hope for their ability to bargain, but after the end, as they hoped, of a victorious war. As a result, the secret so-called Treaty of Sevres was signed, according to which the Israeli part of the joint operation was called Kadesh. Yet the Israelis decided to play it safe.

Before the attacks on the grouping of Egyptian troops in the Sinai, the Israeli military command decided to land troops 45 km from the canal, at the Mitla Pass, thereby cutting off the southern rugged part of the Sinai Peninsula from the northern one, followed by reinforcements by land. In the event of a possible refusal by the allies to satisfy the territorial demands of Israel, Tel Aviv considered it appropriate to present the actions of its armed forces as just an "anti-guerrilla raid."

On the eve of the war, in order to divert attention, Israel conducted a military raid on the West Bank of the Jordan River. The ploy worked, and all the attention of the Arab world shifted to Jordan, on whose territory Iraq even introduced its division. At the same time, under the guise of exercises, Great Britain and France began to transfer their military contingents to Cyprus and Malta. The United States, wanting to monitor and control the situation, began to pull up the ships of the 6th Fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean since the end of summer.

25 thousand British and the same number of French were to take part in the joint military operation. Taking into account the sea and auxiliary forces, the number of the British-French expeditionary force exceeded 100 thousand people. In total, about 230 thousand soldiers and officers of the three countries, 650 aircraft and over 130 warships were concentrated for the intervention.

The Egyptian armed forces on the eve of the invasion consisted of 90 thousand people, 430 mostly obsolete tanks and 300 self-propelled guns. The Air Force had about two hundred aircraft, of which 42 were combat-ready. Of the thirty thousandth group of Egyptian troops in the Sinai Peninsula, only 10 thousand were part of regular units, the rest were in volunteer militia formations.

In general, the number of Israeli troops intended for operations in the Sinai Peninsula outnumbered the Egyptians by one and a half, and in some areas - more than three times; the British-French troops landing in the Port Said area had more than five times the superiority over the Egyptians. It should be recognized that these figures indicate the obvious failures of the Egyptian military-political leadership (and its intelligence, in particular), which did not increase the grouping of its troops in the Sinai and in the canal zone in advance.

Launched in accordance with the approved scenario on October 29, 1956, the Israeli offensive against Egyptian troops in the Sinai Peninsula was deployed simultaneously in three directions: along the Mediterranean coast with an auxiliary maneuver to encircle and destroy Egyptian troops in the Gaza region; through the Mitla pass to Suez and Ismailia; and, to a limited extent, along the coasts of the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba. The fighting on the first day of aggression was carried out mainly in the southern, Suez direction. On October 29, Israeli airborne troops (from the 202nd Airborne Brigade) landed in the area of ​​the Mitla Pass, after which French aircraft began to deliver military equipment, ammunition, fuel, food and water to him. Transferred to Israel the day before the invasion, 60 French jet fighters with Israeli markings, but with French crews, supported the actions of the Israeli ground forces. In total, during the war they made more than 100 sorties. At the same time, ships of the British and French fleets headed for the Egyptian shores.

For the Israelis, however, things didn't go exactly as they had planned. After the landing near the Mitla Pass, the Israelis were faced with the active actions of the Egyptian Air Force in support of ground forces (Egyptian pilots were trained by Soviet specialists). Unexpectedly, the Israelis were given a lot of trouble by the difficult terrain, the constant failure of not entirely new military and auxiliary equipment.

By the end of the day on October 30, having made an almost 300-kilometer march, the rest of the 202nd airborne brigade reached the pass to the landing force. She could not move further - to the canal, having met organized resistance from only five companies of the Egyptians, who took up positions along the only passage leading to the canal.

On the night of October 30, the central Israeli grouping as part of the 38th divisional group crossed the border almost without loss and rushed to the canal, in the direction of Ismailia. However, there was no triumphal march here either. Despite the fact that by November 2, the Israelis managed to push the Egyptians back to the canal and establish a strong connection with the 202nd Airborne Brigade, their losses were unplannedly high - more than 100 people were killed and wounded, including the commander of one of the brigades.

The Israeli Northern Group of Forces, consisting of two brigades, was supposed to occupy northern Sinai and cut off the Gaza Strip. In the course of heavy two-day fighting, the opposing Egyptian reinforced infantry brigade was dismembered, in which the powerful fire of the French cruiser Georges Legy provided significant assistance. And here the Israelis did not do without significant losses: more than 200 killed and wounded, although in general the task was completed. To this should be added about a hundred more killed and wounded during the capture by November 3 of the Gaza Strip, defended by the Palestinians and Egyptians.

In the southern direction, with the aim of occupying Sharm ash-Sheikh (near the Red Sea), on November 2, an infantry brigade of the Israeli Armed Forces began to advance. The next day, units of this unit encountered fierce resistance from the Arabs, but after receiving reinforcements, including from the 202nd brigade, which approached the city from the west, the task was completed with minimal, this time, losses (10 people killed and 32 wounded). Moreover, Israeli aviation, supporting its ground forces, for the first time used napalm against the defenders of Sharm el-Sheikh. On November 5, Israeli landing forces occupied the Saudi-owned islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Strait of Tiran, completely taking it under control.

Invading Egypt, the Israelis and their European partners correctly chose the "sensitive point" of the Egyptian military machine - the command and control system - for targeted destruction. By inflicting air and sea strikes on command posts and communication centers, the Allies "created real chaos in the Egyptian command and control units at all levels." This, mainly the Arabs, later explained the relatively low stamina of their troops directly on the battlefield. In the air, in addition to more or less successful fulfillment of missions to support ground forces, the Egyptian Air Force proved to be mediocre, irretrievably losing 4 MiG-15s and 4 Vampires in the first 48 hours of the war. On the Soviet Il-28 bombers delivered to Egypt, the Egyptian pilots also never failed to accurately fulfill the tasks assigned to them. The destroyer Ibrahim al-Awwal of the Egyptian Navy fired on the port of Haifa on October 30 without causing serious damage to the Israelis, but the next day the destroyer was attacked from the air and surrendered to the enemy without resistance. This, in fact, limited the naval participation of the Egyptians in the war.

Meanwhile, just a day after the Israeli invasion of the Sinai, Great Britain and France, in accordance with the scenario, presented an ultimatum to the “warring parties”: to withdraw troops 10 miles from the canal and allow the Franco-British troops to temporarily occupy the Suez Canal zone as a “separating force”. The curiosity of the situation was that the Israelis were still 30 miles from the canal, but it seems that no one expected that the ultimatum would be accepted.

Not having received consent to their demands, on the evening of October 31, the British and French began massive raids on Egyptian airfields and other military and civilian installations. The air operation continued until 5 November. 2000 sorties were made. However, the coalition allies faced unforeseen circumstances. So, the planes already ready to take off had to be called off due to the fact that the reconnaissance of the targets was carried out poorly. In addition, it was necessary to reorient the bombers intended to attack the main and largest air base of the Egyptian Air Force - Cairo-Western, since US Air Force planes landed on it to evacuate American citizens.

During the conflict, the Americans more than once presented surprises to their European allies, not only in the political arena, but also in the theater of operations. So, for example, a US Navy submarine violated the order of battle of the French operational forces with its appearance, as a result of which the Allies had to stop maneuvering, force it to surface so as not to accidentally ram it. A little later, the US Navy aircraft carrier strike group, led by the Coral Sea aircraft carrier, did not coordinate actions with a similar British one, as a result of which not only ships, but also aircraft almost collided. An even more embarrassing incident occurred within the coalition itself, when on November 3 an Israeli aircraft attacked a British cruiser near Sharm el-Sheikh, which brought British-Israeli military ties to the brink and prompted the British to demand the exclusion of Israeli officers from the joint allied headquarters.

Meanwhile, Allied air raids on Egyptian installations continued, albeit with rather poor bombing accuracy. The conditions for the actions of the Franco-British aviation were very favorable. Particularly affected was the fact that President Nasser, considering his pilots much worse trained than their Western opponents, instructed to avoid air battles with them and focus entirely on confrontation with the Israeli Air Force. There were only a few aerial victories of the Egyptians over the Franco-British.

In general, the Egyptians suffered significant losses both in manpower and in technology. However, the achievement of the set goal - the overthrow of the Nasser regime - was still far away. To bring the plan to its logical end, Great Britain and France launched an invasion by ground forces. It began with airborne assaults carried out by the Franco-British from bases in Cyprus. On November 5, with air support, the British parachute brigade captured Port Said, and the French landing brigades captured Port Fuad. On the night of November 6, an amphibious assault began on the captured bridgeheads, supported by 122 warships that had arrived from Malta and Toulon.

