The Suez Canal, also known by the nickname, "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows transportation by water between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez.
When first built, the canal was 102 miles long and 26 feet deep. After multiple enlargements, the canal is 120 miles long, 79 feet deep and 673 feet wide as of 2010.
The canal is single lane with passing places in the "Ballah By-Pass" and the Great Bitter Lake. It contains no locks and seawater flows freely through the canal. In general, the canal north of Bitter Lake flows north in the winter and south in summer. The current south of the lakes changes with the tide at Suez.
The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt. Under international treaty, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag"
We entered the canal at about 1AM...needless to say, I was not awake to record our entry!
The Great Bitter Lake...only area of the canal with 2 way traffic.
Exiting the canal in to the Red Sea at Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez.
In the morning we will arrive in Safaga to start our overnight adventure to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.
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