The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal was constructed in order to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Construction of the canal began in the reign of Sa‘id Pasha, who negotiated the land deal with the French diplomat and administrator Ferdinand De Lesseps. De Lesseps began to implement the project on 18 November 1862; works continued until finally the Mediterranean ran through the canal to al-Timsah Lake (Crocodile Lake). Sa‘id Pasha died two months after work had started on 18 January 1863.

The Suez Canal was inaugurated in 1869, with Egypt owning 44 per cent of the shares. The Canal led to important strategic changes in Egypt, especially concerning her relationship with Britain whose route to colonial interests in India had been directly improved by the canal’s construction. Then, as Egypt’s debts began to accumulate, in 1875, Khedive Isma‘il sold off Egypt’s shares in the Canal.