With the growth of the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression, the Egyptian leadership faltered and turned to Moscow for urgent help, which, being completely occupied with the Hungarian events, at first limited itself to warnings against Paris and London. Egyptian resistance on the battlefield declined sharply. The Franco-British were preparing to occupy the central part by November 8, and by November 12 the southern part of the canal zone. But these plans were not destined to come true. The United States and the USSR, relying on the mechanism of the UN, jointly finally stopped the war. On November 6, 7 and 8, the British, French and Israeli leaderships respectively issued ceasefire orders.

Until now, military analysts and historians are arguing about whose contribution to the completion of the military campaign was more significant - Moscow or Washington. In favor of the decisive role of the Soviet contribution, mainly domestic, and earlier Arab researchers cite the readiness of the USSR to send regular troops to the combat zone under the guise of volunteers, which "frightened" the Franco-British. Western, mainly American, analysts reject the reality of this version, arguing that Washington would never have allowed the USSR to take military action against NATO allies, which he supposedly notified Moscow about.

In their opinion, in addition to "friendly" political pressure, Washington's financial and economic pressure played a role, namely the threat to freeze British financial reserves in US banks and thereby sharply weaken the British currency. In addition, Washington promised to compensate Paris and London for losses in obtaining Middle Eastern oil. And in the British Commonwealth, in connection with the military intervention, a deep crisis arose, and to the disappointment of London, the "tested" allies in the past - Canada and Australia - took a sharply anti-British position.

Whatever it was, but the hostilities were stopped. By December 22, 1956, Britain and France withdrew their troops, and Israel, resorting to various tricks, was forced to withdraw from the Sinai in March 1957, destroying and destroying the entire military infrastructure on the peninsula. From November 15, 1956, UN forces began to be stationed in the canal zone. The concept of UN peacekeeping operations was developed by the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs L. Pearson, for which he even received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 (this concept has largely become the standard for all subsequent similar UN actions).

The biggest losses, of course, were suffered by the victim of aggression - Egypt: 3,000 military personnel and almost the same number of civilians were killed. Losses in military equipment were also huge. Israeli losses in killed - about 200 people, and four times more wounded. Great Britain and France lost a total of 320 people. The Allies claimed the loss of five aircraft.

Shocked at the sudden prospect of global conflict, Eisenhower also acted quickly to prevent it. He applied political and financial pressure on the warring parties to pass a UN truce resolution on November 6, which went into effect the next day. He supported the efforts of UN officials to urgently use the UN Emergency Force in Egypt. The tension gradually subsided. British and French forces departed Egypt in December, and after difficult negotiations, Israeli forces withdrew from Sinai by March 1957.

Aftermath of the Suez Crisis of 1956

The Suez crisis, although it was quickly mitigated, had a major impact on the balance of power in the Middle East and on the commitments the United States made in the region. This tarnished British and French prestige among the Arab states and therefore undermined the traditional hold of these European powers over the region. In contrast, Nasser not only endured the test, but increased his prestige among the Arab peoples as a leader who challenged European empires and survived the Israeli military invasion. The remaining pro-Western regimes in the region should have averted the uprisings of Nasser's supporters. Although Nasser showed no immediate inclination to become a client of the Soviet Union, American officials feared that Soviet threats to European allies improved Moscow's image in the eyes of the Arab states. And the prospect of establishing an Arab-Israeli peace in the foreseeable future seemed zero.

Reacting to these aftermath of the Suez War, the president announced the Eisenhower Doctrine, an entirely new regional security policy, in early 1957. Proposed in January and approved by Congress in March, the doctrine assured that the United States would provide economic and military assistance and, if necessary, use military force to contain communism in the Middle East. To carry out this plan, Presidential Envoy James P. Richards toured the region distributing tens of millions of dollars in economic and military aid to Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Libya.

Although it was never officially recognized, the Eisenhower Doctrine guided US policy in three political disputes. In the spring of 1957, the president provided Jordanian economic aid and sent American warships to the eastern Mediterranean to help King Hussein put down a rebellion among pro-Egyptian army officers. In late 1957, Eisenhower encouraged Turkey and other friendly states to consider invading Syria to prevent the local radical regime from increasing its power. When the violent revolution in Baghdad in July 1958 threatened to ignite similar uprisings in Lebanon and Jordan, Eisenhower finally ordered American soldiers to occupy Beirut and organize supplies for the British troops occupying Jordan. These measures, unprecedented in the history of American policy towards the Arab states, made clear Eisenhower's intention to accept responsibility for the preservation of Western interests in the Middle East.

The Suez Crisis marked a watershed in the history of American foreign policy. By overturning traditional Western notions of Anglo-French hegemony in the Middle East, deepening the problems created by the revolutionary nationalism that Nasser personified, exacerbating the Arab-Israeli conflict, and threatening to give the Soviet Union an excuse to invade the region, the Suez Crisis attracted the United States to a significant, serious and sustained engagement in Middle East affairs.

Some interesting facts about the Suez Canal:

The construction of the canal lasted 10 years from 1859 to 1869, instead of the 6 years originally planned;

The length of the canal in 1869 was 163 kilometers, width - 60 meters, depth - 8 meters;

1.5 million workers participated in the construction of the canal for the entire time, of which 120 thousand died;

According to the project, the initial cost of the canal was 200 million francs, by 1872 it reached 475 million francs, and in 1892 it amounted to 576 million francs;

A 19th-century French franc is roughly equal to 15 2013 US dollars;

One share of the Suez Canal Company sold before construction began at 500 francs, and in 1881 the share price reached an all-time high of 3,475 francs;

In 1881, dividends of 112.14 francs were paid per share.

Cities on the Suez Canal

During the construction of the Suez Canal, settlements appeared on its banks, many of which grew up on the site of workers' settlements. Among the major cities on the Suez Canal are: Port Said, Port Fuad, Suez and Ismailia. Currently, most of the population living in their territory is involved in the maintenance of the Suez Canal.

City of Port Said on the Suez Canal

Port Said is a city in the northeast of Egypt. Port on the Mediterranean Sea at the northern end of the Suez Canal. The city maintains the Suez Canal and refuels passing ships. The city was founded in 1859 on a sandy spit separating the Mediterranean Sea from the salty coastal lake Manzala. Originally built as part of the canal's infrastructure. Quickly developed as a free (duty-free) port. The city has preserved many houses built in the 19th century.

The city is divided into 5 administrative districts: Zuhur, Sharq, Manah, Arab and Dawahi. Port Said has a well-developed chemical and food industry, cigarette production and fishing. However, the main purpose of the city is closely connected with the Suez Canal. Through this major Egyptian port, rice and cotton are exported. The canal is also being maintained and refueling passing ships. In the Port Said area, the Suez Canal bifurcates to allow for two-way traffic.

The city was founded in 1859 and named after Said Pasha, who at that time was the ruler of Egypt. The economic base of the city is fishing and industry: the production of chemicals, food processing, and the production of cigarettes. Port Said is also the starting point for Egyptian exports of cotton and rice. In August 1882, Port Said was occupied by British troops. Since that time, Port Said has been one of the centers of the anti-British anti-imperialist movement, from 1921 to 1954 there was more than one uprising.

On November 5-6, 1956, during the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt, fierce battles took place in Port Said with the Anglo-French landing force. The heroic defense of the city thwarted plans for the capture of Egypt. Under pressure from the world community, Britain, France and Israel withdrew their troops.

On December 23, 1956, Port Said was completely liberated. More than 2,500 Egyptians died in the battle for Port Said.

Port Said is recognized as a free economic zone. The special position of the city contributed to the creation of a highly developed transport network in the region and its transformation into a bustling trading city. An extensive network of railways has been created in the region. The airport of the same name is located about 8 kilometers from the city. An international highway connects Port Said with the capital of Egypt, Cairo, another road of national importance goes to Dumyat and further along the Mediterranean coast.

Port Said is also a resort that is visited by a large number of tourists every year. The swimming season here lasts from May to October. However, mild weather conditions allow you to sunbathe even in winter. The city has a wide variety of restaurants and cafes, their signature dishes are prepared from seafood.

It is noteworthy that the Statue of Liberty, which is a symbol of the United States, was originally planned to be installed in Port Said under the name Light of Asia, but the country's leadership decided that it was too expensive to transport the structure from France and install it.

The main attractions of Port Said include the Suez Canal embankment and the National Museum located on it with samples of Egyptian culture from pre-pharaonic times to the present day. A similar museum of Egyptian civilization in Cairo is only in the process of being created. In addition, the city has preserved several charming churches - Coptic Orthodox and Franciscan.

Military Museum

Opened in 1964, the Port Said Military Museum consists of several rooms with displays on: the battles of the Pharaonic era, the 1956 invasion, the wars against Israel (1967 and 1973). In addition, here you can see all kinds of photos, documents, bas-reliefs, paintings, statues, models.

Hotels and restaurants

Despite the fact that Port Said is also considered a beach resort, and boasts a couple of sandy beaches, this city remains underdeveloped in terms of mass tourism. Which, by the way, has a beneficial effect on the quality of services in local hotels. The cost of accommodation per night here is much lower than in the popular cities of Egypt, but the service is much higher.

There are also enough cafes, restaurants and all kinds of eateries here, many of them boast picturesque views of the Suez Canal.

Money, communication and information

You can exchange currency and withdraw cash at the Banque du Caire and the National Bank of Egypt, cash traveler's checks at the Thomas Cook office (8:00-16.30pm), which is located next to the gas station. Sharia Palestine has Amex (9:00-14:00 and 18:30-20:00 Sun-Thu), post office (8.30-14:30), telephone center (24 hours) and information office (9:00-18:00: 00 Sat-Thu, 9:00-14:00 Fri). Internet access can be found at Compu.Net (£3 per hour; 9:00-00:00) opposite the post office.

How to get there

Uncomfortable trains (18 pounds in the second class, 5 hours on the way) connect Port Said with Cairo, so it's better to use the bus (15-20 pounds, 3 hours on the way, departing every hour). There are also buses to Alexandria (£20-22, 4 hours), Luxor (£60, 12-13 hours) and Hurghada (£45, 7½ hours). A taxi from the bus station to the city center (3 km) will cost 5 pounds; taxi in the city center - 2 pounds. Fares are as of April 2011.

City of Port Fuad on the Suez Canal

Port Fuad is a city in northeastern Egypt. Port on the Mediterranean Sea at the northern end of the Suez Canal. It is located on the opposite bank of the Suez Canal from Port Said, with which it forms an agglomeration. Port Fuad was founded in 1927 mainly to relieve overpopulation in Port Said and was named after King Fuad I, the first holder of the title of King of Egypt in the modern era (previously held the title of Sultan of Egypt). The city is located on a triangular island bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal to the west, and a relatively new canal between the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The work of most residents is connected with the Suez Canal.

After the 1967 war, Port Fuad was the only place in the Sinai Peninsula that was held by the Egyptians. Israel tried to capture Port Fuad several times during the war of attrition, but failed each time. During the Yom Kippur War, Port Fuad with the surrounding territories was preserved. Based on the Camp David Accords in 1978, Israel agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt peacefully, and later the countries signed a peace treaty. Today, Port Fuad is one of the main air defense positions in Egypt.

Suez city on the Suez Canal

Suez is a city and a major port in the northeast of Egypt. Located on the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez of the Red Sea, at the southern entrance to the Suez Canal. The city has two harbours: Port Ibrahim and Port Taufi.

In the 7th century, near modern Suez, there was an eastern end of the canal connecting the Red Sea with the Nile. After the construction of the Suez Canal in 1859, the city acquired the status of an important international port. Was badly damaged during the Arab-Israeli war in October 1973. Rebuilt after 1975.

The main attraction of the city is the Suez Canal itself, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The canal zone is considered a conditional border between Africa and Eurasia. Since April 1980, a car tunnel has been operating in the city, which runs under the canal and is distinguished by its monumentality. From Suez you can go on a trip to the Small and Big Bitter Lakes. The new history of Egypt is intertwined with the history of the Arab-Israeli conflicts, and this also affects the holiday calendar. One of the most important dates is the end of the war in 1973, which is celebrated on October 24th. This holiday has another name - the Day of the capture of Suez, and in this city it is celebrated on a particularly large scale.

In city restaurants, you can taste traditional local dishes - dishes from beans (for example, ful and filafili) and meat (kebab, koftu, stuffed pigeon). Of the vegetables, eggplant is the most popular, and rice is served as a side dish. A good souvenir from Suez can be a picture or photograph with views of the world famous canal.

Ismailia city on the Suez Canal

Ismailia is a city in northeastern Egypt on the shores of Lake Timsah, part of the Suez Canal system. Population 254 thousand people (1996), 374 thousand people (2005). The navigable canal, 130 km long, connecting the Suez Canal (near the city) with the Nile (near Cairo) is also called the Ismailia Canal.

Ismailia is located on the banks of the Suez Canal, about 120 km east of Cairo. Although the city is not one of the most famous tourist destinations in Egypt, there are great prospects for tourism hidden here. Ismailia offers various enticing attractions for tourists that are worth seeing.

Ismailia is replete with a mixture of ancient cultural influences, from the historical period of the pharaohs to the Roman Empire. Areas such as Tal al-Maskhota, Tal al-Azba and East Kantara are just some of the surrounding areas of significant historical value. Ismailia Museum of Local Lore is one of the must-see sights in the city.

Tourists who are already tired of visiting museums can relax and unwind in Mallaha Park. Timsah Lake in the city of Ismailia also offers pristine beaches, calm waters, plenty of entertainment and sports competitions.

The weather in Ismailia is comfortable due to the location of the city on Lake Timsah and a good layout. Ismailia has many gardens and parks, it is a blooming oasis among hot and windy deserts. Winters are warm here, and summers are hot, and your wardrobe should take this into account. In summer, light-colored clothing is preferable, sunglasses and hats should protect you from the sun. You can also bring band-aids, sun lotions, and wet wipes. For winter, bring a light jacket.

Bridges and tunnels on the Suez Canal

After the construction of the Suez Canal, it became necessary to create an infrastructure to connect its banks. Since 1981, an automobile tunnel has been operating near the city of Suez, passing under the bottom of the Suez Canal, and connecting Sinai and continental Africa. In addition to the technical excellence that made it possible to create such a complex engineering project, this tunnel attracts with its monumentality, is of great strategic importance and is rightfully considered a landmark of Egypt.

On October 9, 2001, a new bridge was opened in Egypt. Hosni Mubarak on the highway connecting the cities of Port Said and Ismailia. The opening ceremony of the bridge was attended by then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Prior to the opening of the Millau Viaduct, this structure was the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world. The height of the bridge is 70 meters. Construction lasted 4 years, one Japanese and two Egyptian construction companies took part in it.

In 2001, traffic was opened on the El-Ferdan railway bridge, 20 km north of the city of Ismailia. It is the longest swing bridge in the world, its two swing sections have a total length of 340 meters. The previous bridge was destroyed in 1967 during the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Hosni Mubarak bridge across the Suez Canal

Bridge over the Suez Canal. Hosni Mubarak is an automobile cable-stayed bridge built in 2001. It crosses the Suez Canal and connects Asia with Africa.

El Ferdan railway bridge across the Suez Canal

El Ferdan is a railway swing bridge across the Suez Canal, located in the vicinity of the Egyptian city of Ismailia.

It is the longest swing bridge in the world (length - 340 meters). The bridge connects the eastern bank of the Suez Canal with the western (Sinai Peninsula). El Ferdan replaced an old bridge destroyed during the Six Day War in 1967.

Most of the time, the bridge is raised for the passage of ships and is brought down directly for the passage of trains.

Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel under the Suez Canal

The Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel is a road tunnel under the bottom of the Suez Canal. The tunnel is located in the southwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula, and administratively connects the peninsula with the mainland of Africa. Relative to the channel, it is located at an angle, and with a slight rounding lies from the northwest to the southeast.

Entry and exit is carried out through specialized checkpoints located on both sides of the tunnel. Both the tunnel itself and the surrounding area are heavily guarded by the Egyptian police forces, as well as specialized units of the armed forces of the Republic.

The tunnel is physically located under the bottom of the sea channel, respectively - much lower than the level of the World Ocean. The tunnel is 1.63 km long and 11.6 m in diameter. Depth relative to the level of the World Ocean: −53.6 m. Above the ceiling of the deepest point of the tunnel lies 47 meters of rock and sea water. The tunnel has one lane in each direction.

The tunnel was originally built by the British government in 1983. However, seepage of salt water through the reinforced concrete pavement was noticed shortly after the completion of construction, and posed many practical questions to the engineers. Salt water quickly corroded the steel and degraded the concrete, leading to systemic problems and serious deterioration of the coating.

In 1992, according to the project of the Japanese government, work began on the reconstruction of the tunnel. During the reconstruction, new systems for monitoring and operating the tunnel were introduced. To get rid of the accumulated water, powerful pumping systems were installed at its base - drainage and wastewater. An additional reinforced concrete tunnel cover was built inside the original one.

Lakes on the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal includes several lakes: Big Bitter Lake, Small Bitter Lake and Timsakh Lake, which are located between the northern and southern parts of the canal.

Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal

The Great Bitter Lake is a lake in Egypt. Located between the northern and southern parts of the Suez Canal. The area of ​​the lake is about 250 km². Since the canal has no locks, water from the Red and Mediterranean seas freely replenishes the water that evaporates from the surface of the lake.

From the time of the Six Day War in 1967, when the operation of the canal was suspended until 1975, 14 ships were locked in the lake. These ships were named the Yellow Flotilla after the color of the sand that covered their decks. The Suez Canal was blocked due to the deliberate flooding of several ships in the fairway by Israeli troops. On the blocked ships until the “opening” of the channel on June 5, 1975, there were shift teams.

In October 1967, all 14 captains and crews gathered aboard the British M/S Melampus to form the Great Bitter Lake Association. Its main goals were to maintain and develop friendly relations, mutual assistance, as well as to conduct joint events.

Small Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal

Small Bitter Lake is a salt lake in Egypt, located between the northern and southern parts of the Suez Canal. From the south it adjoins the Big Bitter Lake. The area is about 30 km². The shores are sandy, on the eastern side - completely deserted.

At the beginning of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the 130th brigade of the Egyptian army was transferred from Alexandria to the Schluf camp in the Kabrit region on the western shore of the Little Bitter Lake, after which it crossed the lake.

Lake Timsah in the Suez Canal

Timsah is a lake in Egypt, located approximately in the middle of the Isthmus of Suez.

Lake Timsah is now adjacent to the Suez Canal. During the construction of the canal, the city of Ismailia was founded on its banks, which now houses the Suez Canal Authority. Before the construction of the canal, Timsakh Lake was one of the inner, shallow lakes of Sinai. After the construction of the Suez Canal, both sea water from it and fresh water from the Ismail Canal began to flow into the lake. In 1870, the depth of Lake Timsach in the deepest places reached 22 feet (according to Wilhelm David Koner "Gegenwärtige Tiefe des Suez-Canals" (1870). The name of the lake is translated as Lake of the Crocodile.

The city of Ismailia now lies on the western shore of the lake; there are several beaches on its southeastern shore. The eastern part of Timsakh Lake passes into the Suez Canal. Until the construction of the Aswan Dam in 1966, which protected Egypt from the Nile floods, earlier the Timsakh Lake was annually reached by the waters of the river, which flooded the Wadi Timulat, which stretched directly from the Nile Delta to the Timsakh Lake. The first canal connecting the lake with the Delta was laid 4 thousand years ago, during the Middle Kingdom.

After the outbreak of the Six-Day War in 1967, the American tanker Observer was imprisoned in Timsah Lake for many years.

Sources and links

historybook.at.ua - Blog "History Books"

dic.academic.ru - Glossary of terms

en.wikipedia.org – The free encyclopedia

ria.ru - Rian news

infoglaz.ru - Blog "Infoglaz"

tonkosti.ru - Encyclopedia of tourism

calend.ru - Site "Calendar of events"

diletant.ru - Website "Delitant"

flot.com - Russian Navy

i-fact.ru - Interesting facts

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

Not bad? What would be their fate if they had this short cut to rich India? What would Christopher Columbus do? Oddly enough, but the Genoese had a chance to go 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!

The 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, African and Asian countries with equal success. But there were also serious obstacles - the Arabian Desert, for example. Its boundless sands separated the Nile, convenient for navigation, from the Red Sea. The people who built the pyramid of Cheops and the Karnak complex simply had to think about building convenient shipping routes. Thus, during the reign of Pharaoh Merenre I (2285 - 2279 BC), channels were dug around the rapids of the Nile to facilitate the delivery of granite from Nubia.

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Speed ​​is no longer needed

Pharaoh Senusret III undertook the construction of a full-fledged canal. However, due to the fact that all the above 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 cut a channel 78 meters long and 10 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's plans were much grander - to dig a 62.5-mile (about 100 km) shipping channel between the Nile and the Red Sea. He did not do this, most likely because the court engineers could not 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, the ancient builders could not use the locks. Later, the brilliant Fourier proved the fallacy of the Egyptians' 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 through it took 4 days. This path passed near the cities of Bubastis and Patum. The channel was tortuous, because in front of the Red Sea it was necessary to bypass the rocks. 120,000 Egyptians died during the construction (according to ancient authors, but this may be an exaggeration). Alas, the work was never completed - the priests prophesied an unenviable fate for the canal and the pharaoh did not tempt fate and oppose the will of the gods.

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

The Egyptian rulers used the entire arsenal of means - trade, troops, diplomacy. But why not the land route? Why just kill 120,000 subjects and spend a lot of money? The thing is that from ancient times to the present day, inclusive, sea transport remains the cheapest. Maximum autonomy, carrying capacity, speed - it's all about ships, not caravan routes. The Egyptians understood this and the ideas of canals like the Suez were constantly visited by pharaohs and scientists. But the priests broke 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 path already built by the Egyptians of silt and paved the rest of the waterway - this is how the “grandfather” of the Suez Canal arose.

But even here, not everything is so clear-cut. The historian Strabo gives slightly different data: “The canal was dug by Sesostris [aka Senusret, 1800 BC. e.] originally before the Trojan War; some, however, argue that this is the work of the son of Psammitichus [this son was the same Necho II], who only began work and then died; later it was taken over by Darius I, who inherited the production of the works. But under the influence of a false idea, he abandoned the almost finished work, for he was convinced that the Red Sea lies above Egypt, and if the entire intermediate isthmus was dug, then Egypt would be flooded by the sea. Nevertheless, the kings of the Ptolemaic family dug out the isthmus and made the strait a lockable passage, so that one could sail freely into the Outer Sea and return back at will.

This ancient author claims that Darius never completed the canal. Alas, ancient history is replete with such inconsistencies and it is hardly possible to point to an unambiguously correct option. However, the participation of Ptolemy II (285 - 246 BC) in the construction of the canal is not in doubt. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the canal was so wide that two triremes could pass freely there (the width of such a ship is about 5 m), and these are solid numbers 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. In 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 occasionally for local purposes.

The Arab rulers again truly appreciated the possibilities of the channel. Amr ibn al-As created, thanks to the canal, 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. The canal, without proper maintenance, fell into disrepair and only some parts of it were filled with water during the annual floods of the Nile.

Napoleon. Where without him!

Only a thousand years later, during the stay of Napoleon Bonaparte 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 was 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 implement this technologically and economically colossal idea?

Landing in Egypt in 1798, Bonaparte was able to easily defeat the Egyptian troops. Not expecting serious opposition from the Turks, he began to plan 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 for a long time did not want the strengthening of France, especially if this 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 he was no longer up to the canal. It was necessary to save the soldiers and save yourself. Meanwhile, the engineer Leper, whom Bonaparte brought from France, was drafting a canal. But he was ready only in 1800 - Napoleon was already in France, refusing to conquer 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 vessels with a large draft, and this greatly affected the prospect of such a "shortcut" from Europe to Asia.

First steps towards the Suez Canal

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

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

In 1833, the French utopian Saint-Simonist movement became keenly interested in the idea of ​​a canal. Several enthusiasts developed a construction plan, but Muhammad Ali Pasha (the ruler of Egypt) was not inclined 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 in the family of a diplomat, which, in fact, predetermined his career. At 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 great-niece Eugenia. Her loyalty to Uncle Ferdinand will still play its part. A little later, not without the help of his father, he got 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 got acquainted with the works of the Saint-Simonists and entered their circle. In Egypt, he was in close contact with Barthelemy Enfantin, head of the Saint-Simonist sect. Naturally, the ideas of reforming Egypt and large-scale construction projects could not help visiting 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 is successfully advancing in his service - 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 offer de Lesseps to take care of the education of his son, Muhammad Said. Until 1837, Ferdinand worked in Alexandria, formally as a consul, and de facto also as a tutor.

For five years in Egypt, Lesseps acquired connections among Egyptian officials and was well versed in 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. The negotiations failed, and de Lesseps was made a scapegoat and dismissed.

The former diplomat lived quietly on his estate, and in his spare time he worked with materials that he had collected during his stay in Egypt. He especially liked the idea of ​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez. Ferdinand even sent the canal project (calling it the "Canal of the Two Seas") to Abbas Pasha, the ruler of Egypt, for consideration. But alas, no response was received.

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

Grand schemer

In literature, de Lesseps is often called an adventurer and a cunning businessman. True, this is connected 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 deserved 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 speak of injustice if it did not exist as such.

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

• All the land needed 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 necessary labor force.
• The company had the right to choose raw materials from state mines and quarries, to take all the necessary transport and equipment.
• The company received the right to own the channel for 99 years.
• The Egyptian government will receive from the company annually 15% of net income, 75% goes to the company, 10% to the founders.

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

Suez Canal, to the start, attention ... march!

The final draft 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 direct construction of the canal, the company had to receive financial support - for this, Ferdinand began to issue shares.

In total, he issued 400,000 securities that had to be sold to someone. Lesseps first tried to attract the British, but got nothing but ridicule and a ban on the sale of shares in the Suez Canal Company. The conservatism of the British this time played against them. By relying on the railroad 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 with a bang - the middle class was actively buying papers at 500 francs apiece, hoping to receive good dividends in the future. 44% of the shares were bought by Said Pasha, and another 24,000 were sold to the Russian Empire. As a result, the company's fund amounted to 200,000 francs (approximate exchange rate: 1 franc 1858 = 15 US dollars 2011). On April 25, 1859, construction work began on the site of the future Port Said.

The construction of the Suez Canal lasted ten years. There is no precise 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 overwork and terrible unsanitary conditions. What can we talk about if a normal canal to provide construction sites with fresh water was built only in 1863! Prior to this, 1600 camels delivered water in regular "flights".

Interestingly, the UK 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 disdain to use the Egyptians in the same way when laying their railway (Lesseps wrote about this indignantly in a letter to the British government). It was all about economic interests - the Suez Canal seriously facilitated navigation between Europe and India, the richest colony of the British. That is why London constantly put pressure on the Turkish Sultan and France, preventing the company from working quietly. It got to the point that the Bedouins hired by the British tried to raise an uprising among the builders of the canal! The Turks and the French did not want to quarrel with Britain, since quite recently they fought together against Russia and they did not want to lose such a powerful ally.

Said Pasha died in 1863, Ismail Pasha ascended the Egyptian throne. The new ruler wanted to revise the concession agreement and construction almost stopped. A serious threat hung over the Suez Canal. But Ferdinand de Lesseps was a diplomat, if not a brilliant one. And what is a diplomat without an ace up his sleeve? Ferdinand turns to Napoleon III, though not directly, but through his niece Eugene, the wife of the French emperor. The arbitration court under the leadership of Napoleon revised the terms of the agreement and returned the lands that had passed to the company to the Egyptian state. In addition, tax benefits and the company's right to involve peasants in construction were cancelled. 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 most importantly, 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 the lack of technical means, the work progressed quite slowly. The manual labor of unskilled workers in the desert is not the best way to build giant canals. But I had to be content with what I had. At the final stage, excavators were used, which significantly accelerated the work.

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

The Suez Canal began at the Mediterranean Sea, then in a straight line to Lake Timsakh and the dried-up Bitter Lakes. From there, the final stretch went to the Red Sea, to the city of Suez. Interestingly, Port Said was founded as a builders' settlement in 1859. Now it is a large city with half a million inhabitants, which plays an important role in servicing the Suez Canal.

In 1869 the work was completed. The Suez Canal was about to open. It really was a technological breakthrough - the length of the new canal was 164 km, the width was 60-110 m along the water table and 22 m along the bottom, the depth was 8 m. There were no locks, which greatly simplified the construction. Despite the fact that the canal was formally built, the permanent work on deepening and widening, by and large, never stopped - the canal was not adapted for large ships. Often, in order to pass 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 through the Arabian Isthmus. Ismail Pasha arranged grand celebrations in honor of the opening of the Suez Canal - more than 20 million francs were spent (these immoderate spending, by the way, hit the country's budget hard)! The highlight of the program was to be the opera Aida ordered from Verdi, but the composer did not have time to write it, so the guests were “satisfied” with a luxurious ball.

Among the guests were representatives of royal families from Austria, Prussia, the Netherlands, Lesseps's beloved niece Eugene. Russia was represented by the ambassador and famous marine painter Aivazovsky. On November 16, 1869, festivities were planned, 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, in the same year, the Suez Canal, the "killer" of high-speed clippers, was opened. Now there was no need for these swift beauties - squat cargo steamers managed to carry more cargo in the same time thanks to the creation of Lesseps.

But the Suez Canal is not only poetry, but also politics. Soon after the first flights, the British realized what a tasty morsel they had missed. Probably, the proud sons of Albion would have remained with a nose, if not for the lack of elementary skills of a financier from Ismail Pasha. The love for the exorbitant luxury of the ruler in everything (remember that same celebration in Port Said) seriously shook 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 a 2013 pound, we get 85.9 million pounds). The company became, in fact, a Franco-British enterprise.

The significance of the Suez Canal is very clearly illustrated by the example of the 1888 agreement. Then the nine great states of Europe (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Turkey, France, Spain, Italy) signed a convention to ensure free navigation through the canal. The channel was open to all commercial 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 was constantly increasing, it was the most important element of the infrastructure, which made it possible to get from the Mediterranean Sea to Asia in a couple of weeks. The Egyptians were removed from the control of the canal, all the key posts were occupied by the French and the British. Of course, this situation hit hard on the sense of national identity of the Egyptians. But this resulted in an 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 with bones, but held the defense at El Alamein, trying not to let Rommel go to the Suez Canal. It was indeed a strategic facility that covered Middle Eastern oil and Asia. But after the war, the meaning of the channel changed dramatically. 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 occupied Port Said. At the same time, the Israeli army was advancing from the north on Egypt. 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 blocking of the canal (1956-1957), Nasser achieved his goal and the canal became a strategically important object of the Egyptian economy.

After the Six Day War in 1967, the canal was closed for 8 years. In 1975, the operation to clear and mine the Suez Canal was carried out by the forces of the US Navy and the USSR. The downtime of the canal was a heavy 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) in the Great Bitter Lake (through which the Suez Canal passes) 14 ships were locked up: they did not have time to leave the canal before its blockade. They were called the "Yellow Flotilla", as they say - because of the sand that covered the decks.

A large industrial center is located - the city of Ismailia.

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Later, the powerful Egyptian pharaohs Ramses II and Necho II were engaged in the construction and restoration of the canal.

Herodotus (II. 158) writes that Necho II (610-595 BC) began to build a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, but did not finish it.

The canal was completed around 500 BC by King Darius I, the Persian conqueror of Egypt. In memory of this event, Darius erected granite steles on the banks of the Nile, including one near Carbet, 130 kilometers from Pie.

In the III century BC. e. the canal was brought into a navigable state by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247). He is mentioned by Diodorus (I. 33. 11-12) and Strabo (XVII. 1. 25), he is mentioned in an inscription on a stele from Pythomas (16th year of the reign of Ptolemy). It began a little higher up the Nile than the former channel, in the area of ​​Facussa. It is possible, however, that under Ptolemy the old canal was cleared, deepened and extended to the sea, supplying the lands of Wadi Tumilat with fresh water. The fairway was wide enough - two triremes could freely disperse in it.

In 1841, British officers conducting surveys on the isthmus proved the fallacy of Leper's calculations regarding the water level in the two seas - calculations against which Laplace and the mathematician Fourier had previously protested, based on theoretical considerations. In 1846, partly under the auspices of Metternich, an international "Société d'etudes du canal de Suez" was formed, in which the French engineers Talabo, the Englishman Stephenson and the Austrian of Genoese origin Negrelli were the most prominent figures. Luigi Negrelli (English) Russian on the basis of new, independent research, he developed a new project: the channel was supposed to become “ artificial Bosphorus» directly connecting the two seas, sufficient for the passage of the most deep-sea vessels. The French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps supported, in general terms, Negrelli's project.

In 1855, Ferdinand de Lesseps received concessions from Said Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt, whom de Lesseps had met while a French diplomat in the 1830s. Said Pasha approved the creation of a company for the purpose of building a sea canal open to ships of all countries.

In the same 1855, Lesseps achieved the approval of the firman from the Turkish Sultan, but only in 1859 was he able to establish a company in Paris. In the same year, the construction of the canal began, which was headed by the General Company of the Suez Canal created by Lesseps. The Egyptian government received 44% of all shares, France - 53% and 3% were acquired by other countries. Under the terms of the concession, the shareholders were entitled to 74% of the profits, Egypt - 15%, the founders of the company - 10%.

Its fixed capital was equal to 200 million francs (all the costs of the enterprise were calculated by Lesseps in this amount), divided into 400 thousand shares of 500 francs each; Said Pasha subscribed to a significant part of them. The British government, and Palmerston at its head, fearing that the Suez Canal would lead to the liberation of Egypt from the rule of the Ottoman Empire and to the weakening or loss of England's dominance over India, placed all sorts of obstacles in the way of carrying out the enterprise, but was forced to retreat before the energy Lesseps, especially since Napoleon III and Said Pasha patronized his enterprise, and then (since 1863) his heir - Ismail Pasha.

The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal were enormous. I had to work under the scorching sun, in a sandy desert, completely devoid of fresh water. At first, the company had to use up to 1,600 camels just to deliver water to workers; but by 1863 she had completed a small freshwater canal from the Nile, running in approximately the same direction as the ancient canals (the remains of which were somehow exploited), and intended not for navigation, but solely for the delivery of fresh water - first to workers, then and the settlements that were to emerge along the canal. This freshwater channel runs from Zakazik near the Nile east to Ismailia, and from there southeast, along the sea channel, to Suez; channel width 17 m on the surface, 8 - along the bottom; its depth is on average only 2¼ m, in some places even much less. His discovery facilitated the work, but still the death rate among the workers was high. The workers were provided by the Egyptian government, but European workers also had to be used (in total, from 20 to 40 thousand people worked on the construction).

In 1866, Ismail Pasha sent his trusted Nubar Bey to Constantinople, so that he would officially formalize in the proper manner with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul-Aziz, the fact of Ismail's accession to the rights of the Wali of Egypt; and also - confirmed the Egyptian concession for laying Suez Canal designed to connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Nubar managed to convince the Sultan of the need to allocate a fabulous amount for the construction of the canal.

Satisfied with the results of the visit of the Armenian Nubar Bey to the Sultan, Ismail Pasha instructed him (non-foreign Christians were rarely trusted to do this) to take over the completion of the work on the Suez Canal. The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal were enormous ... Nubar Bey went to Paris to settle disputes between Egypt and the French Canal Company. The decision of the issue was submitted to the arbitration of Emperor Napoleon III. It cost Egypt £4 million. Upon his return from Paris, Nubar Bey took the chair of the Minister of Public Works and was awarded the title of pasha. And soon he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

The 200 million francs determined by Lesseps' original project soon ran out, especially as a result of the huge spending on bribery at the courts of Said and Ismail, on widespread advertising in Europe, on the costs of representing Lesseps himself and other bigwigs of the company. I had to make a new bond loan of 166,666,500 francs, then others, so that the total cost of the canal by 1872 reached 475 million (by 1892 - 576 million). In the six-year period in which Lesseps promised to complete the work, the canal was not built. Earthworks were carried out using forced labor of the poor in Egypt (in the early stages) and took 11 years.

The northern section was completed first through the swamp and Lake Manzala, then the flat section to Lake Timsakh. From here, the excavation went to two huge depressions - the long-dried Bitter Lakes, the bottom of which was 9 meters below sea level. After filling the lakes, the builders went to the end southern section.

The total length of the canal was about 173 km, including the length of the canal itself through the Isthmus of Suez 161 km, the sea canal along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea - 9.2 km and the Gulf of Suez - about 3 km. The width of the channel along the water table is 120-150 m, along the bottom - 45-60 m. The depth along the fairway was initially 12-13 m, then it was deepened to 20 m.

The canal officially opened for navigation on November 17, 1869. The opening of the Suez Canal was attended by Empress Eugene of France (wife of Napoleon III), Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph I with the Minister-President of the Hungarian government Andrássy, a Dutch prince with a princess, a Prussian prince. Never before has Egypt known such celebrations and hosted so many distinguished European guests. The celebration lasted seven days and nights and cost Khedive Ismail 28 million gold francs. And only one item of the celebration program was not fulfilled: the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi did not have time to finish the opera Aida ordered for this occasion, the premiere of which was supposed to enrich the opening ceremony of the channel. Instead of the premiere, a large celebratory ball was arranged in Port Said.

• On July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the channel. This led to the invasion of British, French and Israeli troops and the beginning of the week-long Suez War in 1956. The channel was partially destroyed, some of the ships were sunk, as a result, navigation was closed until April 24, 1957, until the channel was cleared with the help of the UN. UN peacekeeping forces were introduced to maintain the status of the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal as neutral territories.

  present tense

  The Suez Canal is one of Egypt's main sources of income, along with oil production, tourism, and agriculture.

  In December 2011, the Egyptian authorities announced that tariffs for the transit of goods, which have not changed over the past three years, will increase by three percent from March 2012.

  According to 2009 data, about 10% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the channel. The passage through the canal takes about 14 hours. On average, 48 vessels pass through the canal per day.

  Second channel

  In August 2014, construction began on a 72-kilometre-long parallel canal to allow for two-way traffic. Trial operation of the second stage of the canal began on July 25, 2015. The country's army actively participated in the construction. The population of Egypt participated in the financing.

  On August 6, 2015, the grand opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal took place. The ceremony was attended, in particular, by the President of Egypt, Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, who arrived at the venue of the event on board the Al-Mahrusa yacht. This yacht gained fame as the first ship to pass in 1869 through the old Suez Canal.

  Currently, the ship is part of the Egyptian Navy, being the country's oldest active naval vessel, and is sometimes used as a presidential yacht. The ship goes to sea about three times a year, but usually only for one day. The yacht was built in 1865.

  "New Suez" runs parallel to the old shipping route, laid 145 years ago and is the shortest water route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The new channel, like the old one, will be state property.

  The construction was financed from internal sources. The Egyptian government issued bonds with a yield of 12% per annum, and investors snapped them up within just eight days. Construction work was carried out around the clock with the large-scale participation of the engineering units of the Egyptian army.

  It took only one year to build the Suez understudy (although it was estimated to have been built in three years). The project cost Egypt $8.5 billion. The project of the New Suez Canal consisted of widening and deepening the current tract and creating a parallel tract. The new channel should increase the capacity of the channel.

  The purpose of the project is to ensure two-way traffic of ships. In the future, from south to north, they will follow the old, and from north to south along the new channel. Thus, the average waiting time of ships during the passage through the canal should be reduced by a factor of four, while its throughput will increase from 49 to 97 ships per day.

  In addition, the understudy is expected to increase Egypt's income from the operation of the waterway by 2.5 times by 2023, to $13.2 billion from the current $5.3 billion. The Suez Canal provides 7% of the world's maritime cargo turnover, plays a key role in supplying Europe with Middle Eastern oil, and for Egypt is the second source of foreign exchange earnings after tourism. In the future, it is planned to create a large logistics center and an industrial zone near the canal. A number of experts consider these forecasts to be overly optimistic.

  Control

  Main article: Administration of the Suez Canal

  The Suez Canal was operated until 1956 by the Suez Canal Company, which was attached to the Suez Canal Administration by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

  The chairs of the SCA were:

  • Bahgat Helmi Badawi (July 26, 1956 - July 9, 1957)
  • Mahmoud Younis (July 10, 1957 - October 10, 1965)
  • Mashhour Ahmed Mashhour (October 14, 1965 - December 31, 1983)
  • Mohamed Adel Ezzat (January 1, 1984 - December 1995)
  • Ahmed Ali Fadel (22 January 1996 – August 2012)
  • Mohab Mamish (August 2012 - present)

  Connection between shores

  Since 1981, an automobile tunnel has been operating near the city of Suez, passing under the bottom of the Suez Canal, and connecting Sinai and continental Africa. In addition to the technical excellence that made it possible to create such a complex engineering project, this tunnel attracts with its monumentality, is of great strategic importance and is rightfully considered a landmark of Egypt.

  In 1998, a transmission line was built over the canal in Suez. The line supports on both banks are 221 meters high and located 152 meters apart.

  On October 9, 2001, a new bridge was opened in Egypt. Hosni Mubarak on the highway connecting the cities of Port Said and Ismailia. The opening ceremony of the bridge was attended by the then President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak. Prior to the opening of the Millau Viaduct, this structure was the world's tallest cable-stayed bridge. The height of the bridge is 70 meters. Construction lasted 4 years, one Japanese and two Egyptian construction companies took part in it.

  In 2001, traffic was opened on the El-Ferdan railway bridge, 20 km north of the city of Ismailia. This is the world's longest swing bridge, its two swing sections have a total length of 340 meters. The previous bridge was destroyed in

29°55′55″ N sh. 32°33′47″ E d. HGI AMO - head, - mouth Audio, photo and video at Wikimedia Commons

History

Antiquity

Construction of the Suez Canal

Drawing of the Suez Canal (1881)

Later, the powerful Egyptian pharaohs Ramses II and Necho II were engaged in the construction and restoration of the canal.

Herodotus (II. 158) writes that Necho II (610-595 BC) began to build a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, but did not finish it.

The canal was completed around 500 BC by King Darius I, the Persian conqueror of Egypt. In memory of this event, Darius erected granite steles on the banks of the Nile, including one near Carbet, 130 kilometers from Pie.

In the III century BC. e. the canal was brought into a navigable state by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247). He is mentioned by Diodorus (I. 33. 11-12) and Strabo (XVII. 1. 25), he is mentioned in an inscription on a stele from Pythomas (16th year of the reign of Ptolemy). It began a little higher up the Nile than the former channel, in the area of ​​Facussa. It is possible, however, that under Ptolemy the old canal was cleared, deepened and extended to the sea, supplying the lands of Wadi Tumilat with fresh water. The fairway was wide enough - two triremes could freely disperse in it.

In 1569, on the orders of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed Sokollu, a plan was developed to restore the canal, but it was not implemented.

Channel recovery

More than a thousand years passed before the next attempt to dig a canal. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, while in Egypt, considered building a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. He entrusted the production of preliminary surveys to a special commission headed by the engineer Leper. The commission came to the erroneous conclusion that the water level of the Red Sea was 9.9 m higher than the water level of the Mediterranean Sea, which would not have allowed the canal to be built without locks. According to Leper's project, it was supposed to go from the Red Sea to the Nile partly along the old route, cross the Nile near Cairo and end in the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria. Leper considered it impossible to reach a particularly significant depth; its channel would have been unsuitable for deep-draft ships. Leper's commission calculated the costs of digging at 30-40 million francs. The project crashed not on technical or financial difficulties, but on political events; it was completed only at the end of 1800, when Napoleon was already in Europe and finally abandoned the hope of conquering Egypt. On December 6, 1800, when he accepted Leper's report, he said: this is a great thing, but I am unable to carry it out at the present time; perhaps the Turkish government will someday take it up, create glory for itself and strengthen the existence of the Turkish Empire» .

In 1841, British officers conducting surveys on the isthmus proved the fallacy of Leper's calculations regarding the water level in the two seas - calculations against which Laplace and the mathematician Fourier had previously protested, based on theoretical considerations. In 1846, partly under the auspices of Metternich, an international "Société d'etudes du canal de Suez" was formed, in which the French engineers Talabo, the Englishman Stephenson and the Austrian of Genoese origin Negrelli were the most prominent figures. Luigi Negrelli, on the basis of new, independent research, developed a new project: the channel was to become " artificial Bosphorus» directly connecting the two seas, sufficient for the passage of the most deep-sea vessels. French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps supported, in general terms, Negrelli's project.

In 1855, Ferdinand de Lesseps received concessions from Said Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt, whom de Lesseps had met while a French diplomat in the 1830s. Said Pasha approved the creation of a company for the purpose of building a sea canal open to ships of all countries.

In the same 1855, Lesseps achieved the approval of the firman from the Turkish Sultan, but only in 1859 was he able to establish a company in Paris. Construction of the canal began that year, spearheaded by the General Suez Canal Company created by Lesseps. The Egyptian government received 44% of all shares, France - 53% and 3% were acquired by other countries. Under the terms of the concession, the shareholders were entitled to 74% of the profits, Egypt - 15%, the founders of the company - 10%.

Its fixed capital was equal to 200 million francs (all the costs of the enterprise were calculated by Lesseps in this amount), divided into 400 thousand shares of 500 francs each; Said Pasha subscribed to a significant part of them. The British government, led by Palmerston, fearing that the Suez Canal would lead to the liberation of Egypt from the rule of the Ottoman Empire and to the weakening or loss of England's dominance over India, placed all sorts of obstacles in the way of the enterprise, but was forced to retreat before the energy Lesseps, especially since Napoleon III and Said Pasha patronized his enterprise, and then (since 1863) his heir - Vali Ismail Pasha.

The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal were enormous. I had to work under the scorching sun, in a sandy desert, completely devoid of fresh water. At first, the company had to use up to 1,600 camels just to deliver water to workers; but by 1863 she had completed a small freshwater canal from the Nile, running in approximately the same direction as the ancient canals (the remains of which were somehow exploited), and intended not for navigation, but solely for the delivery of fresh water - first to workers, then and the settlements that were to emerge along the canal. This freshwater channel runs from Zakazik near the Nile east to Ismailia, and from there southeast, along the sea channel, to Suez; channel width 17 m on the surface, 8 - along the bottom; its depth is on average only 2¼ m, in some places even much less. His discovery facilitated the work, but still the death rate among the workers was high. The workers were provided by the Egyptian government, but European workers also had to be used (in total, from 20 to 40 thousand people worked on the construction).

In 1866, Ismail Pasha sent his trusted Nubar Bey to Constantinople, so that he would officially formalize in the proper manner with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul-Aziz, the fact of Ismail's accession to the rights of the Wali of Egypt; and also - confirmed the Egyptian concession for laying Suez Canal, designed to connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas . Nubar managed to convince the Sultan of the need to allocate a fabulous amount for the construction of the canal.

Satisfied with the results of the visit of the Armenian Nubar Bey to the Sultan, Ismail Pasha instructed him (non-foreign Christians were rarely trusted to do this) to take over the completion of the work on the Suez Canal. The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal were enormous ... Nubar Bey went to Paris to settle disputes between Egypt and the French Canal Company. The decision of the issue was submitted to the arbitration of Emperor Napoleon III. It cost Egypt £4 million. Upon his return from Paris, Nubar Bey took the chair of the Minister of Public Works and was awarded the title of pasha. And soon he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

The 200 million francs determined by Lesseps' original project soon ran out, especially as a result of the huge spending on bribery at the courts of Said and Ismail, on widespread advertising in Europe, on the costs of representing Lesseps himself and other bigwigs of the company. I had to make a new bond loan of 166,666,500 francs, then others, so that the total cost of the canal by 1872 reached 475 million (by 1892 - 576 million). In the six-year period in which Lesseps promised to complete the work, the canal was not built. Earthworks were carried out using forced labor of the poor in Egypt (in the early stages) and took 11 years.

The northern section was completed first through the swamp and Lake Manzala, then the flat section to Lake Timsakh. From here, the excavation went to two huge depressions - the long-dried Bitter Lakes, the bottom of which was 9 meters below sea level. After filling the lakes, the builders went to the end southern section.

The total length of the canal was about 173 km, including the length of the canal itself through the Isthmus of Suez 161 km, the sea canal along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea - 9.2 km and the Gulf of Suez - about 3 km. The width of the channel along the water table is 120-150 m, along the bottom - 45-60 m. The depth along the fairway was initially 12-13 m, then it was deepened to 20 m.

The canal officially opened to navigation on November 17, 1869. The opening of the Suez Canal was attended by Empress Eugenia of France (wife of Napoleon III), Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph I with the Minister-President of the Hungarian government Andrássy, a Dutch prince with a princess, a Prussian prince. Never before has Egypt known such celebrations and hosted so many distinguished European guests. The celebration lasted seven days and nights and cost Khedive Ismail 28 million gold francs. And only one item of the celebration program was not fulfilled: the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi did not have time to finish the opera Aida ordered for this occasion, the premiere of which was supposed to enrich the opening ceremony of the channel. Instead of the premiere, a large celebratory ball was arranged in Port Said.

Economic and strategic importance of the canal

The canal had an immediate and invaluable impact on world trade. Six months earlier, the First Transcontinental Railroad had been put into operation, and the whole world could now be circumnavigated in record time. The channel played an important role in the expansion and further colonization of Africa. Foreign debts forced Ismail Pasha, who succeeded Said Pasha, to sell his share in the British Canal in 1875. The "General Suez Canal Company" essentially became an Anglo-French enterprise, Egypt was removed from both the management of the canal and the profits. England became the actual owner of the channel. This position was further strengthened after she occupied Egypt in 1882.

On July 26, 1956, the canal was nationalized by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. This led to the invasion of British, French and Israeli troops and the start of the week long 1956 Suez War. The channel was partially destroyed, some of the ships were sunk, as a result, navigation was closed until April 24, 1957, until the channel was cleared with the help of the UN. UN peacekeeping forces were brought in to maintain the status of the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal as neutral territories.

present tense

The Suez Canal is one of Egypt's main sources of income, along with oil production, tourism, and agriculture.

In December 2011, the Egyptian authorities announced that tariffs for the transit of goods, which have not changed over the past three years, will increase by three percent from March 2012.

According to 2009 data, about 10% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the channel. The passage through the canal takes about 14 hours. On average, 48 vessels pass through the canal per day.

Second channel

In August 2014, construction began on a 72-kilometre-long parallel canal to allow for two-way traffic. Trial operation of the second stage of the canal began on July 25, 2015. The country's army actively participated in the construction. The population of Egypt participated in the financing.

On August 6, 2015, the grand opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal took place. The ceremony was attended, in particular, by the President of Egypt, Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi, who arrived at the venue of the event on board the Al-Mahrusa yacht. This yacht gained fame as the first ship to pass in 1869 through the old Suez Canal.

Currently, the ship is part of the Egyptian Navy, being the country's oldest active naval vessel, and is sometimes used as a presidential yacht. The ship goes to sea about three times a year, but usually only for one day. The yacht was built in 1865.

"New Suez" runs parallel to the old shipping route, laid 145 years ago and is the shortest water route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The new channel, like the old one, will be state property.

The construction was financed from internal sources. The Egyptian government issued bonds with a yield of 12% per annum, and investors snapped them up within just eight days. Construction work was carried out around the clock with the large-scale participation of the engineering units of the Egyptian army.

It took only one year to build the Suez understudy (although it was estimated to have been built in three years). The project cost Egypt $8.5 billion. The project of the New Suez Canal consisted of widening and deepening the current tract and creating a parallel tract. The new channel should increase the capacity of the channel.

The purpose of the project is to ensure two-way traffic of ships. In the future, from south to north, they will follow the old, and from north to south along the new channel. Thus, the average waiting time of ships during the passage through the canal should be reduced by a factor of four, while its throughput will increase from 49 to 97 ships per day.

In addition, the understudy is expected to increase Egypt's income from the operation of the waterway by 2.5 times by 2023, to $13.2 billion from the current $5.3 billion. The Suez Canal provides 7% of the world's maritime cargo turnover, plays a key role in supplying Europe with Middle Eastern oil, and for Egypt is the second source of foreign exchange earnings after tourism. In the future, it is planned to create a large logistics center and an industrial zone near the canal. A number of experts consider these forecasts to be overly optimistic.

Control

The Suez Canal was operated by the Suez Canal Company until 1956, attached to the Suez Canal Authority by Egyptian President Gamal-Abdel Nasser.

The chairs of the SCA were:

• Bahgat Helmi Badawi (July 26, 1956 - July 9, 1957)
• Mahmoud Younis (July 10, 1957 - October 10, 1965)
• Mashhour Ahmed Mashhour (October 14, 1965 - December 31, 1983)
• Mohamed Adel Ezzat (January 1, 1984 - December 1995)
• Ahmed Ali Fadel (22 January 1996 – August 2012)
• Mohab Mamish (August 2012 - present)

Connection between shores

Since 1981, an automobile tunnel has been operating in the area of ​​​​the city of Suez, passing under the bottom of the Suez Canal, and connecting Sinai and continental Africa. In addition to the technical excellence that made it possible to create such a complex engineering project, this tunnel attracts with its monumentality, is of great strategic importance and is rightfully considered a landmark of Egypt.

In 1998, a power line was built over the canal in Suez. The line supports on both banks are 221 meters high and located 152 meters apart.

On October 9, 2001, a new bridge was opened in Egypt. Hosni Mubarak on the highway connecting the cities

The Suez Canal is a navigable lockless canal in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The canal zone is considered a conditional border between the two continents, Africa and Eurasia. On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. The history of the largest man-made canal in the world in photographs.



The moment of passage of the third generation heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Peter the Great" of the Suez Canal



Thomas Kerr Lynch, "Visit to the Suez Canal"



The construction of the Suez Canal began in 1858, when the French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, close to the Viceroy of Egypt, Mohammed Said Pasha, received from him a concession for the construction. For the construction, the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez (General Company of the Suez Sea Canal) was established, in which France held a controlling stake and Egypt held a minority stake.



The channel, which greatly shortened the route from Europe to Asia, became popular from the very first days and proved to be very successful commercially. His discovery increased the interest of Europeans in the Middle East



The first attempts to equip the canal were made even before our era, but the construction was abandoned every now and then. In the 8th century
Caliph Mansur ordered the canal to be destroyed in order to concentrate trade routes on the territory of the Caliphate.



The construction of the Suez Canal went on for more than ten years. Workers, Egyptians from the poor, had to work forcibly under the scorching sun, in the desert, without enough fresh water. A lot of time was spent on building only a freshwater canal from the Nile, which was supposed to supply the workers with water. The canal was built by 60 thousand Egyptians per month, many of them died due to unbearable working conditions and epidemics.



Great Britain opposed the construction of the Suez Canal - it controlled the sea route to India through the Cape of Good Hope and was afraid of competition.



However, soon the money allocated for the construction of Suez ended. Ismail Pasha, who succeeded Said Pasha, sold his share to Great Britain, and Egypt lost control of the canal, forfeiting future profits as well. The General Suez Canal Company became Anglo-French.



In 1869 it was opened for navigation. A joyful event in Egypt was celebrated for a week. The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was supposed to write the opera Aida especially for the opening, but did not have time to finish it.



In 1956, the canal was partially destroyed during the Suez crisis, which began after the Egyptian authorities decided to nationalize Suez. Britain, France and Israel fought together against Egypt. Shipping was stopped for almost a year, until the UN intervened in the conflict.



The conflict between Egypt and Israel escalated earlier, after the latter appropriated Palestinian territories intended for Arab settlements. The UN Security Council demanded that Egypt open a channel for shipping, but Egypt refused.



As a result of the joint military actions of the three countries, almost the entire Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip came under Israeli control. Israeli Prime Minister Ben-Gurion even hinted at the annexation of Sinai.



Under pressure from the international community, Great Britain and France withdrew their troops from Egypt in December 1956, Israel left Egyptian territories in March 1957.



The next Arab-Israeli conflict began in 1973 with an attack by Egyptian and Syrian troops on Israel. The military invasion began during the most important Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Due to the suddenness of the strike, at first the advantage was on the side of the attackers, but soon the advantage turned out to be on the side of Israel, and then a UN resolution on a ceasefire followed.



The Suez Canal was opened for use only in 1975, after it was cleared by US forces.



According to the Constantinople Convention of 1888, the canal must be "always free and open to all commercial and warships without distinction of flag", whether in wartime or peacetime. The Egyptian government, in a declaration dated April 24, 1957, stated that it would “observe the terms and spirit of the Convention of Constantinople of 1888” and that “the rights and obligations arising from it remain unchanged,” however, Egypt several times refused ships of different countries to pass through the canal.



The famous Statue of Liberty was originally planned to be erected in Port Said, the city at the end of the Suez Canal, and called the Light of Asia, but the Egyptian authorities decided that it would be too expensive to transport it from France.



On August 28, 2009, a Panamanian oil tanker sank in the Red Sea near the entrance to the Suez Canal. The ship was due for repairs and was empty. Only 60 tons of fuel fell into the sea, none of the sailors were injured.



The Suez Canal is one of the main sources of income for the Egyptian budget. The country earns on transit duties.

The length of the Suez Canal is about 190 km, its width at its deepest point is 200 m. It will take a ship about 14 hours to completely pass through the canal. Approximately 50 ships pass through it every day. Approximately 10% of all world shipping is carried out through the Suez, the world's largest man-made canal.



Since 1981, there has been a car tunnel under Suez. In 2005, the cities of Port Said and Ismailia were connected by a bridge named after the incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. After the overthrow of the head of state, it no longer bears that name.